Bubble Teams with Work to Do: Illinois, Purdue, Georgia Tech, Florida State, West Virginia, Oklahoma State, Kansas State
All-Americans: Kevin Durant, Alando Tucker, Nick Fazekas (I know Fazekas isn’t a “true” Center, but too bad), Acie Law IV, Aaron Brooks (not sure who for that last Guard spot)
Player of the Year besides Durant: Tucker or Law IV
I’ll skip the first question because of my front page story…
All-Americans- Durant, Tucker, Fazekas, Acie Law IV and Aaron Afflalo
Players on team’s like Kansas, UNC and Florida almost hurt eachother’s votes.
I think it has to be Acie Law IV, this guy has an uncanny ability to take over any game and has hit some big time shots this year. Just look at the Texas game and I personally think he outshined Durant with two of his best players sitting on the bench.
I agree that Afflalo should get the last Guard spot over Brooks…it looks like Wells and Raible have the same All-American team, so I don’t really see a reason for this to linger on since two great minds have come together!
Bubble Teams: I think that Syracuse and Drexel got shafted! I think that Arkansas, Purdue, and Illinois are all poor teams. How does the Big Ten get as many teams as the Big East? I’m not completely sold that Stanford should be there, either, especially since they lost to an Air Force team that I don’t think should be there at home by like 30. And I also found it odd that Texas Tech got in over Kansas State despite losing to Kansas State in the Big 12 Tournament.
If I could, I would put Syracuse and Drexel in and knock out Arkansas and either Illinois or Purdue.
You know what, I don’t think any bubble team got shafted. We’re talkin about teams that are roughly the 30-40 best teams AFTER all of the automatic bids. You never see a team that is one of the 10 best not make it. You seem teams that arguably should have. By the time you get to the last few spots, of course there will be tough choices. Some might not make a whole lotta sense. But by that point, all teams will have proven they can win games and all have proven they can lose games. If you want to guarantee you make the tournament, win more games during the regular season. I bet I could look at any bubble teams schedule that didn’t make it and point to games they coulda won that woulda made a difference. Sure, there are question marks and a lot of disagreements, but we’re talkin about teams that aren’t even in the top 30 or 40 of college basketball.
Best Coach Left in NCAA Tournament: Ben Howland, UCLA
-I think that Howland gets as much out of his players as anyone does in the country. He brought his Big East-style of basketball with him to the Pac-10, and he has experienced great success in doing so. I love Coach Cal (John Calipari), too, as I find it amazing the amount of talent he has been able to assemble at Memphis, which hasn’t exactly been the picture of a college basketball powerhouse.
Best Player Left in NCAA Tournament: Greg Oden, Ohio St.
-As good as the players on Florida, Kansas, and North Carolina are, I don’t think thata anyone is as good as Oden. Even in the Sweet 16, when he wasn’t at his best, he managed to affect the game down the stretch, hitting his free throws and making a great block to end the game.
I think that Kentucky had to make a splash of some sort, and after being turned down by Billy Donovan, they felt they needed to just get out there and take someone else from a different program, thus Billy Gillispie was the man (or maybe they are just obsessed with guys named Billy?!?!).
You have to be impressed with what Gillispie was able to do at Texas A&M, who essentially have never been a blip on the basketball radar in my lifetime. And you also have to like the fact that Gillispie has had success coaching at a southern school in a big conference.
The pressure to win, however, will probably be the biggest issue facing the new coach of Kentucky. Wildcats fans, especially Ashley Judd, demand a winner, which was probably never the case at A&M until this year. It should be interesting to see how Gillispie deals with the pressure, but all in all, I am completely OK with the hire.
Looks like A&M is gonna offer their job to Wichita State’s Mark Turgeon, by the way.
I am not a big fan of the WVU-Huggins hire, but that’s probably due in large part to the fact that I am not a big fan of Huggins. He can recruit with the best of them, though, so WVU fans are probably stoked about that aspect. His graduation rates and lack of major success in the NCAA Tournament, however, will probably raise more than one red flag.
A lot of coaching moves often involve a guy going from a mid-major program to a major program, and these often seem to be pretty solid hires, like the guy going from Butler to Iowa.
I was happy to see both John Calipari and Sean Miller get contract extensions at their respective Universities, although I think it would have been neat to see Miller on the sidelines in Ann Arbor.
I also like Gillespie at Kentucky. I might say some of the same stuff but will try to be a little different.
Maybe expecations will be higher than ever but fans just have to be realistic about things. They have to be. Gillespie needs to create a buzz immediately to get the top kids to want to go to Kentucky. Tubby Smith was a great coach but they just seemed to be lacking something to get the top kids to go there. Kentucky basketball needs talent, they need McDonald’s All-Americans. A few comparisons would be Ben Howland at UCLA, Kelvin Sampson at Indiana and football wise Nick Saban at Alabama. All three are storied programs in their respective sports but under the previous coaches the programs seemed boring. Howland came, has had immediate success and a few big recruits. Sampson replaced Mike Davis and has top five guard Eric Gordon coming next fall. Saban came to Alabama after all of the recruiting classes seemed to be finalized and somehow got what seemed to be every unsigned star to commit to Alabama. How did they all do this? By creating a buzz to make their respective schools seem important.
It scares me that Gillespie never did too much recruiting wise at Texas A&M but everyone gives him the credit for recruiting for Illinois (and Tulsa) under Bill Self. All in all I think Gillespie was a good hire.
I’m also very excited about the Bob Huggins hire. It will be very interesting to be this close to a Huggins-led program to see what kind of a guy he really is. But here’s how I see it.
-John Beilein was the man. I’m extremely upset that he left. We overachieved every year he was our coach mainly because of his teaching, discipline, system and everything else the man did. But the bottom line is he left and we had to replace him. That meant a few things-
A. Replace him a current/former assistant coach that can run the exact same system.
B. Go outside of the system. When going outside of the system, I immediately got worried because WVU isn’t exactly a hotbed for players. WVU without a great system is basically nothing. That meant we’d HAVE to get a guy that could recruit.
At first choice A seemed like the way to go. Let’s just keep things going the way they are. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. But here’s the thing. Any Beilein replica wasn’t going to be Beilein. Even with Beilein, and even with our most talented and best teams, it seemed like we were overmatched in the Big East. Even when we’d beat a team it seemed like we had to play twice as good as the opponent. Even with a genius at the helm, could we really ever to expect to compete with the big boys? I’m not really sure. In a way we were a glorified mid-major. Which was fun to root for, cheer for, be excited about, but not possible to go the distance.
This leads me to Huggins. There’s a chance it might not work out. But I see Huggins as one of our only chances to be a legit title contender. He’s a proven recruiter that just landed the number 1 class at Kansas St. No reason he can’t do the same at West Virginia. With top talent, WVU would actually have a chance to compete with the big boys. While there is no denying his previous track record with players and ncaa tournaments, I’d like to give him the benefit of the doubt first. Maybe it was being in Conference USA that hurt him. Maybe he’ll be able to get a little better overall person at WVU. He got a 3.97 GPA at WVU and hopefully will prove the nay-sayers wrong.
If Huggins fails, I think being in the Big East, we’ll always be in the market for a successful mid major coach. This could be our only chance at a guy like Huggins, proven coach, recruiter and wvu alum, and I think we had to take it.
This according to Gary Parrish from CBS Sportsline:
Best hire: You can question Bob Huggins’ motives and actions and all sorts of things. But it’s stupid to question the man as a basketball coach. He gets players and wins with them. So if it’s possible to build a national power at West Virginia, Huggins will do it, and quickly.
It really doesn’t make much sense for Oden to stay in school as he will probably be the #1 pick in the NBA Draft. To boot, the only thing that he could possibly improve upon in his college career is to win the NCAA Title since he finished as a runner-up last year.
Conley should probably follow suit, too. It looks like Conley will be a Lottery Pick, and I am not so sure that he will ever be able to rise much higher than that in the Draft. Oden is his best friend, too, so leaving with the big guy makes a lot of sense.
Patrick Patterson: Well Pitt has offered, so that’s where the kid should go, but he has no interest. As for where he is interested and visited, the list looks like: Duke, Florida, Kentucky, Virginia, and Wake Forest. Patterson hasn’t officially visited West Virginia, but is probably familiar with the campus having gone to Huntingdon, WV High School. I might be crazy, but I actually think that Beilein leaving and Huggins coming might give the kid more of a reason to go to WVU as it is Huggins, not Beilein, that has produced NBA Draft picks. With that being said, he could also go to Florida, especially now after the entire starting lineup has left. I think that when it’s all said and done, Patterson will end up in Gainesville.
Jai Lucas: Call me crazy, but I think that Lucas is headed to Florida, too, to take over the PG duties for Billy Donovan.
Patterson and Lucas going to Florida together? Looks like Florida has an opportunity to simply reload and take another shot at the National Title!
I think Oden is good enough to do what he wants. I think there are definite reasons why he could stay in college. First off, he seems to enjoy it. You almost get he feeling if it were up to him he’d be there for all four years. His footwork needs a lot of work and his post moves could improve as well. He could have been exactly like Tim Duncan, a player that is not poor from staying all four years not was his growth stunted. However, there is no reason Oden can’t go to the pros and improve and work on the same things. He’ll be getting NBA coaching and I’m pretty sure a team won’t mind focusing on working to make him be the best he can be. A man-sized child, he almost seemed too big for the college game. With the smaller court, the zones and the five fouls, the college game is not built for the big man. I think either decision would have been fine but I think this is the better one.
I tend to not like players going pro unless they are ready to really make an impact in the NBA. I’m not sure if Conley is one of those players. Selfishly I’d like to see players dominate in college before they play in the NBA. Conley’s stock is high and that seems to be all people care about. He plays with incredible poise and maturity. I think he will be the first point guard off the board and probably will be a very good point guard.
I don’t think thinking WVU could be better off with Huggins than with Beilein is crazy in the slightest. In fact Raible seems to think he’s insane but everything sounded reasonable. The only reason it would have been worse is if Patterson was ready to sign and then was unsure because of the coaching switch. WVU seemed on the outside looking in with Beilein so things couldnt get any worse with Huggins. WVU, however, filled it’s last scholarship today inking guard William Thomas. Duke needs a tough big man incredibly bad but all signs seem to point to Florida for both he and Lucas. Both of these guys are taking so long you wonder if there’s a team out there that will swoop in. I think Billy Gillespie would immediately be molested in Lexington if he was able to pull off signing this duo.
Of the early entries to the NBA Draft, the one that I found to be most surprising was (like Wells, I am not going to talk about guys from the small schools like Liberty or Delaware State):
Wilson Chandler, DePaul – will sign with agent and lose NCAA eligibility; NBA Draft.net, unless I am not reading correctly, doesn’t even have this guys getting drafted!
1. 1999 UConn – Hamilton, El-Amin, Moore
2. 2007 Florida – Horford, Noah, Brewer
3. 2001 Duke – Battier, Williams, Dunleavy
4. 2004 UConn – Okafor, Gordon, Villanueva
5. 2005 North Carolina – Felton, May, Williams
6. 2000 Michigan State – Cleaves, Peterson, Richardson
7. 2002 Maryland – Dixon, Blake, Baxter
8. 1999 Duke – Brand, Langdon, Avery
9. 2005 Illinois – Brown, Williams, Head
10. 2001 Arizona – Arenas, Woods, Jefferson
Top 10 Programs from Last 10 Years:
1. UConn – 2 National Titles
2. Duke – 1 National Title, 1 Runner Up
3. Florida – 2 National Titles, 1 Runner Up
4. Michigan State – 1 National Title
5. Kansas
6. North Carolina – 1 National Title
7. Maryland – 1 National Title
8. Syracuse – 1 National Title
9. Pitt
10. Gonzaga
Well it looks like Donovan may be on his way back to Florida anyway, which not only is incredibly gay but also makes this question a moot point. A few thoughts:
-If I am Orlando, I tell Billy the Kid to piss off!
-If I am Florida, I tell Billy the Kid to piss off!
-If I am Florida, I lure Grant from VCU.
5 Freshman in this year’s recruiting class that will have the biggest impact for their respective teams:
Jai Lucas, PG Florida: The heir apparent to Taurean Green
O.J. Mayo, PG, USC: Should make USC even better
Jonny Flynn, PG, Syracuse: Cuse will be back in NCAAs
Kyle Singler, SF, Duke: Will get plenty of TV exposure
DeJuan Blair, PF, Pitt: You HAD to know this was coming
O.J. Mayo obviously comes to mind first and foremost and will be even more important with Nick Young and Gabe Pruitt both bolting for the NBA.
Johnny Flynn was the first guy that came to mind for me. He was as impressive as anyone to me in the McDonald’s game and if he can play the same way in a structured game his play should lead to victories.
Kevin Love, C, UCLA. This kid could single-handedly make me “Love” UCLA. His game is great to watch, seems like a great kid and his uncle is a beach boy. Mata and Mbah a Moute have been solid but Love looks to be much more than solid.
Derrick Rose, PG/SG, Memphis. Memphis had a strong showing last year but once again didn’t have enough. Rose could give them enough.
Kosta Koufos, C, Ohio State. It’s not a surprise that he won’t be teaming up with Greg Oden, but it’s a semi shock that he won’t be playing with Conley and Cook. Koufos will be more important that previously imagined, somewhat like Tyler Hansbrough two seasons ago. Can Koufos be as sweet? NO! But he could still be pretty good.
Kyle Singler, for the record, will only help Duke in terms of overall team homosexuality
A lil recruiting news for you guys as I know you want it.
