College Basketball 2013-14

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Sat Dec 14, 2013 8:40 pm

No heart

Bensell · Post by **Bensell** » Sun Dec 15, 2013 6:19 pm

AB_skin_test wrote:No heart

No joke. I have been extremely unimpressed with this UK team. Unlike the effort put forth by the women's team so far this season; really looking forward to their game against Duke in Rupp Arena next Sunday.

wlu_lax6 · Post by **wlu_lax6** » Fri Dec 20, 2013 8:29 am

Tough finish for Florida Gulf Coast. Under .4 seconds only tap ins are allowed. They ruled he caught the ball.

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Fri Dec 20, 2013 8:48 am

Parker is really really really good.

Post by **Shirley** » Tue Jan 07, 2014 2:32 pm

Duke dropped out of the top ten in the AP this week. The last time Duke wasn't in the top ten was November 2007. That's pretty amazing.

Giff · Post by **Giff** » Tue Jan 07, 2014 3:11 pm

Shirley wrote:Duke dropped out of the top ten in the AP this week. The last time Duke wasn't in the top ten was November 2007. That's pretty amazing.

And you have a Baylor/ISU matchup tonight that is a battle of two top 10 teams. What's going on??

Post by **Shirley** » Tue Jan 07, 2014 11:52 pm

And now NC State goes on the road and beats Notre Dame in South Bend, something Duke couldn't pull off. It's going to be an interesting year in the ACC.

Post by **Shirley** » Wed Jan 08, 2014 11:46 pm

Miami beat UNC tonight in Chapel Hill. How in the hell did the Heels beat Louisville, Michigan State and Kentucky? This is the strangest team ever.

DSafetyGuy · Post by **DSafetyGuy** » Thu Jan 09, 2014 10:33 am

Shirley wrote:Miami beat UNC tonight in Chapel Hill. How in the hell did the Heels beat Louisville, Michigan State and Kentucky? This is the strangest team ever.

Completely rational fear among the Syracuse fan base for Saturday.

Post by **Shirley** » Thu Jan 09, 2014 12:35 pm

DSafetyGuy wrote:
Shirley wrote:Miami beat UNC tonight in Chapel Hill. How in the hell did the Heels beat Louisville, Michigan State and Kentucky? This is the strangest team ever.
Completely rational fear among the Syracuse fan base for Saturday.

You know, I was already chalking that one up as another UNC loss so they would be 0-3 to start the season. But yeah ... you're right. Carolina's winning that game!

DSafetyGuy · Post by **DSafetyGuy** » Thu Jan 09, 2014 5:55 pm

Shirley wrote:
DSafetyGuy wrote:
Shirley wrote:Miami beat UNC tonight in Chapel Hill. How in the hell did the Heels beat Louisville, Michigan State and Kentucky? This is the strangest team ever.
Completely rational fear among the Syracuse fan base for Saturday.
You know, I was already chalking that one up as another UNC loss so they would be 0-3 to start the season. But yeah ... you're right. Carolina's winning that game!

It would give them the hat trick of wins over teams ranked 1, 2, and 3. It would seem to be a pleasant matchup for a talented UNC team (or at least what I expect is a talented team - I only watched a few minutes of last night's game and know what Miami's slow-ball can do, Syracuse beat them 49-44 last weekend), as Syracuse is happy to get out and go at a higher tempo. Just can't figure out how the zone affects that, especially since the Heels don't shoot the three well. Doesn't bode well on the surface, but I am leery.

DSafetyGuy · Post by **DSafetyGuy** » Wed Jan 15, 2014 10:06 am

I know Bo Ryan is supposed to be a pretty good coach, but shouldn't his rep take a little bit of a hit for having his defensive plan for his big guys be "stand with arms straight up" when Yogi Ferrell was repeatedly slicing through their defense for essentially uncontested lay-up after essentially uncontested lay-up last night? I thought "making him earn two points at the line" was an acceptable defensive tactic, especially when your bigs have a minimum of six inches on the driver.

