I don't consider three good games (Gonzaga, Butler, and OSU) mixed in with a lot of terrible games "inconsistent". I think it's a bad team that had a few fluky games. If they hadn't gotten a couple lucky breaks against Hawaii and Gardner Webb, I think it would be a lot easier to see how bad they are.

You mean 3 good games against very good teams. Was beating USC by 30 fluky? How about controlling games agianst Colgate and St. Franics, beating GA Tech?

I understand none of those teams are impressive on the surface, but you can't only hype up the close wins, and ignore the blowout wins. Illinois has played 6 likely tourney teams and are 3-3 against them. They are 11-1 against temas unlikely to make it(as an at-large at least)

Pomeroy has Illinois about as low as any computer rankings (which would account for the close wins vs Gardner Webb and Hawaii) and he had them at 37 heading into today, which has them comfortably in the tournament.

I don't consider three good games (Gonzaga, Butler, and OSU) mixed in with a lot of terrible games "inconsistent".

Very few teams have as impressive a trio of wins as those, though. They would really have to sh!t the bed in conference play to miss the tournament. 8-10 would probably have them on the right side of the bubble, maybe even 7-11 given how strong the Big10 is this year. I suspect that Pomeroy has them pegged about right at #37 in the nation, with the caveat that they can appear to be a much better team when their guards are hot (see Gonzaga). They strike me as the type of team that could give a top seed a real scare in a #9/#1 matchup in the Round of 32 ... or they could get shellacked by a mediocre #8 seed in the first round.

I'd be absolutely shocked if they won six more conference games to get to 7-11. I don't see it happening. Not only are they not any good, they are absolutely not built for Big Ten play.

Florida just beat LSU. I don't mention that because it was a particularly interesting game; it was pretty mundane, save for further confirmation that UF has to figure out how to handle a press at some point in the next three months.

No, I mention it because LSU's center, who is 7'2, was plucked from the marching band, where he played the tuba.

Care for a bbref bet on 7-11 or better Shredder?

Not particularly. I don't like betting against teams that I root for. I don't WANT them to be bad. I just think they are.

Well, Xavier has started A-10 conference play 2-0 after an inconsistent and at time disappointing non-conference season (losing to Wofford, Vanderbilt and Tennessee). But, they do seem to have a different gear for conference play. Though their games were at home, they were wins over Temple (KenPom 62) and George Washington (KenPom 117).

They tend to be credited with excellent defense, but KenPom only rates it as 106th in the country -- I think people are confusing their glacial tempo for defense. Its not bad defense, but its not withering. Their offense is dreadful though, as only freshman Semaj Christon can reliably create his own shot.

I _think_ they have a promising future head of them. 3 starters are in their first or second season (including 2nd yera Justin Martin who is already 22). Future teams would improve by adding depth to the backcourt, particularly at SG. If current diminutive starting PG Dee Davis could move to being a backup PG -- he's yet to figure out how to score consistently in the lane -- allowing Semaj Christon to move to the PG spot, alongside that unnammed SG (perhaps the currently ineligible Myles Davis?).

They lose their two starting big men from a 3-man rotation. Freshman James Farr has struggled to get minutes, but its often hard to get minutes as a young big, unless you're great right off the bat. Highly recruited but still raw Jalen Reynolds is suffereing from being compeltely ineligible this year. He'll get older and presumably more physically developed, but he really didn't need a year off from organized basketball.

So I _think_ this team will look good next year and the year after that, though the clock is ticking on Semaj. But for the moment, his lack of a jumper outside 15' (and some FT shooting yips) will hold him back from being a pro prospect for at least another year.

Not particularly. I don't like betting against teams that I root for. I don't WANT them to be bad. I just think they are.

I'd be inclined to think that the problem is the same as last year-too many minutes for starters early means they're pooped by this time of year. The Illini have a nice reprieve the next couple of games-NW and at UNL. Speaking of Nebraska-their center is one of the largest college players I've ever seen-must be 350 lbs easy.

Just watched Virginia get hammered at Clemson (and the Tigers weren't at full strength). Based upon both teams' subsequent performances, the Cavs' victory over UNC last Sunday doesn't seem all that significant now, does it?


Virginia also lost to Wake Forest. Wake is young and improving but still is not very good. Virginia looked abysmmal in that game. I initially wrote it off to taking Wake lightly after a "big" win but then with Clemson, I think they're just not very good. Neither is Carolina.

Brent Musburger has lost his mind. Signed off kansas v baylor by saying that his sideline reporter (holly rowe) was "really smokin' tonight!"
(H/t half the western world)

Biggest dude I ever saw play college ball was Troy Jackson at Louisville (Escalade in the And1 series and brother of Mark Jackson). 6-9 370 at his slimmest. Kind of a funhouse mirror version of Oliver Miller.