Ed Davis, the nation’s #2 prospect in the class of 2008, obviously is a bright, young man. Yesterday, he commited to the University of North Carolina! The 6′9 lefty will be a force in Chapel Hill and was a much needed addition. UNC could have to reload after this season as Psycho T, Lawson and Ellington are all candidates to leave early. Signing Davis to a class that already includes PG Larry Drew is huge for the program. Could Tyler Zeller be next? Or perhaps Iman Shumpert? Stay tuned!
With all of this talk about the U.S. Senior Team, no one has mentioned anything about the U-19 team competing in the Pan-Am Games. While the squad, featuring college players, stumbled to an 0-2 start, Team USA bounced back in a big way in Game #3, defeating previously unbeaten Argentina.
The U.S. is the youngest squad competing in the Games, but hopefully some valuable experience has been gained by players such as Roy Hibbert, D.J. White, Scottie Reynolds, Drew Neitzel, Joey Dorsey, etc.
The following is the link to the Argentina Game Recap:
MY REPLY
While unfortunately Wayne Ellington has been slowed by an ankle injury how bout Deon Thompson’s performance with the U19 World Championship Team?!? He will be the most improved player in the nation this year and perhaps the main reason UNC wins another title this year.
The NIT Season Tip-Off pairings were announced and we are set with the following 4 pods:
Ohio State vs Wisconsin-Green Bay
Columbia vs Delaware State
-The Buckeyes, even without Greg Oden, Mike Conley, and Daequan Cook, should easily protect its home court and book a spot at The Garden.
Syracuse vs Siena
St. Joseph’s vs Fairleigh Dickinson
-Like Ohio State, Syracuse, too, should be able to advance to the Final Four rather easily. St. Joe’s is always tough, but the Orange are usually tough to beat at the Carrier Dome.
Washington vs New Jersey Tech
Utah vs High Point
-Utah isn’t what it once was under the guidance of Rick Majerus; as a result, expect the Huskies to maintain its typical strong homecourt advantage and advance to The Garden.
Texas A&M vs Oral Roberts
UTEP vs Texas A&M-CC
-Could Oral Roberts be this year’s Butler? With Acie Law IV on to bigger and better things, it would appear that the Aggies would be ripe for the taking. However, Oral lost both Caleb Green and Ken Tutt, their 2 leading scorers from last year, to graduation. As a result, A&M, and not A&M-CC, should make it a unanimous sweep for the #1 seeds.
I am not sure how the teams will be matched up once they get to NYC, but I like the Cuse to take home the hardware, representing the Big East in style in The World’s Most Famous Arena! I expect big things from Paul Harris this year.
Final Four picks as of August 25, 2007 (I’m bored at work today, folks):
UCLA – I’ll probably pick this team every year so long as Ben Howland is their coach. The Bruins lose Aaron Afflalo but return a solid cast, including Darren Collison, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Josh Shipp, and freshman sensation (yep, I just used that term) Kevin Love.
Memphis – I love John Calipari, so I love making this pick. In all honesty, though, why not Memphis? The Tigers have been eliminated in the Elite 8 by the national runner-up the last 2 years (UCLA in 2005, Ohio State in ‘06), so it’s apparent that they are only a step away. A slew of players return, including the man-beast Joey Dorsey.
Georgetown – The Hoyas may have lost all-everything player Jeff Green to the NBA, but are YOU gonna try and fuck with Roy Hibbert? Joining Hibbert and JT III for the Dobermen are Jonathan Wallace, Patrick Ewing Jr., and Jesse Sapp, among others.
North Carolina – The Tar Heels are the pick over Kansas here because Roy Williams is the pick over Bill Self any day of the week. Back in Chapel Hill this year will be Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington, etc., etc., etc. Ol’ Roy has this program back to where it was when Dean Smith was in charge…where they just reload year after year.
Other teams considered:
Kansas – Rush, Chalmers, Arthur should be tough.
Michigan State – Tom Izzo is their coach…’nuff said.
Gonzaga – Heytvelt, Bouldin, Pargo should be tough, too.
USC – Time to see just how good O.J. Mayo is.
Pitt – Will this FINALLY be their year?
Clear cut top 4 and I hate to admit it but that Duke team might be the best. Georgetown is falling fast but adding Green this year and Hibbert next year is, well, huge. I really like that Georgia Tech squad. I think I’d have them up higher. Can Psycho be UNC’s cheerleader? It’s evident Raible hates me……..he left off Joakim! Arizona, kinda athletic. UConn, so good. By far the best part of this is Kevin Willis. He’s probably runnin wind sprints as I type this.
1 guy in the 1-5 range of his rankings
1 guy in the 6-10 range of his rankings
1 guy in the 11-15 range of his rankings
1 guy in the 16-20 range of his rankings
1 guy in the 21-25 range of his rankings
*The 3 rankings categories are: 1) Bigs, 2) Shooters and Wings, 3) Points and Combos
For the record, the “best” team that could be assembled by CBS Sports.com was the following:
Big-Tyler Hansbrough
Shooter/Wing-Chris Lofton
Shooter/Wing-Eric Gordon
Point/Combo-Derrick Rose
Point/Combo-Ty Lawson
My team:
Big-Joey Dorsey (#11 in his rankings): This guy, much like Tyson Chanlder on my NBA team, is a freakin’ beast! I love his build, and I love his passion for the game.
Shooter/Wing-Chris Lofton (#1 in his rankings): The best pure scorer in college basketball.
Shooter/Wing-Jaycee Carroll (#20 in his rankings): Another great scorer.
Point/Combo-O.J. Mayo (#7 in his rankings): I’ll take a chance on the potential of this kid in this spot.
Point/Combo-Eric Maynor (#19 in his rankings): I liked what I saw from this kid in the NCAA Tournament last year, especially the game-winner against Duke.
There’s just too much I wanna do here. Who the hell picks Jaycee Carroll, though?!?
My Squad
Big-Tyler Hansbrough (#1 Big): Psycho T will have Dorsey fouled out within 5 minutes. I’d type a few adjectives for Hansbrough but don’t want to write 4000 words.
Big-Kevin Love (#6): Love just has thav written all over him. Between havin great court awareness, passing, knowledge of the game and an uncle in the Beach Boys I just can’t not be a huge fan.
Shooter/Wing-Josh Carter (#25): Made exactly half of his 3’s last year and at 6′7″ can board and play some D.
Point/Combo-Stephen Curry (#18):Amazing shooter. Works so hard to get open. Del’s son!
Point/Combo-Tyrese Rice (#13):Love how he handles himself. The lefty has such a smooth stroke.
All Versatile-I love big, strong, athletic freaks
Big-Donte Green (#20): Was impressive in McDonald’s game. Tall, long and athletic.
Shooter/Wing-Terrence Williams (#13): Freak of nature. Rolls out of bed and gets a better workout than any regular person at the gym for 4 hours.
Shooter/Wing-Chase Budinger (#5): Talk about savvy. Can play about 10 positions, he’s THAT versatile.
Shooter/Wing-DeMarcus Nelson (#18): Hate to talk him up but such a tough player. He’s a power forward in a shooting guard’s body. Has really developed his 3 pointer.
Point-Jamont Gordon (#10): Beast. Over 7 RPB and 5 APG last season as a sophomore.
Sleepers
Big-Deon Thompson (#17): This guy is gonna break out this season. Soft touch and has gotten into tremendous shape.
Big-Taj Gibson (#12): Was a handful against UNC in the tourney last year before getting in foul trouble. Seems to have the body of a big and the skills of a guard.
Shooter/Wing-Paul Harris (#19): Just seems too talented not to explode.
Combo/Point-Drew Neitzel (#3): Not really a sleeper but maybe still a little underrated. Blew up last season. Tireless worker.
Combo/Point-Derrick Low (#8): Just seems like everything you read about this guy is positive. Love pairing him with Neitzel.
My ideal team
Big-Josh Heytvelt (#10): When he’s all there he’s got a great all-around game. Explosive and can hit the outside shot. When he’s not all there he’s at least great to hang out with.
Big-Brandon Costner (#9): My ideal college 4 man. Big enough to rebound, fast enough to run, good enough to drain the 3.
Shooter/Wing-Shan Foster (#17): Very athletic and very good shooter. Perfect fit. Also love Demarcus Nelson here but already used him
Point/Combo-Eric Devendorf (#22): Just really think he’s a top notch player that fits well on a great team. Liked getting Mayo here but realized I needed a stud big man.
Point/Combo-Darren Collison (#4): I want my top player to be a PG. I think Collison is the best in the country. Lawson was too obvious.
Where are these guys?
Mareese Speights, Florida: This guy can’t project that Speights is gonna get a lot of minutes and dominate this year? I can.
Kosta Koufos, Ohio State: Will take over right where Greg Oden left, but do it in a completely different fashion. A 7 footer with bulk and a 3 point stroke is just too good not to end up in the top 25.
Duke Crews, Tennessee: My boy!
Raymar Morgan, Michigan State: I love Izzo style players and Morgan is a great example of one.
Jonathan Wallace, Georgetown: Wallace is a leader and shot over 50%. Great attributes to a point guard. Would like to kill him after making that shot against UNC last year, but he’s still alive so i’ll take him.
Darris Nichols and Alex Ruoff-!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
When I went back and looked at my team, I realized that I didn’t really have a “team,” per se, but more just a combination of 5 players. With that in mind, my new “team” is as follows…
Maynor is sweet, has an ability to hit the clutch shot, and seems to play in an unselfish manner, as witnessed by his 6.4 apg. Lofton is the best pure scorer in college basketball, and he shouldn’t be asked to do much of anything else on this team. Carter, as Haver mentioned, is a great shooter than can D-up. I am thinking that Heytvelt and Dorsey should be able to compliment each other well, with Dorsey simply being a horse underneath (a la Tyson Chandler) and Heytvelt being able to hit the open jumper (a la David West…yes, I just made a completely unnecessary Hornets reference!).
We’re just a few weeks away from the start of another College Basketball season. With that in mind, I present my Preseason Top 10:
1. UCLA: The defending national runners-up may have lost star Arron Afflalo, but the cupboard is full for coach Ben Howland with players like Darren Collison, Josh Shipp, and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute. Every report coming from workouts is that Kevin Love is as good as advertised and Russell Westbrook is better than anybody realizes.
2. Memphis: Is this the year that Memphis makes it to the Final Four? The Tigers have been close the past 2 years, but this year’s squad looks to be even more talented than those teams from the past. Derrick Rose, Chris Douglas-Roberts, and Joey Dorsey, among others, should give Coach Cal a solid national title contender.
3. North Carolina: The Tar Heels were perhaps the most talented team in the country last year, and this year’s squad should be no exception. Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington, and Tyler Hansbrough all return from last year’s roster. Deon Thompson comes off an impressive summer with USA Basketball, where he averaged 10.0 points and a team-best 6.1 rebounds.
4. Georgetown: The Hoyas are back atop the Big East, and perhaps no one has helped them get back there as much as giant Roy Hibbert. Hibbert and DaJuan Summers should combine to form a formidable frontcourt for coach JT III.
5. Kansas: They have as much talent as anyone, but I don’t trust Bill Self when it’s all said and done. Sherron Collins, Mario Chalmers, Brandon Rush, and Darrell Arthur are just a few of the names that will be making noise for the Jayhawks this season.
6. Tennessee: The Vols gave Ohio State everything they could have asked for and more in last year’s tournament. This year’s squad will once again be led by Chris Lofton, arguably the best scorer in the country. A pair of Smiths (Ramar and Tyler) should assist Lofton in making Tennessee the favorite in the SEC.
7. Washington State: It might be time to give the Cougars their due. Derrick Low and Kyle Weaver might be the two best players that no one knows.
8. Michigan State: Tom Izzo is the freakin’ man, so it doesn’t really matter who suits up for the Spartans. To have a guy like Drew Neitzel, however, is simply icing on the cake.
9. USC: The only place for this team to go is up. O.J. Mayo and Taj Gibson will lead one of the nation’s most talented rosters.
10. Kansas State: Bob Huggins certainly left this program in capable hands, what with studs Bill Walker and Michael Beasley still hanging around.
Other teams to watch:
Syracuse
Gonzaga
Louisville
Villanova (pretty much the entire Big East)
Duke
Chris Lofton: I think that Lofton is the best scorer in the country, so his inclusion on my All-America team is a no-brainer.
Tyler Hansbrough: Psycho T, as Haver likes to call him, is simply a force in the paint. There seems to be a lot of haters out there, including myself from time to time, but no one can argue with his work ethic and results. He has only been held to single digits in points six times in 69 career games, and it’s worth noting three of those six came late last season after Hansbrough suffered a broken nose.
Roy Hibbert: As good as Hansbrough is, Hibbert is the best true big man in college basketball.
Ty Lawson: Think UNC is gonna be any good this year? Lawson is quite possibly the fastest dribbler I have ever seen.
Chris Douglas-Roberts: He might be the best player on what might be the best team in college basketball, so it’s hard not to find a spot on my team for him.
Just missed:
Darren Collison
Brandon Rush
Drew Neitzel
I don’t care how good the Pac-10 is supposed to be this year (and no one in the ‘Burgh likes the Pac-10 more than me), but the Big East is where it’s at in College Basketball (I would rank Big East #1, Pac-10 #2, ACC #3). With that in mind, how about some predictions for the Mega-Conference? (Sidebar: the Big East in basketball is a lot like the Mega Powers were in the WWF. The Mega Powers consisted of Hulk Hogan and “Macho Man” Randy Savage when both were in their prime. The duo was managed by Miss Elizabeth, and who can forget when she stripped down to her nice undies to distract the Mega Bucks – Ted DiBiase and Andre The Giant – in a massive tag team match between the two. Like the Mega Powers, the Big East just seems to have so much talent.)
1. Georgetown – Roy Hibbert is the best player in the Big East, the Hoyas are the defending conference champions and Final Four participant, JT III is sweet, and Jonathan Wallce and DaJuan Summers are solid #2 and #3 players.