Post by **Shirley** » Wed Jan 15, 2014 11:35 am

I didn't see the game, but considering he got that team to 16-0 this season, I'm gonna give him the benefit of the doubt. The guy's a hell of a coach.

How about the ending to that Kentucky game last night? I can't recall seeing a putback dunk like that at the buzzer before.

Post by **Shirley** » Wed Jan 15, 2014 3:55 pm

Wake Forest coach Jeff Bzdelik has coached for three years in the Big 12 (Colorado) and now 3+ in the ACC.

His road conference record in those 6+ seasons? 2-50.

Two and Fifty.

(maybe he can coach the Lions some day!)

Post by **Shirley** » Sat Jan 18, 2014 2:33 pm

After beating Florida State (again) today, UVA is now 4-1 in the ACC. They have had a lead of 20+ points in all fiour of those wins. The one loss was in the final 20 seconds at Duke. They have a ways to go still, but the Hoos are growing into a pretty good team.

UNC finally got their first ACC win today over BC. Had they lost (and yes, that was possible), it would have been their worst conference start ever.

Post by **Shirley** » Wed Jan 29, 2014 9:59 am

(am I really the only Swamper who follows college hoops? Sad.)

Anyway, UVA waxed Notre Dame on the road last night to get to 7-1 in the ACC. They continued their streak of having a 20+ lead in every conference win. So far, their only loss was to Duke on the road - a game where UVA led in the final 30 seconds, but Duke got a very lucky bounce on a three to win.

And still UVA isn't ranked.

DSafetyGuy · Post by **DSafetyGuy** » Wed Jan 29, 2014 10:06 am

Rerun, any reason I should have legitimate concerns about Wake's undefeated record at home before Syracuse's trip down tonight? I didn't see any home wins that were shocking and they're not particularly good on the road, so this one is more of a "who they have played" kind of thing than anything else, right?

I ask because "12-0 at home" has gotten some play in the Syracuse media as part of the "trap game" stuff leading into the Duke game on Saturday night.

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Wed Jan 29, 2014 10:09 am

Shirley wrote:(am I really the only Swamper who follows college hoops? Sad.)

Anyway, UVA waxed Notre Dame on the road last night to get to 7-1 in the ACC. They continued their streak of having a 20+ lead in every conference win. So far, their only loss was to Duke on the road - a game where UVA led in the final 30 seconds, but Duke got a very lucky bounce on a three to win.

And still UVA isn't ranked.

I can't believe UVA isn't ranked. They're better than Kentucky for sure.

Bensell · Post by **Bensell** » Wed Jan 29, 2014 6:16 pm

AB_skin_test wrote:
Shirley wrote:(am I really the only Swamper who follows college hoops? Sad.)

Anyway, UVA waxed Notre Dame on the road last night to get to 7-1 in the ACC. They continued their streak of having a 20+ lead in every conference win. So far, their only loss was to Duke on the road - a game where UVA led in the final 30 seconds, but Duke got a very lucky bounce on a three to win.

And still UVA isn't ranked.
I can't believe UVA isn't ranked. They're better than Kentucky for sure.

I would vote for UVA ahead of UK even before last night's shitfest.

Post by **Shirley** » Thu Jan 30, 2014 9:23 am

Bensell wrote:
AB_skin_test wrote:I can't believe UVA isn't ranked. They're better than Kentucky for sure.
I would vote for UVA ahead of UK even before last night's shitfest.

I'm actually not that surprised Virginia is ranked. The program has a low Q rating, they have no lottery picks on the team and they had a slow start to the season. On the other hand, you'd like to think that the AP voters paid close attention to how teams are actually playing instead of just their name or record.

That said, crushing Notre Dame on ESPN2 in front of a gushing Bobby Knight and Digger Phelps the other night probably got them the attention they deserve. Unfortunately, they play a very tough road game at Pittsburgh on Sunday. There's a good chance they'll lose that (many ranked teams would) and stay unranked.