56 - iirc, DePaul once plunked Bill Robinzine from the band as well - he went on to be an all-American candidate and have a respectable NBA career.

56 - iirc, DePaul once plunked Bill Robinzine from the band as well - he went on to be an all-American candidate and have a respectable NBA career.

Perhaps best known for being named in one of Darryl Dawkins's backboard-shattering dunks:

The Chocolate-Thunder-Flying, Robinzine-Crying, Teeth-Shaking, Glass-Breaking, Rump-Roasting, Bun-Toasting, Wham-Bam, Glass-Breaker-I-Am-Jam.

When I was in college, one of the players on our varsity squad was legitimately 7 feet tall. He went by the name of "Whoosh" (I won't go into the reasons for that other than that it has nothing to do with basketball.) The only thing is that he didn't actually have athletic ability - he was really in college for the education, and he got kind of tracked into playing basketball because, hey, how many 7 footers are there anyway? The offensive move of his that I remember was the shot that traveled 12 feet, taken from 6 feet from the basket. He played in garbage time and was an absolute fan favorite - sort of an "I could do that if only I were 7 feet tall" sentiment. But we were under no illusions that he was a basketball player.

wisconsin is having a down year but for one afternoon it had a moment.

Louisville's defense is good. #1 on KenPom. Difference between them and #2 is as big as the difference between #2 and #15.

wisconsin is having a down year but for one afternoon it had a moment.

That they did, but Wisconsin's down year is largely a result of losing Gasser early. Not surprised they are recovering a bit. The Badgers do a great job utilizing what they've got-they've had just 2 top 100 recruits in their last four classes, by my count.

Harveys, I'd be interested in your opinion on Ryan, especially in the context of Bielema. Seems to me he's a bit of a jerk (much like Bielema) but is he well loved in the booster community? I really dislike his style, but you can't argue with the results. It's a very B1G focused way of playing, but it seems like they find more athletic teams somewhat problematic.

Ok, for a few days, Wisconsin had some moments.

And speaking of jerks, Tom Crean everybody. What an #######.

chicago

what is a top recruit? a guy who looks great in teh uniform or a guy who keeps control of the ball, plays tough defense and never gets tired? every year wisconsin plays teams with players who can run and jump and most times wisconsin beats those teams. so what makes those guys 'top recruits'? stupid people i am guessing.

ryan isn't beloved because he is such a wise8ss but he's honest and not a scumbag.

i am not a hyper moralist. but what has to be mentioned about bielema is that it wasn't just being completely dismissive of alumni clearly radiating his thoughts that we are all dumb and useless. it was his completely not subtle skirt chasing and other exploits that only his position kept from blowing up in the news. and then he has the gall to whine that he was under some incredible burden because the team wouldn't pay 400k for an assistant?

just pushed the envelope on people's patience. poster jack vincennes likely can speak about this even better than i. i have stopped contributing to wisconsin football primarily because of bielema. i doubt i will re-start.

Who doesn't love Bo Ryan?

der k

um, tom izzo for one. tom izzo and bo ryan hate each other's guts. and most of the big10 coaches side with izzo because bo is a wiseguy. he is always cracking comments at big10 gatherings and i guess he can get under your skin pretty quick becuase his barbs are unwelcome to coaches who typically have folks kissing their rear ends.

bo hates 8ss kissers and thinks all coaches need to be taken down a peg.

so he and izzo relish having their teams beat the cr8p out of each other. it's always personal with those two

crean also hates ryan guts

Who doesn't love Bo Ryan?

I suspect Jarrod Uthoff's book covers are not festooned with "I heart Bo" scribblings.

Heh.
I didn't know that he ended up at Iowa - when did the Big 10 drop their no-transfering within the conference rule, or did I imagine that there used to be one? I guess there have been a few (Luke Recker, for one) - maybe I did...

what is a top recruit? a guy who looks great in teh uniform or a guy who keeps control of the ball, plays tough defense and never gets tired?

You need both to be successful at a high-level, but you can still be generally successful with a system and talented-enough players who'll buy into it.

under some incredible burden because the team wouldn't pay 400k for an assistant

If the goal is be a big time NCAA football contender, it definitely is an incredibly burden to have to underpay (and sometimes wildly so compared to your competitors) your assistants.

Slaughtered at home by a terrible, terrible Northwestern team. On the plus side, with hockey starting, I don't have to worry about choosing between Kings games and Illinois games. Still think I'm insane, Brian?

Well that's a shitty way to start my weekend. Damn you Shredder

Big game for Gonzaga today versus Butler at Hinkle Fieldhouse with ESPN GameDay in attendance. The matchup is diminished somewhat by the fact that Butler's sharpshooting leading scorer Rotnei Clark (who almost came to Gonzaga ... twice) is likely to miss the game after taking a very hard fall last weekend.