2. Lousiville – I don’t think this team is as good as the media is making it out to be, but, nevertheless, Pitino does have a solid roster to work with (Williams, Sosa, Smith, Clark, Padgett, Caracter). I just can’t get that loss to Pitt, in which the Cardinals blew an 11-point halftime lead, in the Big East Tourney out of my mind.
3. Marquette – The Golden Eagles get the nod over my beloved Panthers based on their recent success against Pitt, although it was Pitt that was victorious when the two teams met in the Big East Tourney. One of my least favorite players, Dominic James, will once again team with Jerel McNeal and Wesley Matthews to form the best set of guards in the conference (and, arguably, in the nation).
4. Pittsburgh – Up to this point, Pitt basketball has been like the Scarlett Johansson of the college basketball world. Just like Scarlett, Pitt has teased its fans with the possibility of being amazing and breaking through (Pitt to the Elite Eight, Scarlett with a full frontal nudity scene). Just as Scarlett does it “her way” in indie and Woody Allen movies (shunning the Hollywood blockbuster), so, too, has Pitt done it “their way” with great defense, rebounding, and a physical presence. This year’s Panthers, though, may not resmble recent teams. It has been said that this year’s squad will look to run up and down the court, led by a foursome of guards (Fields, Ramon, Benjmain, and Wannamaker) that Jamie Dixon has claimed are interchangable. Mike Cook returns to dominate on the wing, and he will be spelled this year by redshirt freshman Gilbert Brown, who looks to be sweet. PF Sam Young should be this team’s best player before long, while it looks like freshman DeJuan Blair will man the midddle. Hopefully, both Pitt and Scarlett break through this year and give its fans what they want. Even if they don’t make the leap, though, you have come to count on Pitt, much like Scarlett, to be as solid as anyone.
5. Syracuse – I think that this team could be the best team in the conference by the end of the season, just like they were in 2003. And, just like that 2003 team, this year’s Orange squad should be led by Freshmen, only it will be Donte’ Green and Jonny Flynn instead of Carmelo Anthony and Gerry McNamara. With Devenfag and Paul Harris back, the ‘Cuse should most definitely be in the house.
6. Connecticut – UConn should bounce back this year and put themsleves back where they belong: in the NCAA Tourney. Jeff Adrien is a man amongst boys (Adrien vs Blair should be masturbation material), while Hasheem Thabeet has the chance to be the best center in the conference not named Hibbert. Plus, Jim Calhoun is sweet.
7. Villanova – The Wildcats are almost like a younger, cooler version of Marquette (cooler because Jay Wright is a beefcake). Like Marquette, Nova is going to rely on their guard play, which is led by Scottie Reynolds. Freshmen Corey Stokes and Corey Fisher will team with Reynolds to form what should be the best young backcourt in the conference.
8. Notre Dame – I really liked the way this team came on last year, particularly the play of beast-like Luke Harangody, who is currently on the shelf with a hand injury. Kyle McAlarney (has there ever been a better guy who’s name just screams Notre Dame) will be back from smoking dope, too, but I’m not a big Mike Brey fan.
9. West Virginia – You just get the feeling that this program is ready to explode with Bob Huggins and his awesome graduation rates at the helm now. I’m sure that Haver and Wells will elaborate, but Joe Alexander could be a candidate for breakthrough player of the year in the conference.
10. Seton Hall – Bobby Gonzalez just seems so perfect for this job. Is it Montanaro that went to Seton Hall? If so, then he should be excited about where this team is headed, led by freshman Jeremy Hazell.
11. Providence – Herbert Hill is gone, but at least Tim Welsh has sweet hair. And the Friars play in perhaps the sweetest (pun INTENDED) named arena in the country: the Dunkin’ Donuts Center. Sharaud Curry should be really good, but he has a broken foot right now.
12. DePaul – Sammy Mejia and Wilson Chandler are out, but Mac Koshwal and Dar Tucker are in, meaning that DePaul should be right around this spot when it’s all said and done.
13. Cincinnati – Deonta Vaughn should be solid as the Bearcats attempt to find their niche in the Big East.
14. St. John’s – Anthony Mason Jr. is a stud, and he should get some help from Eugene Lawrence as the Red Storm try to reclaim its glory days from years past.
15. South Florida – The Bulls have Kentrell Gransberry at center and Stan Heath at coach, two good starting points for trying to build a winning program.
16. Rutgers – J.R. Inman and Corey Chandler should be the best players on a young Scarlet Knights squad.
Player of the Year: Roy Hibbert
Newcomer of the Year: Donte’ Green
Coach of the Year: Jamie Dixon
All-Big East:
G-Dominic James
G-Scottie Reynolds
F-Jeff Adrien
F-Donte’ Green
C-Roy Hibbert
How about Michigan St. Losing to Grand Valley State? How about College Bball officially right around the corner? How about the Beast and how much Raible is just disguising his love for the PAC-10?
I’m not even as close to as high on the Big East as Raible is. I preach in college football that you must compare conferences as a whole and with 8 teams you have to look at our top 4 against another conferences top 6. That the number of teams in the top 25 isn’t as fair as the percentage of teams from your conference in the top 25. The Big East getting 8 teams into the tourney is not better than the SEC, Big 12, ACC and Big Ten getting 6 teams and the Pac 10 getting 5 teams in. It’s the EXACT SAME. The Big East has a lot of depth and that’s probably going to happen when you also have the most teams.
Georgetown should be the class of the Big East. Their “other” players like Summers, Wallace and Sapp really showed they were serious players in the NCAA Tournament. Hibbert is big and dominating. Jeremiah Rivers is whiter and hopefully better than he was last year. They need Vernon Macklin and Pat Ewing to step up. The recruiting class looks to provide great depth. By far the most important thing that’s happened to Georgetown recently is signing the top player in the 2008 class, Greg Monroe. JTIII means business.
Im putting Pitt second. I think Louisville is drooling with potential but will get to them in a second. I know I shouldn’t say it but I don’t care, I love the types of players Pitt gets. Aaron Gray was wonderful for the program but he’ll be addition by subtraction as you just can’t rely on a 7 foot stiff of a center in college basketball. I think they’ll be just as powerful with DeJuan Blair, Cassin Diggs and Aaron Wallace underneath. Sam Young is a budding superstar at the 4 and Tyrell Biggs is another athletic big man. With a great rotation of guards this team has it all. Well, all but a superstar. The key to Pitt will be the same one as the past 10 seasons. They need a guy or two to step up as a legit star. Could be the difference between a first or fifth place finish.
I love Louisville’s team, too. Palacios and Caracter are so sweet. Padgett is a big man but can move. Just looking at Terrence Williams makes me change my underwear. Edgar Sosa really surprised as a powerful lead guard last year and even Earl Clark is an athletic force off the bench. But I think this team is missing not only a key ingredient but the biggest key in college basketball. 3 point shooting. Jerry Smith is a nice shooter but that seems to be where it starts and ends. I think this team has the makeup to be final four team but I think the only way it happens is if a player or two that I’ve never heard of steps up as a 3 point threat.
I’m gonna buy into the Syracuse talent over any other remaining team. I’m a sucker for teams that looks like they should be good. Jonny Flynn looks like he’ll be one of the best floor leaders the second he walks onto the court. Me and Pat Russ used to have endless discussions what race Devendorf was but I do believe he’s a real good player to have on your team. Paul Harris looks like he’s too big to not be sweet. Donta Greene looks bigtime. Andy Rautins is a real nice shooter off the bench. This team did lose tons of beef in Darryl Watkins and Terrence Roberts and will need some guys to step up inside. Could be Junior College transfer Kristof Ongenaet. All of these young players must step up and fulfill their potential but ultimately they’ll need size and strength to mix with all of their talent.
I love to always refuse to believe that Marquette is any good. I don’t know why I do. They are pretty good but whatever. Have to always like a Connecticut squad. The Thabeet and Adrien combination is great. Villanova has sweet some guards but don’t look like their big enough to compete day in day out. Some nice talent on some other teams but don’t feel like talking about them.
As for WVU I’m sure I’ll get more into them at another point soon. I’m hoping for some big things but realistically just want to see some good signs. It seems like if Beilein would have stayed people could have predicted them as a sleeper but with Huggins everyone is expecting at least a one year adjustment period. I think the difference between our team this year and ones in the past is that our players are much more athletic so I’m hoping for a smooth transition. I think Nichols, Ruoff, Butler, Smith, and Alexander will all experience success in a running system. Hoping Jacob Green will be a nice player because we don’t have much size other than Jamie Smalligan (oh the irony). I loved Huggins saying, “We’re gonna run a lot more this year. And if that doesn’t work I’ll call a timeout and tell them to do what we did last year.” Great comment. With two recruits in fold for 2008 I’m very excited about the Bob Huggins era. It’d be nice to finish in the top half of the Big East this year as a start and I’d say somewhere between about 7 to 12 is likely.
You know one thing that I have recently found funny about the Big East is that although it is widely regarded as the best basketball conference over the past couple of years, there is alot of parody. I feel like every year the conference had 2-4 VERY Solid teams. Legit top 25 teams, with other programs spinkled in thereafter. However, after those teams the conference standings are seemingly wide open. In recent years, Pitt, UCONN, SYRACUSE, and Villanova have kind of been the cream of the crop, with probably Louisville and Georgetown right behind if not right in the mix. But that doesn’t mean that WVU or Notre Dame haven’t been able to sneak into that upper echelon. Therefore, I feel like this year more than any it’s so hard to predict the outcome, but I’ll try:
1. Georgetown
2. Louisville
3. Notre Dame
4. Pitt
5. WVU
6. Uconn
7. Marquette
8. Cuse
9. Nova
10. Cincy
11. Providence
12. DePaul
13. South Florida
14. St. John’s
15. Seton Hall
16. Rutgers
POY: Hibbert
First Team: Reynolds, Sosa, Hibbert, Kentrell Gransbury, Jeff Adrian
COY: Mike Brey
Tyler Zeller commits to UNC. Huge!!!!!!!!! Like Eric Montross and Sean May before him, Zeller leaves the state of Indiana for bluer pastures. Zeller joins Ed Davis and Larry Drew Jr in a powerful 3 man recruiting class for 2008.
“Aaron Gray was wonderful for the program but he’ll be addition by subtraction as you just can’t rely on a 7 foot stiff of a center in college basketball.”
I can’t come up with a way to express through typing how badly I hate that dopey bastard.
Yeah, good point by Haver. I was never a big fan of Aaron Gray (or Carl Krauser, for that matter). I think the team will be better, as they were without Krauser, now that Gray and Levon Kendall will be replaced by Blair and Young.
Nevertheless, it is important for the program that Gray at least stick around in the NBA for awhile. Pitt hasn’t been able to churn out any NBA prospects in their golden age of hoops, which is a prerequisite when attempting to recruit the big-time high school talent.
I tuned in to the Pitt-St. Louis game today and, man, was I impressed with Pitt’s DeJuan Blair. Blair was so good that Rick Majerus was comparing him to Tim Duncan and Karl Malone after the game.
I read a little bit about our exhibition game the other day and it seems like Huggs is just going to let us play the way we know how. Up North, i was able to catch a couple of minutes of Michigan and it looked as if John Beilein was doing the same thing. They have athletes up there and I saw very little motion offense and 1-3-1 defense, and more 1-on-1 offense and man to man d. Understandable, yet weird.
Will your favorite College Team make the NCAA tournament this year? Please explain Why/Not…
My favorite College Team is the University of Pittsburgh Panthers. With that in mind, I fully expect them to once again make the NCAA Tournament. The Panthers look good so far, have one of the best young coaches in the country, and have a recent tradition of excellence, having earned an invitation to the NCAA Tournament in 5 straight years.
Watched the first half of the Memphis-UConn game last night and was really impressed with the Tigers. They are obviously vulnerable as shown by their depth downlow, but when Joey Dorsey is in the game their are downright dominant. CDR and Derrick Rose should continue to light up the scoreboard, but will not survive without the big guys inside.
I truly think that WVU can make the NCAA tourney. They return alot from a team that won the NIT last year, and while they have to deal with a change in style, I think Huggins is going to let them do what they do best. We don’t have anyone inside right now, but Smalligan is still pulling big men outside the arc allowing the other four guys to attack the rim or drive and kick for a three.
The other reason I think WVU could make the tourney is that the Big East picture is pretty muddy this year. Yes we know that Georgetown and Louisville should be good, but beyond that who is going to finish 2-8? UCONN still doesn’t strike me as the UConn of old, Pitt will be there at the end, Syracuse is relying on a young lineup, so I really feel like it’s anybody’s for the taking in slots 3-8. Let me also say that I’m not guaranteeing that Gtown and Lousiville are locks to be at the top of the conference, but I think they are pretty good locks for the tourney barring an unforseen collapses.
I suppose I’ll talk about WVU and UNC here. Admittedly, UNC is probably my favorite team but yet if playing WVU i’d probably root for WVU. Anyway,
UNC better make the tourney. Psycho T is back and more psycho than ever. Lawson and Ellington have a year under their belts and should be more consistent and dynamic this year. Deon Thompson has slimmed down immensely and has a great touch inside. I’m a huge fan of Bobby Frasor, Marcus Ginyard and Danny Green. Those are the kind of guys you need on a winning team. Alex Stepheson will be a key inside of UNC. I think UNC’s downfall is playing opponents with big and physical big men. Hansbrough isn’t a great defensive rebounder or defender and neither is Thompson. It’d be nice to see Stepheson provide some muscle. I think they’ll really miss Brandan Wright, Reyshawn Terry and Wes Miller but yet I think UNC could be better off with a more normal 9 man rotation. Last year it was tough to get into a rhythm. I also would like to see more lineups with Lawson and Frasor in together. I can’t profess my love for 2 PGs in the lineup at the same time in college hoops enough. UNC should not only get to the NCAA Tourney but go very far.