Kentucky still scares every team out there. They may not be playing well now, but in the end, superior talent usually wins out. It is interesting to wonder though - if this team collapses like last year's did, will that change Calipari's recruiting at all? He's got another 4 McD AA's coming next season. Can he keep that up? Every single kid who goes there expects to play one year, win the title, and then go in the NBA lottery. With those expectations, how sour do things get when things don't turn out that rosy? I'm not sure the kids even have true loyalty to Cal or UK - they just see the quick road to fame and riches.

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Thu Jan 30, 2014 9:38 am

Shirley wrote:
Kentucky still scares every team out there. They may not be playing well now, but in the end, superior talent usually wins out. It is interesting to wonder though - if this team collapses like last year's did, will that change Calipari's recruiting at all? He's got another 4 McD AA's coming next season. Can he keep that up? Every single kid who goes there expects to play one year, win the title, and then go in the NBA lottery. With those expectations, how sour do things get when things don't turn out that rosy? I'm not sure the kids even have true loyalty to Cal or UK - they just see the quick road to fame and riches.

We were spoiled by the first three years of Cal. Even though the Wall/Cousins/Bledsoe team didn't make it to the FInal Four, there were three guys who are now likely their teams best player in the NBA and Patrick Patterson is a useful player.

The next year we had Terrence Jones, who is a beast in the NBA, and Brandon Knight, who isn't great but is scoring 17+ in the Association. along with some leadership in Darius Miller/Josh Harrelson (who are both now bench players in the NBA).

The next year, obviously, we had Anthoiny Davis, who looks like a Top 10 player in the NBA right now or very soon, plus Jones who came back and Lamb(best shooter Cal has had) who came back and MIller who was a senior and did all the little things right and could shoot the three. Kidd-Gilchrist was no slouch in college, either, but I think the long seasons are taking their toll on him. That team had the right mix of experience and Talent...and it doesn't hurt to have had the best college player of the past several years on your team either.

Last year, we had no experience outside of a fringe guard and it took its toll. Noel getting hurt didn't help, but while I think they would have made the tourney with him playing, they weren't gonna get past the first weekend probably anyway.

This year, these guys don't seem to respond to anything Cal does, and I also think Cal isn't doing a good job of coaching them. This manifests itself in two ways...one, only Poythress seems to have gotten any better and he's had two years so it isn't fair to judge him and two...Cal will NOT tinker with his starting lineup. IN the 20 or so games we've played, in probably 15 of them we have gotten off to a poor start offensively. That to me is a red flag that says you need to change your starting lineup - Willie Cauley-Stein should probably sit in favor of the Freshman Dakari Johnson, who is a better offensive rebounder and scorer.

I think Cal is worried if he benches a guy who was a stud in high school that recruits will worry that they'll get benched. Which is how it SHOULD be. But back to your point, they look at it as a stepping stone. Of this year's team, only Randle and Young should go pro without some improvements over the next few weeks. But I suspect the Harrison's will go and Cauley-Stein as well, though he is costing himself money with his play the past 2 weeks. This team doens't hustle, either...they got bossed on loose balls against LSU and on easy dunks due to drives by the guards. The harrisons are big, but they can't stay in front of quick guards.

I hope Cal takes the 4 McD's and then tries to find a couple of kids who can shoot the ball but might not be a 5 star guy. Those guys can then build for a couple of years and become valuable players. Kyle Wiltjer should have been that guy, but he transferred and I can't blame him.

Cal's best teams had a mix of stars and role players. The problem is that at UK, he can recruit 5 stars instead of 2, so he has to play them and that might not be best for the team as a whole. For example, when Jarod Polson (senior PG) comes in, he doesn't make mistakes, but he also can't break down the opponents at all. He can shoot a bit, but the biggest aset is that he seems to calm the team down. The Harrison's haven't figured that out yet, and I doubtt that they will in one year.