The thought is that Butler is a really good defensive team, but the Pomeroy numbers don't seem to confirm this; in fact Butler is ranked 69th in the nation in DefEff, one slot above the Zags (a team nobody has ever mistaken for an elite defensive unit). However, Gonzaga's offense is one of the best in the nation #3, led by silky smooth big man Kelly Olynyk, who used a rare mid-career, non-injury redshirt last season to bulk up and become a low post threat. He's been one of the best offensive players in the nation in his return, shooting over 65% from the field.

A Zags victory tonight should give them the inside track to a #2 seed in March, and an outside shot at a #1 (though they might need to win out to get there and that won't be easy with games @St. Mary's and @ BYU still on the docket).

Top 5 games today:

Syracuse @ Louisville - If @Cuse it would be a lot harder pick, @LOU I'm pretty confident in LOU
Missouri @ Florida - If Bowers is still out UF should have absolutely no problem destroying MIZ
Ohio State @ Michigan State - Should be a good game bc @ MSU, will still slightly favor OSU though
Creighton @ Wichita State - McDermott is a stud so I can't pick against CRE even though on the road
Gonzaga @ Butler - Butler is kind of overrated, don't expect Zaga to have too much trouble even on road

Arizona-ASU in 20 minutes. No idea how this one will go.

In Memphis, Harvard within 2 of the Tigers, 5:58 remaining.

Because everyone is dying for Texas-Arlington basketball updates, I'll note that my concern continues. They have lost 4 straight at home in their new stadium, averaging 44 points per game in the process. They were drawing announced crowds of ~1,000 between semesters, and on Thursday night, with students back on campus, they drew only 1,000 announced again, a crowd that the Startlegram described as "subdued." Oh dear.

Purdue is crushing WVU right now.

Texas up 10 on Kansas right now with 11 minutes left, pretty big upset if it keeps up.

As anticipated Mizzou is getting handled by Florida @Florida without Bowers.

Excuse my chest-thumping, but damn, Florida looks really, really good. Hard not to get excited about their potential.

And Kansas just pulls it out.

Texas up 10 on Kansas right now with 11 minutes left, pretty big upset if it keeps up.

And Kansas just pulls it out.

An awful game aesthetically, and an example of why, should conference realignment ever knock KU out of its historical adjacency to big time college football, it won't be a horrible thing as their degree of basketball dominance over the Big 12 is essentially the same as it would be in a mid-major league.

Despite my handwringing over my employer, I am a graduate of Michigan State and delighted at their win over Ohio State tonight. Izzo forever :)

Wow. Great win for Butler without Rotnei Clark. That was about as close a buzzer beater as you can get.

I'm a really big Gonzaga fan.

And I want to puke.

It's not March yet, but that would have been a gritty, gutty win for the Zags and they had it and then threw it away...

Ugh.

Maybe the shot shouldn't have counted?

Picture of the ball still in his hand with the light turned red?

Picture of the ball still in his hand with the light turned red?

Or, picture is taken at an angle that looks like the shot is still in his hand.

When I saw the first replay, I thought it was still in his hand. When I saw the second, from under the hoop, I thought he got it off. I wouldn't be surprised either way.

Honestly I think the refs made the right call. It would have been a pretty hollow victory for the Zags if that shot had been waved off.

49-47, but no such thing as an ugly road win in Madison.

And UK continues to stumble, well at least the SEC has potentially the best team in the nation.

Who has been more disappointing to people here, UK or UCLA?

Who has been more disappointing to people here, UK or UCLA?

As a long time UK fan I'm disappointed but not surprised. One had to figure that Calipari's recruiting of one and done type players would catch up with him. The past couple of years he still had some veteran players who had been in the program for several years, and who could be counted upon in crunch time. Now, the only upperclassmen on the team are transfers and, to be honest, they aren't that good. In close games, especially on the road, there just isn't a Darius Miller, a Josh Harrelson or even a DeAndre Liggins that the 'Cats can go to. This Kentucky team has some extremely talented players but, as currently constructed, it is just not a very good team.

The jury is still out on UCLA. They could still be a very different team in a month, at least in terms of how they play (the personnel won't change). They've looked a lot better since the Missouri game, albeit with a hiccup against Oregon. They're still mostly freshman, who will be inconsistent. I have a lot more faith in them right now than I did a month ago. They need to find a way to get Tony Parker more minutes, since he's their only big body inside.

UCLA. Kentucky's peripherals are mostly fine. And anyone who expected Nerlens Noel to be Anthony Davis, or even Anthony Davis-- is delusional.

Here is an excellent place to say that I haven't had as much fun at a sporting event than I did last night at Wake/NC State in a long time. Awesome win for Wake.