As for WVU I agree that the Big East is wide open after the top 5 or so. It’s also incredily respected and always has a chance of getting up to 10 teams in. I think the key for WVU will be opening up strong in non-conference and just all season doing the things they’re supposed to do. 12 non-conference games. Tennessee, @Auburn, and Oklahoma will be tough but should be favored in the rest. Maybe we’re not good enough to not slip up once but if we can go 8-1 in the favored games and pick up an upset win in one of the 3 tough ones, it’d be great to go 9-3 in non-conference. We might miss Rob Summers more than we miss Frank Young this year. Hugs is the man. Three recruits signed for next year is real sweet. NCAA tourney this year isn’t expected but would be great to see.
I realize that doing this on the day of a big UNC-Ohio State game is kind of stupid, but today seemed like as good as any to debut my Sweet 16 Power Poll:
1. UCLA (6-0): Kevin Love has been sweet, as has Luc Richard. This team is only going to get better once Darren Collison comes back. Big game vs. Texas on Sunday.
2. UNC (5-0): Psycho T looks good, and Ty Lawson is awesome. This team is, in my estimation, probably the most talented in the country. 2 tough road games this week (at Ohio State tonight and at Kentucky on Saturday) will test the mettle of this team.
3. Memphis (6-0): Derrick Rose vs. O.J. Mayo next week at MSG? Wow! Joey Dorsey continues to be a major man crush of mine.
4. Georgetown (3-0): Interesting game at ODU tonight, but wake me when this team truly gets tested.
5. Kansas (5-0): Did what they had to do to get the win vs. Arizona in a big game this past Sunday. A trip to USC on Sunday should be sweet.
6. Michigan State (4-1): I’m gonna put the Spartans here as my 6th best team. I was very impressed with their showing against UCLA, even if the Bruins were without Collison. A home game against N.C. State tonight should be a good test.
7. Duke (7-0): The Blue Devils have been as impressive as anyone thus far, winning the Maui Invitational and destroying Wisconsin last night. A visit from Davidson on Saturday should be sweet, but I still don’t like Kyle Singler.
8. Washington State (6-0): One of last year’s biggest surprises has picked up right where they left off. Derrick Low is clearly the Mayor of Pullman right about now.
9. Pittsburgh (6-0): Yeah, so I might be a homer. But the Panthers have looked impressive in dispatching all of their opponents thus far. Sam Young looks poised to take the next step, and Levance Fields has been stellar with the ball. A game at cross-town rival Duquesne next week looks to be a lot tougher than anyone could have imagined.
10. Marquette (4-1): This team always scares the crap out of me. Their guard play is as good as any in the country. The key to this team is the play of guys like Dan Fitzgerald and Haver’s boy Ousmane Barro.
11. USC (5-1): This team is only going to get betterp; they’r already one of the most fun teams to watch, so I can only imagine how sweet they’re gonna be. Home games vs. Oklahoma and Kansas this week should be true tests.
12. Texas A&M (6-0): You have to hand it to the Aggies in their complete thrashing of Ohio State to win the Preseason NIT. Acie Law might be gone, but there’s plenty of talent left for new coach Mark Turgeon.
13. Texas (5-0): Another team with plenty of talent left around, apparently. The Longhorns were most impressive with their big win over Tennessee. A trip to UCLA will be interesting.
14. Butler (6-0): Who’s ready for another run to the Sweet 16 for the Butler Bulldogs? Everyone better be because Butler looks to be back and better than ever, as was witnessed in their cpaturing the Great Alaska Shootout title.
15. Indiana (5-1): I feel like this team has nowhere to go but up, too. Eric Gordon looks like the real deal, and D.J. White is still a hoss. A trip to SIU on Saturday should be fun.
16. BYU (5-1): The similarities between this year’s BYU team and recent Nevada teams are, to me, Erie, PA. Trent Plaisted literally looks like Nick Fazekas, both teams are from non-BCS conferences…hell, both teams are even blue and white!
Player of the Year: Michael Beasley
-The dude is averaging 27.2 PPG and 15.5 RPG. Until something changes, he has to be the guy.
Freshman of the Year: Michael Beasley
Coach of the Year: Rick Barnes
-That Texas has looked as good as it has (five victories by double-digits, including a 19-point rout of Tennessee) without all-world Kevin Durant is extremely impressive.
Ha, whoops. Wrong page. Oh well, might as well comment on college hoops.
HUGE win for UNC tonight at Ohio State without Ty Lawson.
Mbah a Moute looks like he’s back to freshman level but unfortunately Mata continues to be at freshman level ugliness.
Joey Dorsey is the man. He and Randall Falker continue to be my two rugged beasts in the land. Terrence Williams is definitely the swingman on that team.
How bout Pat Ewing Jr draining that 3 so smoothly tonight?!?
Singler and King are fags.
Izzo loves dominating teams with his mind.
Marquette lost to Duke. Unacceptable. (Wasn’t Barro’s fault)
DeAndre Jordan might murder someone with a slam dunk this year.
Very interesting and entertaining game last night between Texas and UCLA. D.J. Augustin is the real deal, man. Jimmy V Classic tomorrow night should be big, as is Pitt’s schedule this week (at Duquesne and at Washington). CBS College Hoops debuts on Saturday with Duke vs Michigan and Kentucky vs Indiana (they better have Verne and Billy doing one of those two games!).
Good stuff last night from the BEAST last night, with Georgetown beating Alabama and WVU beating Auburn in the Big East/SEC Challenge. Pitt took care of its own business across town at rival Duquesne, while, going back two nights, Notre Dame was victorious over Kansas State in the Jimmy V Classic. BEAST!
WVU vs Duquesne in Morgantown on Saturday should be interesting. Pitt was running Duquesne right out of its own building (they opened up a 21-4 lead) until Shawn James decided to start blocking everything in sight and DeJuan Blair got into foul trouble. WVU, meanwhile, has looked rather impressive thus far, and while I think they should be able to hold its homecourt advantage, I think the Dukes will put up a fight.
Xavier…good win at home over Creighton last night. SEAN MILLER! All jokes aside, though, I wonder how long my boy Miller stays at Xavier. Xavier has been a launching pad of sorts to big-time jobs (Prosser to Wake, Pete Gillen to Providence, Matta to Ohio State). I would think that the only way Sean would leave Xavier would be for a big-time job in the Big East, Big Ten, or ACC. But, I just can’t see him coaching any team but Pitt in the Big East. Unfortunately for Sean, Pitt already has a great young coach in Jamie Dixon. I suppose Miller could be next in line should Dixon ever decide to leave, but I wouldn’t bank on the Pitt job becoming available anytime soon if I were him. Where else would make sense for my man? Don’t get me wrong, though, he has a good thing going at Xavier. God, I hope he doesn’t end up at Penn State!
Bobby Mo, meanwhile, blew a golden opportunity to beat a bigger conference school on its homecourt last night when the Colonials blew a 12-point advantage and fell at the hands of Central Michigan. This loss, unfortunately, comes a few weeks after RMU blew like a 25-point, 2nd half lead at Seton Hall. Needless to say, though, RMU is a force to be reckoned with!
HUGEST matchup of the year tomorrow. Gtown vs Memphis, Hibbert vs Dorsey. Last year I hyped up Dorsey so much bein the man that it led Wells posting how this was the greatest matchup ever. Dorsey then went on to get 8 fouls in the first 3 minutes and was completely out of the game. Here’s hoping he doesn’t get in foul trouble (Is that possible?) and neither does Hibbert, and you just get to see these two behemoths battle all game long! Rumor has it, they will not be warming up on the court tomorrow, rather will be bench pressing beside each other.
I loved your hype over Dorsey so much that i thought it would be wrong of me not to tout the matchup. Another big game for the Big East after Pitt beat Duke last night.(Congrats Raibs-oh and thanks for texting me back)
I have to admit that i usually don’t really start getting into college bball until the new year, but also saw Gonzaga- Okla last night. Took two things away: Jeremy Pargo is the man and the frontcourt of Oklahoma is Huge!
Wells has two middle names but few people realize it’s Matt Big East Wells. Watchin Gtown-Memphis now. Texas-Michigan St later will also be huge. Seems like Jay Bilas is getting a chance to step up into the limelight in Vitale’s absence.
Now, tonight, Bobby Frasor goes down for the year. Huge loss for the Tar Heels. It’s unfortunate for all of these teams. Will be tough to overcome but the Heels should still be one of the nation’s best. And I’d also guess that Frasor won’t be awarded a redshirt. Sucks. I hate injuries.
Cook already received an extra year of eligibility after transferring from ECU. As a result, he really had no chance of being granted another year. Devendorf is gay.
With Fields going down, I think it’s safe to say that Pitt can exit stage right as a Final Four contender. It really looks like the following teams are a cut above the rest:
North Carolina
Memphis
Kansas
Just below this group, I would throw in:
UCLA
Georgetown
Texas
Washington State
With conference play starting up, though, the games are going to get tougher, the battles more heated, and more Raftery as Big Monday will kick off soon!
Just since everybody’s wondering, “Well what’s next?”
I’m hoping guards Dexter Strickland and Dominic Cheek commit soon and give UNC the odds on favorite for the top 2009 class. Maybe try hard for Derrick Favors as icing on the cake.
Great story today in the Tribune-Review about a great man: Jamie Dixon. I didn’t know it, but he sat in the hospital room with Duquesne coach Ron Everhart and listened to the Dukes on the radio when the latter was forced to be admitted. Duquesne is supposed to be one of Pitt’s rivals, yet here Dixon is coming to the aid of a person in need. Jamie Dixon is the man.
Basketball Rankings are so stupid. UCLA and UNC lose, yet they both are somehow ranked lower than Wash State and Duke, respectively. That’s dumb. It’s clear, at least in my opinion, that Memphis, Kansas, UNC, and UCLA are the Top 4 teams in the country.
Look out for Pitt whenever Fields gets healthy, though!
Bubble Teams with Work to Do: Illinois, Purdue, Georgia Tech, Florida State, West Virginia, Oklahoma State, Kansas State
All-Americans: Kevin Durant, Alando Tucker, Nick Fazekas (I know Fazekas isn’t a “true” Center, but too bad), Acie Law IV, Aaron Brooks (not sure who for that last Guard spot)
Player of the Year besides Durant: Tucker or Law IV
Raible
March 5, 2007
I’ll skip the first question because of my front page story…
All-Americans- Durant, Tucker, Fazekas, Acie Law IV and Aaron Afflalo
Players on team’s like Kansas, UNC and Florida almost hurt eachother’s votes.
I think it has to be Acie Law IV, this guy has an uncanny ability to take over any game and has hit some big time shots this year. Just look at the Texas game and I personally think he outshined Durant with two of his best players sitting on the bench.
Wells
March 8, 2007
I agree that Afflalo should get the last Guard spot over Brooks…it looks like Wells and Raible have the same All-American team, so I don’t really see a reason for this to linger on since two great minds have come together!
Raible
March 8, 2007
Bubble Teams: I think that Syracuse and Drexel got shafted! I think that Arkansas, Purdue, and Illinois are all poor teams. How does the Big Ten get as many teams as the Big East? I’m not completely sold that Stanford should be there, either, especially since they lost to an Air Force team that I don’t think should be there at home by like 30. And I also found it odd that Texas Tech got in over Kansas State despite losing to Kansas State in the Big 12 Tournament.
If I could, I would put Syracuse and Drexel in and knock out Arkansas and either Illinois or Purdue.
Raible
March 13, 2007
You know what, I don’t think any bubble team got shafted. We’re talkin about teams that are roughly the 30-40 best teams AFTER all of the automatic bids. You never see a team that is one of the 10 best not make it. You seem teams that arguably should have. By the time you get to the last few spots, of course there will be tough choices. Some might not make a whole lotta sense. But by that point, all teams will have proven they can win games and all have proven they can lose games. If you want to guarantee you make the tournament, win more games during the regular season. I bet I could look at any bubble teams schedule that didn’t make it and point to games they coulda won that woulda made a difference. Sure, there are question marks and a lot of disagreements, but we’re talkin about teams that aren’t even in the top 30 or 40 of college basketball.
Haver
March 17, 2007
OSU?… whats the deal? they are barely skatin by. i know the tourney is all about close games but tell Oden to show up to one of them!!
ryan
March 23, 2007
Best Coach Left in NCAA Tournament: Ben Howland, UCLA
-I think that Howland gets as much out of his players as anyone does in the country. He brought his Big East-style of basketball with him to the Pac-10, and he has experienced great success in doing so. I love Coach Cal (John Calipari), too, as I find it amazing the amount of talent he has been able to assemble at Memphis, which hasn’t exactly been the picture of a college basketball powerhouse.
Best Player Left in NCAA Tournament: Greg Oden, Ohio St.
-As good as the players on Florida, Kansas, and North Carolina are, I don’t think thata anyone is as good as Oden. Even in the Sweet 16, when he wasn’t at his best, he managed to affect the game down the stretch, hitting his free throws and making a great block to end the game.
Raible
March 24, 2007
I think that Kentucky had to make a splash of some sort, and after being turned down by Billy Donovan, they felt they needed to just get out there and take someone else from a different program, thus Billy Gillispie was the man (or maybe they are just obsessed with guys named Billy?!?!).
You have to be impressed with what Gillispie was able to do at Texas A&M, who essentially have never been a blip on the basketball radar in my lifetime. And you also have to like the fact that Gillispie has had success coaching at a southern school in a big conference.