Post by **Sabo** » Thu Jan 30, 2014 11:36 am

Last night, Central Michigan had an 18-point lead on the Ohio Bobcats in Athens with 15 minutes left to go. Seven game-time minutes later it was a four-point lead. Ohio ended up winning by four.

Cardiac Cats, indeed.

Post by **brian** » Thu Jan 30, 2014 11:52 am

Sabo wrote:Last night, Central Michigan had an 18-point lead on the Ohio Bobcats in Athens with 15 minutes left to go. Seven game-time minutes later it was a four-point lead. Ohio ended up winning by four.

Cardiac Cats, indeed.

Doesn't really hurt that Central sucks balls either. Wasn't like they had to comeback on the 1971 UCLA Bruins.

Post by **Sabo** » Thu Jan 30, 2014 11:59 am

brian wrote:
Sabo wrote:Last night, Central Michigan had an 18-point lead on the Ohio Bobcats in Athens with 15 minutes left to go. Seven game-time minutes later it was a four-point lead. Ohio ended up winning by four.

Cardiac Cats, indeed.
Doesn't really hurt that Central sucks balls either. Wasn't like they had to comeback on the 1971 UCLA Bruins.

That's fair.

OU has overcome 13-point or more deficits in the second half in the last two games. For whatever reason, since conference play started, they play flat as hell in the first half and then come on like gang busters in the second half. They're averaging something like 28 points for the first half since MAC play started. They can't expect these comebacks to work every game.

Post by **Shirley** » Thu Jan 30, 2014 1:06 pm

Interesting post, AB. I honestly think UK would be better in the long run if Cal backed off a bit and tried to only land 1 or maybe 2 5-star recruits a year. Maybe add in a four-star and for the rest, stick with 2 & 3 star - maybe always the Kentucky Mr. Basketball.

Those "lesser" talents will be a bit more humble and most will stay for 3 or 4 years. Those guys will then know the system and can teach the younger players. Not only does that make coaching the basics either, but it also allows him to add in more wrinkles.

The way it is now, he has to pretty much start over every year and most of his "experienced" players are disappointed sophomores who blame Cal/UK/other players/etc for why they aren't already in the League.

(BTW, according to RCSI, Virginia has only 4 top-100 recruits on their roster. And only one of those was top 50 - Justin Anderson at #48. There are many ways to build a good team.)

wlu_lax6 · Post by **wlu_lax6** » Thu Feb 06, 2014 9:59 am

How about that VMI Game yesterday
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400498642" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

howard · Post by **howard** » Thu Feb 06, 2014 11:17 am

Whoa. The Institute was heard from yesterday.

Post by **Shirley** » Thu Feb 06, 2014 1:41 pm

That was crazy. That's an amazing season to have three shots like that. In one game? Incredible.

DaveInSeattle · Post by **DaveInSeattle** » Sun Feb 09, 2014 12:42 pm

No comments yet on Marcus Smart shoving a Texas Tech "super-fan" last night?

DSafetyGuy · Post by **DSafetyGuy** » Sun Feb 09, 2014 12:58 pm

DaveInSeattle wrote:No comments yet on Marcus Smart shoving a Texas Tech "super-fan" last night?

I enjoyed how he had been profiled by the Texas Tech athletic department on their website about four years ago.

Scottie · Post by **Scottie** » Tue Feb 11, 2014 4:13 pm

Say . . . has anyone noticed that Wichita State is 25-0?

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketb ... e-shockers" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

. . . at home to the Salukis this evening.

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Tue Feb 11, 2014 8:54 pm

Pyramid Building going well early.

Bensell · Post by **Bensell** » Wed Feb 12, 2014 3:25 pm

This isn't happening until 2018, but sounds like a damn cool 8 days:

Michigan State athletic director Mark Hollis has been an innovator in scheduling unique college basketball events -- most notably being the first to suggest teams play on the deck of an active aircraft carrier.