The pressure to win, however, will probably be the biggest issue facing the new coach of Kentucky. Wildcats fans, especially Ashley Judd, demand a winner, which was probably never the case at A&M until this year. It should be interesting to see how Gillispie deals with the pressure, but all in all, I am completely OK with the hire.
Looks like A&M is gonna offer their job to Wichita State’s Mark Turgeon, by the way.
I am not a big fan of the WVU-Huggins hire, but that’s probably due in large part to the fact that I am not a big fan of Huggins. He can recruit with the best of them, though, so WVU fans are probably stoked about that aspect. His graduation rates and lack of major success in the NCAA Tournament, however, will probably raise more than one red flag.
A lot of coaching moves often involve a guy going from a mid-major program to a major program, and these often seem to be pretty solid hires, like the guy going from Butler to Iowa.
I was happy to see both John Calipari and Sean Miller get contract extensions at their respective Universities, although I think it would have been neat to see Miller on the sidelines in Ann Arbor.
Raible
April 9, 2007
I also like Gillespie at Kentucky. I might say some of the same stuff but will try to be a little different.
Maybe expecations will be higher than ever but fans just have to be realistic about things. They have to be. Gillespie needs to create a buzz immediately to get the top kids to want to go to Kentucky. Tubby Smith was a great coach but they just seemed to be lacking something to get the top kids to go there. Kentucky basketball needs talent, they need McDonald’s All-Americans. A few comparisons would be Ben Howland at UCLA, Kelvin Sampson at Indiana and football wise Nick Saban at Alabama. All three are storied programs in their respective sports but under the previous coaches the programs seemed boring. Howland came, has had immediate success and a few big recruits. Sampson replaced Mike Davis and has top five guard Eric Gordon coming next fall. Saban came to Alabama after all of the recruiting classes seemed to be finalized and somehow got what seemed to be every unsigned star to commit to Alabama. How did they all do this? By creating a buzz to make their respective schools seem important.
It scares me that Gillespie never did too much recruiting wise at Texas A&M but everyone gives him the credit for recruiting for Illinois (and Tulsa) under Bill Self. All in all I think Gillespie was a good hire.
I’m also very excited about the Bob Huggins hire. It will be very interesting to be this close to a Huggins-led program to see what kind of a guy he really is. But here’s how I see it.
-John Beilein was the man. I’m extremely upset that he left. We overachieved every year he was our coach mainly because of his teaching, discipline, system and everything else the man did. But the bottom line is he left and we had to replace him. That meant a few things-
A. Replace him a current/former assistant coach that can run the exact same system.
B. Go outside of the system. When going outside of the system, I immediately got worried because WVU isn’t exactly a hotbed for players. WVU without a great system is basically nothing. That meant we’d HAVE to get a guy that could recruit.
At first choice A seemed like the way to go. Let’s just keep things going the way they are. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. But here’s the thing. Any Beilein replica wasn’t going to be Beilein. Even with Beilein, and even with our most talented and best teams, it seemed like we were overmatched in the Big East. Even when we’d beat a team it seemed like we had to play twice as good as the opponent. Even with a genius at the helm, could we really ever to expect to compete with the big boys? I’m not really sure. In a way we were a glorified mid-major. Which was fun to root for, cheer for, be excited about, but not possible to go the distance.
This leads me to Huggins. There’s a chance it might not work out. But I see Huggins as one of our only chances to be a legit title contender. He’s a proven recruiter that just landed the number 1 class at Kansas St. No reason he can’t do the same at West Virginia. With top talent, WVU would actually have a chance to compete with the big boys. While there is no denying his previous track record with players and ncaa tournaments, I’d like to give him the benefit of the doubt first. Maybe it was being in Conference USA that hurt him. Maybe he’ll be able to get a little better overall person at WVU. He got a 3.97 GPA at WVU and hopefully will prove the nay-sayers wrong.
If Huggins fails, I think being in the Big East, we’ll always be in the market for a successful mid major coach. This could be our only chance at a guy like Huggins, proven coach, recruiter and wvu alum, and I think we had to take it.
Haver
April 9, 2007
This according to Gary Parrish from CBS Sportsline:
Best hire: You can question Bob Huggins’ motives and actions and all sorts of things. But it’s stupid to question the man as a basketball coach. He gets players and wins with them. So if it’s possible to build a national power at West Virginia, Huggins will do it, and quickly.
Raible
April 16, 2007
It really doesn’t make much sense for Oden to stay in school as he will probably be the #1 pick in the NBA Draft. To boot, the only thing that he could possibly improve upon in his college career is to win the NCAA Title since he finished as a runner-up last year.
Conley should probably follow suit, too. It looks like Conley will be a Lottery Pick, and I am not so sure that he will ever be able to rise much higher than that in the Draft. Oden is his best friend, too, so leaving with the big guy makes a lot of sense.
Raible
April 18, 2007
Patrick Patterson: Well Pitt has offered, so that’s where the kid should go, but he has no interest. As for where he is interested and visited, the list looks like: Duke, Florida, Kentucky, Virginia, and Wake Forest. Patterson hasn’t officially visited West Virginia, but is probably familiar with the campus having gone to Huntingdon, WV High School. I might be crazy, but I actually think that Beilein leaving and Huggins coming might give the kid more of a reason to go to WVU as it is Huggins, not Beilein, that has produced NBA Draft picks. With that being said, he could also go to Florida, especially now after the entire starting lineup has left. I think that when it’s all said and done, Patterson will end up in Gainesville.
Jai Lucas: Call me crazy, but I think that Lucas is headed to Florida, too, to take over the PG duties for Billy Donovan.
Patterson and Lucas going to Florida together? Looks like Florida has an opportunity to simply reload and take another shot at the National Title!
Raible
April 25, 2007
I think Oden is good enough to do what he wants. I think there are definite reasons why he could stay in college. First off, he seems to enjoy it. You almost get he feeling if it were up to him he’d be there for all four years. His footwork needs a lot of work and his post moves could improve as well. He could have been exactly like Tim Duncan, a player that is not poor from staying all four years not was his growth stunted. However, there is no reason Oden can’t go to the pros and improve and work on the same things. He’ll be getting NBA coaching and I’m pretty sure a team won’t mind focusing on working to make him be the best he can be. A man-sized child, he almost seemed too big for the college game. With the smaller court, the zones and the five fouls, the college game is not built for the big man. I think either decision would have been fine but I think this is the better one.
I tend to not like players going pro unless they are ready to really make an impact in the NBA. I’m not sure if Conley is one of those players. Selfishly I’d like to see players dominate in college before they play in the NBA. Conley’s stock is high and that seems to be all people care about. He plays with incredible poise and maturity. I think he will be the first point guard off the board and probably will be a very good point guard.
I don’t think thinking WVU could be better off with Huggins than with Beilein is crazy in the slightest. In fact Raible seems to think he’s insane but everything sounded reasonable. The only reason it would have been worse is if Patterson was ready to sign and then was unsure because of the coaching switch. WVU seemed on the outside looking in with Beilein so things couldnt get any worse with Huggins. WVU, however, filled it’s last scholarship today inking guard William Thomas. Duke needs a tough big man incredibly bad but all signs seem to point to Florida for both he and Lucas. Both of these guys are taking so long you wonder if there’s a team out there that will swoop in. I think Billy Gillespie would immediately be molested in Lexington if he was able to pull off signing this duo.
Haver
April 25, 2007
Of the early entries to the NBA Draft, the one that I found to be most surprising was (like Wells, I am not going to talk about guys from the small schools like Liberty or Delaware State):
Wilson Chandler, DePaul – will sign with agent and lose NCAA eligibility; NBA Draft.net, unless I am not reading correctly, doesn’t even have this guys getting drafted!
Raible
May 10, 2007
Top 10 Teams from Last 10 Years:
1. 1999 UConn – Hamilton, El-Amin, Moore
2. 2007 Florida – Horford, Noah, Brewer
3. 2001 Duke – Battier, Williams, Dunleavy
4. 2004 UConn – Okafor, Gordon, Villanueva
5. 2005 North Carolina – Felton, May, Williams
6. 2000 Michigan State – Cleaves, Peterson, Richardson
7. 2002 Maryland – Dixon, Blake, Baxter
8. 1999 Duke – Brand, Langdon, Avery
9. 2005 Illinois – Brown, Williams, Head
10. 2001 Arizona – Arenas, Woods, Jefferson
Top 10 Programs from Last 10 Years:
1. UConn – 2 National Titles
2. Duke – 1 National Title, 1 Runner Up
3. Florida – 2 National Titles, 1 Runner Up
4. Michigan State – 1 National Title
5. Kansas
6. North Carolina – 1 National Title
7. Maryland – 1 National Title
8. Syracuse – 1 National Title
9. Pitt
10. Gonzaga
Raible
May 17, 2007
Well it looks like Donovan may be on his way back to Florida anyway, which not only is incredibly gay but also makes this question a moot point. A few thoughts:
-If I am Orlando, I tell Billy the Kid to piss off!
-If I am Florida, I tell Billy the Kid to piss off!
-If I am Florida, I lure Grant from VCU.
Raible
June 4, 2007
5 Freshman in this year’s recruiting class that will have the biggest impact for their respective teams:
Jai Lucas, PG Florida: The heir apparent to Taurean Green
O.J. Mayo, PG, USC: Should make USC even better
Jonny Flynn, PG, Syracuse: Cuse will be back in NCAAs
Kyle Singler, SF, Duke: Will get plenty of TV exposure
DeJuan Blair, PF, Pitt: You HAD to know this was coming
Raible
June 23, 2007
I like a lot of Raible’s picks here.
O.J. Mayo obviously comes to mind first and foremost and will be even more important with Nick Young and Gabe Pruitt both bolting for the NBA.
Johnny Flynn was the first guy that came to mind for me. He was as impressive as anyone to me in the McDonald’s game and if he can play the same way in a structured game his play should lead to victories.
Kevin Love, C, UCLA. This kid could single-handedly make me “Love” UCLA. His game is great to watch, seems like a great kid and his uncle is a beach boy. Mata and Mbah a Moute have been solid but Love looks to be much more than solid.
Derrick Rose, PG/SG, Memphis. Memphis had a strong showing last year but once again didn’t have enough. Rose could give them enough.
Kosta Koufos, C, Ohio State. It’s not a surprise that he won’t be teaming up with Greg Oden, but it’s a semi shock that he won’t be playing with Conley and Cook. Koufos will be more important that previously imagined, somewhat like Tyler Hansbrough two seasons ago. Can Koufos be as sweet? NO! But he could still be pretty good.
Kyle Singler, for the record, will only help Duke in terms of overall team homosexuality
Haver
June 23, 2007
A lil recruiting news for you guys as I know you want it.
Ed Davis, the nation’s #2 prospect in the class of 2008, obviously is a bright, young man. Yesterday, he commited to the University of North Carolina! The 6′9 lefty will be a force in Chapel Hill and was a much needed addition. UNC could have to reload after this season as Psycho T, Lawson and Ellington are all candidates to leave early. Signing Davis to a class that already includes PG Larry Drew is huge for the program. Could Tyler Zeller be next? Or perhaps Iman Shumpert? Stay tuned!
Haver
July 20, 2007
RAIBLE POSTED
July 28th, 2007 at 5:43 am
With all of this talk about the U.S. Senior Team, no one has mentioned anything about the U-19 team competing in the Pan-Am Games. While the squad, featuring college players, stumbled to an 0-2 start, Team USA bounced back in a big way in Game #3, defeating previously unbeaten Argentina.
The U.S. is the youngest squad competing in the Games, but hopefully some valuable experience has been gained by players such as Roy Hibbert, D.J. White, Scottie Reynolds, Drew Neitzel, Joey Dorsey, etc.
The following is the link to the Argentina Game Recap:
http://www.usabasketball.com/news.php?news_page=07_mpag_game_03_story
MY REPLY
While unfortunately Wayne Ellington has been slowed by an ankle injury how bout Deon Thompson’s performance with the U19 World Championship Team?!? He will be the most improved player in the nation this year and perhaps the main reason UNC wins another title this year.
Haver
July 28, 2007
The NIT Season Tip-Off pairings were announced and we are set with the following 4 pods:
Ohio State vs Wisconsin-Green Bay
Columbia vs Delaware State
-The Buckeyes, even without Greg Oden, Mike Conley, and Daequan Cook, should easily protect its home court and book a spot at The Garden.
Syracuse vs Siena
St. Joseph’s vs Fairleigh Dickinson
-Like Ohio State, Syracuse, too, should be able to advance to the Final Four rather easily. St. Joe’s is always tough, but the Orange are usually tough to beat at the Carrier Dome.
Washington vs New Jersey Tech
Utah vs High Point
-Utah isn’t what it once was under the guidance of Rick Majerus; as a result, expect the Huskies to maintain its typical strong homecourt advantage and advance to The Garden.
Texas A&M vs Oral Roberts
UTEP vs Texas A&M-CC
-Could Oral Roberts be this year’s Butler? With Acie Law IV on to bigger and better things, it would appear that the Aggies would be ripe for the taking. However, Oral lost both Caleb Green and Ken Tutt, their 2 leading scorers from last year, to graduation. As a result, A&M, and not A&M-CC, should make it a unanimous sweep for the #1 seeds.
I am not sure how the teams will be matched up once they get to NYC, but I like the Cuse to take home the hardware, representing the Big East in style in The World’s Most Famous Arena! I expect big things from Paul Harris this year.
Raible
August 3, 2007
Final Four picks as of August 25, 2007 (I’m bored at work today, folks):
UCLA – I’ll probably pick this team every year so long as Ben Howland is their coach. The Bruins lose Aaron Afflalo but return a solid cast, including Darren Collison, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Josh Shipp, and freshman sensation (yep, I just used that term) Kevin Love.
Memphis – I love John Calipari, so I love making this pick. In all honesty, though, why not Memphis? The Tigers have been eliminated in the Elite 8 by the national runner-up the last 2 years (UCLA in 2005, Ohio State in ‘06), so it’s apparent that they are only a step away. A slew of players return, including the man-beast Joey Dorsey.
Georgetown – The Hoyas may have lost all-everything player Jeff Green to the NBA, but are YOU gonna try and fuck with Roy Hibbert? Joining Hibbert and JT III for the Dobermen are Jonathan Wallace, Patrick Ewing Jr., and Jesse Sapp, among others.
North Carolina – The Tar Heels are the pick over Kansas here because Roy Williams is the pick over Bill Self any day of the week. Back in Chapel Hill this year will be Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington, etc., etc., etc. Ol’ Roy has this program back to where it was when Dean Smith was in charge…where they just reload year after year.
Other teams considered:
Kansas – Rush, Chalmers, Arthur should be tough.
Michigan State – Tom Izzo is their coach…’nuff said.
Gonzaga – Heytvelt, Bouldin, Pargo should be tough, too.
USC – Time to see just how good O.J. Mayo is.
Pitt – Will this FINALLY be their year?
Raible
August 25, 2007
OK, so I couldn’t resist…
An interesting article on NBA players and their alma maters can be found here:
http://www.sportsline.com/nba/story/10344079
I’m gonna take a slightly different take on this one and take a look at who would have the best starting fives:
#1 Connecticut –
PG: Ben Gordon
SG: Richard Hamilton
SF: Ray Allen
PF: Caron Butler
C: Emeka Okafor
6th Man: Rudy Gay
UCONN simply produces NBA players. Not on this list are Charlie Villanueva, Marcus Williams, and Hilton Armstrong.
#2 North Carolina –
PG: Raymond Felton
SG: Vince Carter
SF: Brandan Wright
PF: Antawn Jamison
C: Rasheed Wallace
6th Man: Jerry Stackhouse
As good of a team as you’re gonna find on this list.
#3 Arizona –
PG: Mike Bibby
SG: Gilbert Arenas
SF: Andre Iguodala
PF: Richard Jefferson
C: Channing Frye
6th Man: Jason Terry
A little small, but incrediby athletic. Not on this list are the Stoudamires and Luke Walton.
#4
Duke –
PG: Chris Duhon
SG: Corey Maggette
SF: Luol Deng
PF: Elton Brand
C: Carlos Boozer
6th Man: Shane Battier
Left off the Duke roster are Mike Dunleavy, Grant Hill, Shelden Williams, and J.J. Redick.
#5 Kansas –
PG: Kirk Hinrich
SG: Paul Pierce
SF: Julian Wright
PF: Drew Gooden
C: Nick Collison
6th Man: Jacque Vaughn
Just like Kansas to be pretty sound and solid.
#6 Texas –
PG: T.J. Ford
SG: Daniel Gibson
SF: Kevin Durant
PF: LaMarcus Aldridge
C: Chris Mihm
6th Man: Maurice Evans
Almost looks like it could be a real team.
#7 Florida –
PG: Jason Williams
SG: Mike Miller
SF: Corey Brewer
PF: Udonis Haslem
C: Al Horford
6th Man: David Lee
No Joakim here, but this school has clearly only jumped on the scene in the last decade or so.
#8 Georgetown –
PG: Allen Iverson
SG: Jeff Green
SF: Michael Sweetney
PF: Alonzo Mourning
C: Dikembe Mutumbo
6th Man: Othella Harrington
Only 6 NBA-ers from the Hoyas, but you have to include them here with that kind of talent.
#9 Michigan State –
PG: Eric Snow
SG: Morris Peterson
SF: Jason Richardson
PF: Zach Randolph
C: Kevin Willis
6th Man: Charlie Bell
Definitely some scoring there, but no substantial big man other than Randolph.
#10 Georgia Tech –
PG: Stephon Marbury
SG: Jarrett Jack
SF: Thaddeus Young
PF: Matt Harpring
C: Chris Bosh
6th Man: Javaris Crittenton
Not a whole lot here, but you gotta like any team with Bosh.
Any thoughts?
Raible
September 11, 2007
Clear cut top 4 and I hate to admit it but that Duke team might be the best. Georgetown is falling fast but adding Green this year and Hibbert next year is, well, huge. I really like that Georgia Tech squad. I think I’d have them up higher. Can Psycho be UNC’s cheerleader? It’s evident Raible hates me……..he left off Joakim! Arizona, kinda athletic. UConn, so good. By far the best part of this is Kevin Willis. He’s probably runnin wind sprints as I type this.
thav916
September 11, 2007
OK, let’s do the same thing for College Hoops:
http://www.sportsline.com/collegebasketball/story/10390733
1 guy in the 1-5 range of his rankings
1 guy in the 6-10 range of his rankings
1 guy in the 11-15 range of his rankings
1 guy in the 16-20 range of his rankings
1 guy in the 21-25 range of his rankings
*The 3 rankings categories are: 1) Bigs, 2) Shooters and Wings, 3) Points and Combos
For the record, the “best” team that could be assembled by CBS Sports.com was the following:
Big-Tyler Hansbrough
Shooter/Wing-Chris Lofton
Shooter/Wing-Eric Gordon
Point/Combo-Derrick Rose
Point/Combo-Ty Lawson
My team:
Big-Joey Dorsey (#11 in his rankings): This guy, much like Tyson Chanlder on my NBA team, is a freakin’ beast! I love his build, and I love his passion for the game.
Shooter/Wing-Chris Lofton (#1 in his rankings): The best pure scorer in college basketball.
Shooter/Wing-Jaycee Carroll (#20 in his rankings): Another great scorer.
Point/Combo-O.J. Mayo (#7 in his rankings): I’ll take a chance on the potential of this kid in this spot.
Point/Combo-Eric Maynor (#19 in his rankings): I liked what I saw from this kid in the NCAA Tournament last year, especially the game-winner against Duke.
Raible
October 6, 2007
There’s just too much I wanna do here. Who the hell picks Jaycee Carroll, though?!?
My Squad
Big-Tyler Hansbrough (#1 Big): Psycho T will have Dorsey fouled out within 5 minutes. I’d type a few adjectives for Hansbrough but don’t want to write 4000 words.
Big-Kevin Love (#6): Love just has thav written all over him. Between havin great court awareness, passing, knowledge of the game and an uncle in the Beach Boys I just can’t not be a huge fan.
Shooter/Wing-Josh Carter (#25): Made exactly half of his 3’s last year and at 6′7″ can board and play some D.
Point/Combo-Stephen Curry (#18):Amazing shooter. Works so hard to get open. Del’s son!
Point/Combo-Tyrese Rice (#13):Love how he handles himself. The lefty has such a smooth stroke.
All Versatile-I love big, strong, athletic freaks
Big-Donte Green (#20): Was impressive in McDonald’s game. Tall, long and athletic.
Shooter/Wing-Terrence Williams (#13): Freak of nature. Rolls out of bed and gets a better workout than any regular person at the gym for 4 hours.
Shooter/Wing-Chase Budinger (#5): Talk about savvy. Can play about 10 positions, he’s THAT versatile.
Shooter/Wing-DeMarcus Nelson (#18): Hate to talk him up but such a tough player. He’s a power forward in a shooting guard’s body. Has really developed his 3 pointer.
Point-Jamont Gordon (#10): Beast. Over 7 RPB and 5 APG last season as a sophomore.
Sleepers
Big-Deon Thompson (#17): This guy is gonna break out this season. Soft touch and has gotten into tremendous shape.
Big-Taj Gibson (#12): Was a handful against UNC in the tourney last year before getting in foul trouble. Seems to have the body of a big and the skills of a guard.
Shooter/Wing-Paul Harris (#19): Just seems too talented not to explode.
Combo/Point-Drew Neitzel (#3): Not really a sleeper but maybe still a little underrated. Blew up last season. Tireless worker.
Combo/Point-Derrick Low (#8): Just seems like everything you read about this guy is positive. Love pairing him with Neitzel.
My ideal team
Big-Josh Heytvelt (#10): When he’s all there he’s got a great all-around game. Explosive and can hit the outside shot. When he’s not all there he’s at least great to hang out with.
Big-Brandon Costner (#9): My ideal college 4 man. Big enough to rebound, fast enough to run, good enough to drain the 3.
Shooter/Wing-Shan Foster (#17): Very athletic and very good shooter. Perfect fit. Also love Demarcus Nelson here but already used him
Point/Combo-Eric Devendorf (#22): Just really think he’s a top notch player that fits well on a great team. Liked getting Mayo here but realized I needed a stud big man.
Point/Combo-Darren Collison (#4): I want my top player to be a PG. I think Collison is the best in the country. Lawson was too obvious.
Where are these guys?
Mareese Speights, Florida: This guy can’t project that Speights is gonna get a lot of minutes and dominate this year? I can.
Kosta Koufos, Ohio State: Will take over right where Greg Oden left, but do it in a completely different fashion. A 7 footer with bulk and a 3 point stroke is just too good not to end up in the top 25.
Duke Crews, Tennessee: My boy!
Raymar Morgan, Michigan State: I love Izzo style players and Morgan is a great example of one.
Jonathan Wallace, Georgetown: Wallace is a leader and shot over 50%. Great attributes to a point guard. Would like to kill him after making that shot against UNC last year, but he’s still alive so i’ll take him.
Darris Nichols and Alex Ruoff-!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
thav916
October 6, 2007
When I went back and looked at my team, I realized that I didn’t really have a “team,” per se, but more just a combination of 5 players. With that in mind, my new “team” is as follows…
F: Joey Dorsey (#11 Big), 6-9 Senior, 8.5 ppg, 9.4 rpg
F: Josh Heytvelt (#10 Big), 6-11 Junior, 15.5 ppg, 7.7 rpg
F: Josh Carter (#25 Wing), 6-7 Junior, 11.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg
G: Chris Lofton (#1 Shooter), 6-2 Senior, 20.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg
G: Eric Maynor (#19 Guard), 6-2 Junior, 13.9 ppg, 6.4 apg
Maynor is sweet, has an ability to hit the clutch shot, and seems to play in an unselfish manner, as witnessed by his 6.4 apg. Lofton is the best pure scorer in college basketball, and he shouldn’t be asked to do much of anything else on this team. Carter, as Haver mentioned, is a great shooter than can D-up. I am thinking that Heytvelt and Dorsey should be able to compliment each other well, with Dorsey simply being a horse underneath (a la Tyson Chandler) and Heytvelt being able to hit the open jumper (a la David West…yes, I just made a completely unnecessary Hornets reference!).
Raible
October 7, 2007
We’re just a few weeks away from the start of another College Basketball season. With that in mind, I present my Preseason Top 10:
1. UCLA: The defending national runners-up may have lost star Arron Afflalo, but the cupboard is full for coach Ben Howland with players like Darren Collison, Josh Shipp, and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute. Every report coming from workouts is that Kevin Love is as good as advertised and Russell Westbrook is better than anybody realizes.
2. Memphis: Is this the year that Memphis makes it to the Final Four? The Tigers have been close the past 2 years, but this year’s squad looks to be even more talented than those teams from the past. Derrick Rose, Chris Douglas-Roberts, and Joey Dorsey, among others, should give Coach Cal a solid national title contender.
3. North Carolina: The Tar Heels were perhaps the most talented team in the country last year, and this year’s squad should be no exception. Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington, and Tyler Hansbrough all return from last year’s roster. Deon Thompson comes off an impressive summer with USA Basketball, where he averaged 10.0 points and a team-best 6.1 rebounds.
4. Georgetown: The Hoyas are back atop the Big East, and perhaps no one has helped them get back there as much as giant Roy Hibbert. Hibbert and DaJuan Summers should combine to form a formidable frontcourt for coach JT III.
5. Kansas: They have as much talent as anyone, but I don’t trust Bill Self when it’s all said and done. Sherron Collins, Mario Chalmers, Brandon Rush, and Darrell Arthur are just a few of the names that will be making noise for the Jayhawks this season.
6. Tennessee: The Vols gave Ohio State everything they could have asked for and more in last year’s tournament. This year’s squad will once again be led by Chris Lofton, arguably the best scorer in the country. A pair of Smiths (Ramar and Tyler) should assist Lofton in making Tennessee the favorite in the SEC.
7. Washington State: It might be time to give the Cougars their due. Derrick Low and Kyle Weaver might be the two best players that no one knows.
8. Michigan State: Tom Izzo is the freakin’ man, so it doesn’t really matter who suits up for the Spartans. To have a guy like Drew Neitzel, however, is simply icing on the cake.
9. USC: The only place for this team to go is up. O.J. Mayo and Taj Gibson will lead one of the nation’s most talented rosters.
10. Kansas State: Bob Huggins certainly left this program in capable hands, what with studs Bill Walker and Michael Beasley still hanging around.
Other teams to watch:
Syracuse
Gonzaga
Louisville
Villanova (pretty much the entire Big East)
Duke
Raible
October 16, 2007
My Preseason All-America squad:
Chris Lofton: I think that Lofton is the best scorer in the country, so his inclusion on my All-America team is a no-brainer.
Tyler Hansbrough: Psycho T, as Haver likes to call him, is simply a force in the paint. There seems to be a lot of haters out there, including myself from time to time, but no one can argue with his work ethic and results. He has only been held to single digits in points six times in 69 career games, and it’s worth noting three of those six came late last season after Hansbrough suffered a broken nose.
Roy Hibbert: As good as Hansbrough is, Hibbert is the best true big man in college basketball.
Ty Lawson: Think UNC is gonna be any good this year? Lawson is quite possibly the fastest dribbler I have ever seen.