Now Hollis has done it again, creating a four-team barnstorming event with Michigan State, North Carolina, Florida and Texas agreeing to play three games, one each in New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles over an eight-day period in December 2018 while traveling together on a single chartered airplane.

Hollis told ESPN.com Wednesday that all four schools, their coaches and athletic directors have confirmed their participation.

"It's a very cool idea," Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said Wednesday. "At first I thought it was crazy, but it's during break so we don't miss any school. It's three big games in a row, and with the ACC-Big Ten Challenge and other events [Champions Classic] we could have six or seven big games."

Izzo said the uniqueness of this event is the camaraderie with the players and staff, as well as the educational and cultural aspects of the trips.

Hollis shared with ESPN.com the itinerary Wednesday.

The teams will arrive in New York City on Dec. 14, 2018, on their own. The first doubleheader, with matchups and times to be announced at a later date, will be at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 15. On Sunday, Dec. 16, the four teams will tour the Freedom Tower at the 9/11 memorial and also visit Wall Street. They will then see Motown the musical on Broadway, assuming it is still running.

The teams will then travel together to Chicago later that night. They will go to a Chicago pizza dinner on Monday, Dec. 17, followed by a Second City comedy show. The second doubleheader on the trip will be Dec. 18 at the United Center.

The teams will then fly to Los Angeles on Dec. 19. Once in L.A., the teams will head to Disneyland and a dinner. The teams will then tour Warner Brothers Studio and the Grammy Museum on Friday, Dec. 21.

The third and final doubleheader will be Dec. 22 at Staples Center.

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketb ... team-event

howard · Post by **howard** » Wed Feb 12, 2014 4:15 pm

That's funny. Educational and cultural aspects.

Post by **Shirley** » Wed Feb 19, 2014 9:30 pm

#1 Syracuse is undefeated no more. They lost tonight to the last-place BC Eagles.

It's funny, just yesterday, I traded emails with an old Syracuse friend of mine. We talked a bit about how it was impressive and surprising that both Cuse and UVA had gotten this far through the ACC schedule with such good records. Both teams are very good, but it's very hard to win all of the games you're supposed to win.

Well, that night (last night) Virginia played poorly against lowly Virginia Tech and trailed nearly the whole game before pulling it out in the last 2-3 minutes.

Tonight, it was Syracuse's turn and they couldn't dodge yet another bullet.

They are still a very good team, but it's just so hard to win 'em all.

DSafetyGuy · Post by **DSafetyGuy** » Thu Feb 20, 2014 11:01 am

C.J. Fair had the worst 20-point, 11-rebound game I have seen. Shot 7-of-23 and so, so many of them were wild attempts that had zero chance of going in.

Blew a pair 13-point second half leads as they went eight minutes without a basket.

howard · Post by **howard** » Thu Feb 20, 2014 11:32 am

Sorry about my halftime hex via tweet, dude.

‏@DSafetyGuy 15h
Fair with 12 of Syracuse's 20 shots so far. Not good at all.

howard nyc ‏@SwamperHoward 15h
@DSafetyGuy "Not good at all" also describes Boston College

‏@DSafetyGuy 15h
@SwamperHoward Making me wonder if they're trying for another point shaving scandal.

Post by **Shirley** » Thu Feb 20, 2014 1:08 pm

The weird thing about Boston College is that they shouldn't be bad. They have a number of good players! Olivier Hanlan is a legit 1st team all conference-caliber player. Ryan Anderson isn't too far behind. Rahon is a good point guard and Lonnie Jackson might be the best three-point shooter in the league. BC should be a team bouncing in and out of the top-25, not a team with a losing record. It's baffling.

howard · Post by **howard** » Thu Feb 20, 2014 1:23 pm

Ayup, sho yu right, shirley!

DSafetyGuy · Post by **DSafetyGuy** » Thu Feb 20, 2014 2:55 pm

Howard, I tweeted that Syracuse dealt BC the seemingly fatal blow when they went up 13 about 75 seconds into the second half, so I would not blame you if I was interested in doing so.