Chris Douglas-Roberts: He might be the best player on what might be the best team in college basketball, so it’s hard not to find a spot on my team for him.
Just missed:
Darren Collison
Brandon Rush
Drew Neitzel
Raible
October 16, 2007
I don’t care how good the Pac-10 is supposed to be this year (and no one in the ‘Burgh likes the Pac-10 more than me), but the Big East is where it’s at in College Basketball (I would rank Big East #1, Pac-10 #2, ACC #3). With that in mind, how about some predictions for the Mega-Conference? (Sidebar: the Big East in basketball is a lot like the Mega Powers were in the WWF. The Mega Powers consisted of Hulk Hogan and “Macho Man” Randy Savage when both were in their prime. The duo was managed by Miss Elizabeth, and who can forget when she stripped down to her nice undies to distract the Mega Bucks – Ted DiBiase and Andre The Giant – in a massive tag team match between the two. Like the Mega Powers, the Big East just seems to have so much talent.)
1. Georgetown – Roy Hibbert is the best player in the Big East, the Hoyas are the defending conference champions and Final Four participant, JT III is sweet, and Jonathan Wallce and DaJuan Summers are solid #2 and #3 players.
2. Lousiville – I don’t think this team is as good as the media is making it out to be, but, nevertheless, Pitino does have a solid roster to work with (Williams, Sosa, Smith, Clark, Padgett, Caracter). I just can’t get that loss to Pitt, in which the Cardinals blew an 11-point halftime lead, in the Big East Tourney out of my mind.
3. Marquette – The Golden Eagles get the nod over my beloved Panthers based on their recent success against Pitt, although it was Pitt that was victorious when the two teams met in the Big East Tourney. One of my least favorite players, Dominic James, will once again team with Jerel McNeal and Wesley Matthews to form the best set of guards in the conference (and, arguably, in the nation).
4. Pittsburgh – Up to this point, Pitt basketball has been like the Scarlett Johansson of the college basketball world. Just like Scarlett, Pitt has teased its fans with the possibility of being amazing and breaking through (Pitt to the Elite Eight, Scarlett with a full frontal nudity scene). Just as Scarlett does it “her way” in indie and Woody Allen movies (shunning the Hollywood blockbuster), so, too, has Pitt done it “their way” with great defense, rebounding, and a physical presence. This year’s Panthers, though, may not resmble recent teams. It has been said that this year’s squad will look to run up and down the court, led by a foursome of guards (Fields, Ramon, Benjmain, and Wannamaker) that Jamie Dixon has claimed are interchangable. Mike Cook returns to dominate on the wing, and he will be spelled this year by redshirt freshman Gilbert Brown, who looks to be sweet. PF Sam Young should be this team’s best player before long, while it looks like freshman DeJuan Blair will man the midddle. Hopefully, both Pitt and Scarlett break through this year and give its fans what they want. Even if they don’t make the leap, though, you have come to count on Pitt, much like Scarlett, to be as solid as anyone.
5. Syracuse – I think that this team could be the best team in the conference by the end of the season, just like they were in 2003. And, just like that 2003 team, this year’s Orange squad should be led by Freshmen, only it will be Donte’ Green and Jonny Flynn instead of Carmelo Anthony and Gerry McNamara. With Devenfag and Paul Harris back, the ‘Cuse should most definitely be in the house.
6. Connecticut – UConn should bounce back this year and put themsleves back where they belong: in the NCAA Tourney. Jeff Adrien is a man amongst boys (Adrien vs Blair should be masturbation material), while Hasheem Thabeet has the chance to be the best center in the conference not named Hibbert. Plus, Jim Calhoun is sweet.
7. Villanova – The Wildcats are almost like a younger, cooler version of Marquette (cooler because Jay Wright is a beefcake). Like Marquette, Nova is going to rely on their guard play, which is led by Scottie Reynolds. Freshmen Corey Stokes and Corey Fisher will team with Reynolds to form what should be the best young backcourt in the conference.
8. Notre Dame – I really liked the way this team came on last year, particularly the play of beast-like Luke Harangody, who is currently on the shelf with a hand injury. Kyle McAlarney (has there ever been a better guy who’s name just screams Notre Dame) will be back from smoking dope, too, but I’m not a big Mike Brey fan.
9. West Virginia – You just get the feeling that this program is ready to explode with Bob Huggins and his awesome graduation rates at the helm now. I’m sure that Haver and Wells will elaborate, but Joe Alexander could be a candidate for breakthrough player of the year in the conference.
10. Seton Hall – Bobby Gonzalez just seems so perfect for this job. Is it Montanaro that went to Seton Hall? If so, then he should be excited about where this team is headed, led by freshman Jeremy Hazell.
11. Providence – Herbert Hill is gone, but at least Tim Welsh has sweet hair. And the Friars play in perhaps the sweetest (pun INTENDED) named arena in the country: the Dunkin’ Donuts Center. Sharaud Curry should be really good, but he has a broken foot right now.
12. DePaul – Sammy Mejia and Wilson Chandler are out, but Mac Koshwal and Dar Tucker are in, meaning that DePaul should be right around this spot when it’s all said and done.
13. Cincinnati – Deonta Vaughn should be solid as the Bearcats attempt to find their niche in the Big East.
14. St. John’s – Anthony Mason Jr. is a stud, and he should get some help from Eugene Lawrence as the Red Storm try to reclaim its glory days from years past.
15. South Florida – The Bulls have Kentrell Gransberry at center and Stan Heath at coach, two good starting points for trying to build a winning program.
16. Rutgers – J.R. Inman and Corey Chandler should be the best players on a young Scarlet Knights squad.
Player of the Year: Roy Hibbert
Newcomer of the Year: Donte’ Green
Coach of the Year: Jamie Dixon
All-Big East:
G-Dominic James
G-Scottie Reynolds
F-Jeff Adrien
F-Donte’ Green
C-Roy Hibbert
Raible
November 2, 2007
I demand some college basketball insight from Tim Haver!!!
Raible
November 2, 2007
How about Michigan St. Losing to Grand Valley State? How about College Bball officially right around the corner? How about the Beast and how much Raible is just disguising his love for the PAC-10?
Wells
November 3, 2007
I’m not even as close to as high on the Big East as Raible is. I preach in college football that you must compare conferences as a whole and with 8 teams you have to look at our top 4 against another conferences top 6. That the number of teams in the top 25 isn’t as fair as the percentage of teams from your conference in the top 25. The Big East getting 8 teams into the tourney is not better than the SEC, Big 12, ACC and Big Ten getting 6 teams and the Pac 10 getting 5 teams in. It’s the EXACT SAME. The Big East has a lot of depth and that’s probably going to happen when you also have the most teams.
Georgetown should be the class of the Big East. Their “other” players like Summers, Wallace and Sapp really showed they were serious players in the NCAA Tournament. Hibbert is big and dominating. Jeremiah Rivers is whiter and hopefully better than he was last year. They need Vernon Macklin and Pat Ewing to step up. The recruiting class looks to provide great depth. By far the most important thing that’s happened to Georgetown recently is signing the top player in the 2008 class, Greg Monroe. JTIII means business.
Im putting Pitt second. I think Louisville is drooling with potential but will get to them in a second. I know I shouldn’t say it but I don’t care, I love the types of players Pitt gets. Aaron Gray was wonderful for the program but he’ll be addition by subtraction as you just can’t rely on a 7 foot stiff of a center in college basketball. I think they’ll be just as powerful with DeJuan Blair, Cassin Diggs and Aaron Wallace underneath. Sam Young is a budding superstar at the 4 and Tyrell Biggs is another athletic big man. With a great rotation of guards this team has it all. Well, all but a superstar. The key to Pitt will be the same one as the past 10 seasons. They need a guy or two to step up as a legit star. Could be the difference between a first or fifth place finish.
I love Louisville’s team, too. Palacios and Caracter are so sweet. Padgett is a big man but can move. Just looking at Terrence Williams makes me change my underwear. Edgar Sosa really surprised as a powerful lead guard last year and even Earl Clark is an athletic force off the bench. But I think this team is missing not only a key ingredient but the biggest key in college basketball. 3 point shooting. Jerry Smith is a nice shooter but that seems to be where it starts and ends. I think this team has the makeup to be final four team but I think the only way it happens is if a player or two that I’ve never heard of steps up as a 3 point threat.
I’m gonna buy into the Syracuse talent over any other remaining team. I’m a sucker for teams that looks like they should be good. Jonny Flynn looks like he’ll be one of the best floor leaders the second he walks onto the court. Me and Pat Russ used to have endless discussions what race Devendorf was but I do believe he’s a real good player to have on your team. Paul Harris looks like he’s too big to not be sweet. Donta Greene looks bigtime. Andy Rautins is a real nice shooter off the bench. This team did lose tons of beef in Darryl Watkins and Terrence Roberts and will need some guys to step up inside. Could be Junior College transfer Kristof Ongenaet. All of these young players must step up and fulfill their potential but ultimately they’ll need size and strength to mix with all of their talent.
I love to always refuse to believe that Marquette is any good. I don’t know why I do. They are pretty good but whatever. Have to always like a Connecticut squad. The Thabeet and Adrien combination is great. Villanova has sweet some guards but don’t look like their big enough to compete day in day out. Some nice talent on some other teams but don’t feel like talking about them.
As for WVU I’m sure I’ll get more into them at another point soon. I’m hoping for some big things but realistically just want to see some good signs. It seems like if Beilein would have stayed people could have predicted them as a sleeper but with Huggins everyone is expecting at least a one year adjustment period. I think the difference between our team this year and ones in the past is that our players are much more athletic so I’m hoping for a smooth transition. I think Nichols, Ruoff, Butler, Smith, and Alexander will all experience success in a running system. Hoping Jacob Green will be a nice player because we don’t have much size other than Jamie Smalligan (oh the irony). I loved Huggins saying, “We’re gonna run a lot more this year. And if that doesn’t work I’ll call a timeout and tell them to do what we did last year.” Great comment. With two recruits in fold for 2008 I’m very excited about the Bob Huggins era. It’d be nice to finish in the top half of the Big East this year as a start and I’d say somewhere between about 7 to 12 is likely.
thav916
November 4, 2007
You know one thing that I have recently found funny about the Big East is that although it is widely regarded as the best basketball conference over the past couple of years, there is alot of parody. I feel like every year the conference had 2-4 VERY Solid teams. Legit top 25 teams, with other programs spinkled in thereafter. However, after those teams the conference standings are seemingly wide open. In recent years, Pitt, UCONN, SYRACUSE, and Villanova have kind of been the cream of the crop, with probably Louisville and Georgetown right behind if not right in the mix. But that doesn’t mean that WVU or Notre Dame haven’t been able to sneak into that upper echelon. Therefore, I feel like this year more than any it’s so hard to predict the outcome, but I’ll try:
1. Georgetown
2. Louisville
3. Notre Dame
4. Pitt
5. WVU
6. Uconn
7. Marquette
8. Cuse
9. Nova
10. Cincy
11. Providence
12. DePaul
13. South Florida
14. St. John’s
15. Seton Hall
16. Rutgers
POY: Hibbert
First Team: Reynolds, Sosa, Hibbert, Kentrell Gransbury, Jeff Adrian
COY: Mike Brey
Wells
November 6, 2007
In case anyone didn’t see, Ohio State lost to Findlay (Division II)!
Raible
November 7, 2007
Tyler Zeller commits to UNC. Huge!!!!!!!!! Like Eric Montross and Sean May before him, Zeller leaves the state of Indiana for bluer pastures. Zeller joins Ed Davis and Larry Drew Jr in a powerful 3 man recruiting class for 2008.
thav916
November 8, 2007
“Aaron Gray was wonderful for the program but he’ll be addition by subtraction as you just can’t rely on a 7 foot stiff of a center in college basketball.”
I can’t come up with a way to express through typing how badly I hate that dopey bastard.
thegreatawakening
November 8, 2007
Yeah, good point by Haver. I was never a big fan of Aaron Gray (or Carl Krauser, for that matter). I think the team will be better, as they were without Krauser, now that Gray and Levon Kendall will be replaced by Blair and Young.
Nevertheless, it is important for the program that Gray at least stick around in the NBA for awhile. Pitt hasn’t been able to churn out any NBA prospects in their golden age of hoops, which is a prerequisite when attempting to recruit the big-time high school talent.
Raible
November 9, 2007
I tuned in to the Pitt-St. Louis game today and, man, was I impressed with Pitt’s DeJuan Blair. Blair was so good that Rick Majerus was comparing him to Tim Duncan and Karl Malone after the game.
I heart Ronald Ramon.
Raible
November 12, 2007
I read a little bit about our exhibition game the other day and it seems like Huggs is just going to let us play the way we know how. Up North, i was able to catch a couple of minutes of Michigan and it looked as if John Beilein was doing the same thing. They have athletes up there and I saw very little motion offense and 1-3-1 defense, and more 1-on-1 offense and man to man d. Understandable, yet weird.
Wells
November 13, 2007
Kevin Love. What a beast!!!!!!!!!
thav916
November 13, 2007
Rick Majerus loves hotels.
thav916
November 13, 2007
Will your favorite College Team make the NCAA tournament this year? Please explain Why/Not…
My favorite College Team is the University of Pittsburgh Panthers. With that in mind, I fully expect them to once again make the NCAA Tournament. The Panthers look good so far, have one of the best young coaches in the country, and have a recent tradition of excellence, having earned an invitation to the NCAA Tournament in 5 straight years.
P-I-T-T…Let’s Go Pitt!
Raible
November 15, 2007
Watched the first half of the Memphis-UConn game last night and was really impressed with the Tigers. They are obviously vulnerable as shown by their depth downlow, but when Joey Dorsey is in the game their are downright dominant. CDR and Derrick Rose should continue to light up the scoreboard, but will not survive without the big guys inside.
I truly think that WVU can make the NCAA tourney. They return alot from a team that won the NIT last year, and while they have to deal with a change in style, I think Huggins is going to let them do what they do best. We don’t have anyone inside right now, but Smalligan is still pulling big men outside the arc allowing the other four guys to attack the rim or drive and kick for a three.
The other reason I think WVU could make the tourney is that the Big East picture is pretty muddy this year. Yes we know that Georgetown and Louisville should be good, but beyond that who is going to finish 2-8? UCONN still doesn’t strike me as the UConn of old, Pitt will be there at the end, Syracuse is relying on a young lineup, so I really feel like it’s anybody’s for the taking in slots 3-8. Let me also say that I’m not guaranteeing that Gtown and Lousiville are locks to be at the top of the conference, but I think they are pretty good locks for the tourney barring an unforseen collapses.
Wells
November 17, 2007
I suppose I’ll talk about WVU and UNC here. Admittedly, UNC is probably my favorite team but yet if playing WVU i’d probably root for WVU. Anyway,
UNC better make the tourney. Psycho T is back and more psycho than ever. Lawson and Ellington have a year under their belts and should be more consistent and dynamic this year. Deon Thompson has slimmed down immensely and has a great touch inside. I’m a huge fan of Bobby Frasor, Marcus Ginyard and Danny Green. Those are the kind of guys you need on a winning team. Alex Stepheson will be a key inside of UNC. I think UNC’s downfall is playing opponents with big and physical big men. Hansbrough isn’t a great defensive rebounder or defender and neither is Thompson. It’d be nice to see Stepheson provide some muscle. I think they’ll really miss Brandan Wright, Reyshawn Terry and Wes Miller but yet I think UNC could be better off with a more normal 9 man rotation. Last year it was tough to get into a rhythm. I also would like to see more lineups with Lawson and Frasor in together. I can’t profess my love for 2 PGs in the lineup at the same time in college hoops enough. UNC should not only get to the NCAA Tourney but go very far.
As for WVU I agree that the Big East is wide open after the top 5 or so. It’s also incredily respected and always has a chance of getting up to 10 teams in. I think the key for WVU will be opening up strong in non-conference and just all season doing the things they’re supposed to do. 12 non-conference games. Tennessee, @Auburn, and Oklahoma will be tough but should be favored in the rest. Maybe we’re not good enough to not slip up once but if we can go 8-1 in the favored games and pick up an upset win in one of the 3 tough ones, it’d be great to go 9-3 in non-conference. We might miss Rob Summers more than we miss Frank Young this year. Hugs is the man. Three recruits signed for next year is real sweet. NCAA tourney this year isn’t expected but would be great to see.
thav916
November 17, 2007
Wow, David Padgett likely out for the season. Cards still have a lot of size but that just simply hurts.
thav916
November 20, 2007
I realize that doing this on the day of a big UNC-Ohio State game is kind of stupid, but today seemed like as good as any to debut my Sweet 16 Power Poll:
1. UCLA (6-0): Kevin Love has been sweet, as has Luc Richard. This team is only going to get better once Darren Collison comes back. Big game vs. Texas on Sunday.
2. UNC (5-0): Psycho T looks good, and Ty Lawson is awesome. This team is, in my estimation, probably the most talented in the country. 2 tough road games this week (at Ohio State tonight and at Kentucky on Saturday) will test the mettle of this team.
3. Memphis (6-0): Derrick Rose vs. O.J. Mayo next week at MSG? Wow! Joey Dorsey continues to be a major man crush of mine.
4. Georgetown (3-0): Interesting game at ODU tonight, but wake me when this team truly gets tested.
5. Kansas (5-0): Did what they had to do to get the win vs. Arizona in a big game this past Sunday. A trip to USC on Sunday should be sweet.
6. Michigan State (4-1): I’m gonna put the Spartans here as my 6th best team. I was very impressed with their showing against UCLA, even if the Bruins were without Collison. A home game against N.C. State tonight should be a good test.
7. Duke (7-0): The Blue Devils have been as impressive as anyone thus far, winning the Maui Invitational and destroying Wisconsin last night. A visit from Davidson on Saturday should be sweet, but I still don’t like Kyle Singler.
8. Washington State (6-0): One of last year’s biggest surprises has picked up right where they left off. Derrick Low is clearly the Mayor of Pullman right about now.
9. Pittsburgh (6-0): Yeah, so I might be a homer. But the Panthers have looked impressive in dispatching all of their opponents thus far. Sam Young looks poised to take the next step, and Levance Fields has been stellar with the ball. A game at cross-town rival Duquesne next week looks to be a lot tougher than anyone could have imagined.
10. Marquette (4-1): This team always scares the crap out of me. Their guard play is as good as any in the country. The key to this team is the play of guys like Dan Fitzgerald and Haver’s boy Ousmane Barro.
11. USC (5-1): This team is only going to get betterp; they’r already one of the most fun teams to watch, so I can only imagine how sweet they’re gonna be. Home games vs. Oklahoma and Kansas this week should be true tests.
12. Texas A&M (6-0): You have to hand it to the Aggies in their complete thrashing of Ohio State to win the Preseason NIT. Acie Law might be gone, but there’s plenty of talent left for new coach Mark Turgeon.
13. Texas (5-0): Another team with plenty of talent left around, apparently. The Longhorns were most impressive with their big win over Tennessee. A trip to UCLA will be interesting.
14. Butler (6-0): Who’s ready for another run to the Sweet 16 for the Butler Bulldogs? Everyone better be because Butler looks to be back and better than ever, as was witnessed in their cpaturing the Great Alaska Shootout title.
15. Indiana (5-1): I feel like this team has nowhere to go but up, too. Eric Gordon looks like the real deal, and D.J. White is still a hoss. A trip to SIU on Saturday should be fun.
16. BYU (5-1): The similarities between this year’s BYU team and recent Nevada teams are, to me, Erie, PA. Trent Plaisted literally looks like Nick Fazekas, both teams are from non-BCS conferences…hell, both teams are even blue and white!
Player of the Year: Michael Beasley
-The dude is averaging 27.2 PPG and 15.5 RPG. Until something changes, he has to be the guy.
Freshman of the Year: Michael Beasley
Coach of the Year: Rick Barnes
-That Texas has looked as good as it has (five victories by double-digits, including a 19-point rout of Tennessee) without all-world Kevin Durant is extremely impressive.
Raible
November 28, 2007
Sorry, we also played East Carolina and Georgia played Alabama. Don’t know why I missed those. Everything still applies.
thav916
November 29, 2007
Ha, whoops. Wrong page. Oh well, might as well comment on college hoops.
HUGE win for UNC tonight at Ohio State without Ty Lawson.
Mbah a Moute looks like he’s back to freshman level but unfortunately Mata continues to be at freshman level ugliness.
Joey Dorsey is the man. He and Randall Falker continue to be my two rugged beasts in the land. Terrence Williams is definitely the swingman on that team.
How bout Pat Ewing Jr draining that 3 so smoothly tonight?!?
Singler and King are fags.
Izzo loves dominating teams with his mind.
Marquette lost to Duke. Unacceptable. (Wasn’t Barro’s fault)
DeAndre Jordan might murder someone with a slam dunk this year.
Wash State hates being fundamentally sound.
USC-Syracuse would be a fun game to watch.
Trent and Lacey Plaistad can eat poop.
thav916
November 29, 2007
Very interesting and entertaining game last night between Texas and UCLA. D.J. Augustin is the real deal, man. Jimmy V Classic tomorrow night should be big, as is Pitt’s schedule this week (at Duquesne and at Washington). CBS College Hoops debuts on Saturday with Duke vs Michigan and Kentucky vs Indiana (they better have Verne and Billy doing one of those two games!).
Raible
December 3, 2007
Good stuff last night from the BEAST last night, with Georgetown beating Alabama and WVU beating Auburn in the Big East/SEC Challenge. Pitt took care of its own business across town at rival Duquesne, while, going back two nights, Notre Dame was victorious over Kansas State in the Jimmy V Classic. BEAST!
WVU vs Duquesne in Morgantown on Saturday should be interesting. Pitt was running Duquesne right out of its own building (they opened up a 21-4 lead) until Shawn James decided to start blocking everything in sight and DeJuan Blair got into foul trouble. WVU, meanwhile, has looked rather impressive thus far, and while I think they should be able to hold its homecourt advantage, I think the Dukes will put up a fight.
Xavier…good win at home over Creighton last night. SEAN MILLER! All jokes aside, though, I wonder how long my boy Miller stays at Xavier. Xavier has been a launching pad of sorts to big-time jobs (Prosser to Wake, Pete Gillen to Providence, Matta to Ohio State). I would think that the only way Sean would leave Xavier would be for a big-time job in the Big East, Big Ten, or ACC. But, I just can’t see him coaching any team but Pitt in the Big East. Unfortunately for Sean, Pitt already has a great young coach in Jamie Dixon. I suppose Miller could be next in line should Dixon ever decide to leave, but I wouldn’t bank on the Pitt job becoming available anytime soon if I were him. Where else would make sense for my man? Don’t get me wrong, though, he has a good thing going at Xavier. God, I hope he doesn’t end up at Penn State!
Bobby Mo, meanwhile, blew a golden opportunity to beat a bigger conference school on its homecourt last night when the Colonials blew a 12-point advantage and fell at the hands of Central Michigan. This loss, unfortunately, comes a few weeks after RMU blew like a 25-point, 2nd half lead at Seton Hall. Needless to say, though, RMU is a force to be reckoned with!
Raible
December 6, 2007
DeJuan Blair is a man-beast!
Raible
December 17, 2007
Raft announcing UNC last night was so huge.
thav916
December 18, 2007
HUGEST matchup of the year tomorrow. Gtown vs Memphis, Hibbert vs Dorsey. Last year I hyped up Dorsey so much bein the man that it led Wells posting how this was the greatest matchup ever. Dorsey then went on to get 8 fouls in the first 3 minutes and was completely out of the game. Here’s hoping he doesn’t get in foul trouble (Is that possible?) and neither does Hibbert, and you just get to see these two behemoths battle all game long! Rumor has it, they will not be warming up on the court tomorrow, rather will be bench pressing beside each other.
thav916
December 21, 2007
I loved your hype over Dorsey so much that i thought it would be wrong of me not to tout the matchup. Another big game for the Big East after Pitt beat Duke last night.(Congrats Raibs-oh and thanks for texting me back)
I have to admit that i usually don’t really start getting into college bball until the new year, but also saw Gonzaga- Okla last night. Took two things away: Jeremy Pargo is the man and the frontcourt of Oklahoma is Huge!
Wells
December 21, 2007
Wells has two middle names but few people realize it’s Matt Big East Wells. Watchin Gtown-Memphis now. Texas-Michigan St later will also be huge. Seems like Jay Bilas is getting a chance to step up into the limelight in Vitale’s absence.
thav916
December 22, 2007
Jay Bilas…what a beefcake!
Raible
December 22, 2007
By the way…sorry for not texting back, Wells. I never got the message until the next day, but HUGE win nonetheless!
Raible
December 22, 2007
Do I even need to post that Marreese Speights is my boy or is that just assumed when you watch him play?!?!?!?!?!?!
thav916
December 22, 2007
Truth to Mike Cook being denied a redshirt after 11 games but Devendorf getting one after 10? Horrifying.
thegreatawakening
December 27, 2007
Now, tonight, Bobby Frasor goes down for the year. Huge loss for the Tar Heels. It’s unfortunate for all of these teams. Will be tough to overcome but the Heels should still be one of the nation’s best. And I’d also guess that Frasor won’t be awarded a redshirt. Sucks. I hate injuries.
thav916
December 28, 2007
Cook already received an extra year of eligibility after transferring from ECU. As a result, he really had no chance of being granted another year. Devendorf is gay.
Raible
December 28, 2007
With Fields going down, I think it’s safe to say that Pitt can exit stage right as a Final Four contender. It really looks like the following teams are a cut above the rest:
North Carolina
Memphis
Kansas
Just below this group, I would throw in:
UCLA
Georgetown
Texas
Washington State
With conference play starting up, though, the games are going to get tougher, the battles more heated, and more Raftery as Big Monday will kick off soon!
Raible
December 31, 2007
Come on down! 5 star Power Forward Johnny Henson becomes UNC’s first 2009 recruit! What a kid!
thav916
January 5, 2008
Wow. The Wear twins commit to UNC today joining Henson in the class of 2009. HUGE!
thav916
January 6, 2008
Just since everybody’s wondering, “Well what’s next?”
I’m hoping guards Dexter Strickland and Dominic Cheek commit soon and give UNC the odds on favorite for the top 2009 class. Maybe try hard for Derrick Favors as icing on the cake.
thav916
January 6, 2008
Great story today in the Tribune-Review about a great man: Jamie Dixon. I didn’t know it, but he sat in the hospital room with Duquesne coach Ron Everhart and listened to the Dukes on the radio when the latter was forced to be admitted. Duquesne is supposed to be one of Pitt’s rivals, yet here Dixon is coming to the aid of a person in need. Jamie Dixon is the man.
Raible
January 7, 2008
That dude from UNC-Asheville is literally a monster. That dunk from Psycho T was amazing, though.
Raible
January 10, 2008
Basketball Rankings are so stupid. UCLA and UNC lose, yet they both are somehow ranked lower than Wash State and Duke, respectively. That’s dumb. It’s clear, at least in my opinion, that Memphis, Kansas, UNC, and UCLA are the Top 4 teams in the country.
Look out for Pitt whenever Fields gets healthy, though!
Raible
January 25, 2008