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As an IU fan I can't blame you guys cause of the situation you came into but to only get one win? Pretty embarrassing should be enough motivation for youto work hard and make sure none of those freshman take your job.
The College Basketball Post
- Thread in 'Sports & Training' Thread starter Started by allen3xis,
- Start date
As an IU fan I can't blame you guys cause of the situation you came into but to only get one win? Pretty embarrassing should be enough motivation for youto work hard and make sure none of those freshman take your job.
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last night was salt in the wound
.
in other news...III visited and offered Sanford, and are the leaders in the clubhouse now.
Pitt is looking more and more like a legit Title contender to me, never had much faith in them but over time they're provin somethin to me.
in other news...III visited and offered Sanford, and are the leaders in the clubhouse now.
Pitt is looking more and more like a legit Title contender to me, never had much faith in them but over time they're provin somethin to me.
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1. Does Memphis deserve a No. 1 seed? This could be the debate that dominates Selection Sunday. Three of the No. 1s -- UConn, Pitt andNorth Carolina -- are close to being locked in. But the fourth spot is still up for grabs, and a majority of bracketologists consider Oklahoma to be the best candidate, partly under the assumption that the NCAA selection committee will cut theSooners slack for the two losses they suffered while Blake Griffin was out with a concussion (and blazered up). If OU doesn't win the Big 12 tournament, though, it opens the door forMemphis, Michigan State, Louisville or even Duke to hop up to a No. 1. The Tigers have the weakest nonconference résumé of that crew -- Tennessee and Gonzagaare their only decent wins -- and the Spartans, Cardinals or Blue Devils would, in my mind, have a more rightful claim to a top seed if they were to win outfrom now 'til the brackets are built. Memphis' case would be built mostly on momentum; it hasn't lost since Dec. 20, and that kind of streak ishard to ignore, even if most of it was built by playing in a conference ranked 10th in the RPI.
(If the committee considered efficiency numbers, especially the ones that show Memphis' defenseis the best in the country, the Tigers would be a shoo-in for a No. 1 seed. Alas, Tigers fans, efficiency is not among the criteria considered increating the bracket.)
2. Will Stephen Curry even get to the dance? As unsatisfying as the prospect of a Curry-less dance is ... the sad truth is Davidsonhasn't done enough to earn an at-large berth. The 'Cats have an RPI of 67, only one win over a top-50 RPI team (West Virginia, on Dec. 9), and badlosses to Charleston and The Citadel. Now Curry & Co. need to win Saturday, Sunday and Monday at the Southern Conference Tournament in Chattanooga to seal a bid.The problem? The other No. 1 seed in that tourney happens to be the host -- Chattanooga.
3. Is there a dangerous mid-major still flying under the radar? You've heard plenty about Davidson, thanks to Curry; you've heardabout St. Mary's, thanks to now-healed Aussie star PattyMills; even Siena is a known commodity, thanks to its upset of Vanderbilt in last year's NCAA tournament. But you should start keeping an eye onCreighton, which won 10 straight to close the regular season in a tie (with Northern Iowa) for the Missouri Valley title. The Bluejays are an elite scoringteam with guards that could appear in plenty of BCS-conference backcourts. And their two headliners, P'Allen Stinnett and BookerWoodfox, have names with serious tourney-legend potential.
4. Are you a Pitt person, a UConn person or a Carolina person? Those are the only three teams I'd advise picking to win the nationalchampionship in your bracket. Vegas still views it as the Tar Heels'title to lose -- it likes them more than three times as much it as it likes the Panthers -- but all three are viable options. Which one you pick is amatter of taste: Pitt is a tough, offensive-rebounding monster that can look vulnerable if DeJuan Blair gets in foul trouble; UConn is anathletic, shot-blocking force that's the stingiest team of the three, but is missing its best perimeter defender, Jerome Dyson; Carolinais a high-octane scoring machine that's prone to huge lapses in its perimeter D. As of now I'm a UConn person, because I tend to side with the superiordefense ... but I reserve the right to change tastes before my bracket is filled.
5. Do you believe in Duke? Picking the Blue Devils to bow out of the Dance early has become almost standard practice; they haven't beenpast the Sweet 16 since 2004, and have developed a pattern of late-season slumps. In 2007-08, Duke seemed to peak in early February, around the time it beatCarolina in Chapel Hill, and then within a few weeks began a slow slide that finished with a second-round exit from the dance. This season, the Blue Devilsbegan slumping on Jan. 28, when a heartbreaking loss at Wake Forest opened up a 2-4 stretch in the ACC. But there's reason to believe that '08-09 maybe different: Duke has actually been surging into March after inserting freshman Elliott Williams into its starting lineup, igniting afour-game winning streak. Picking the Devils to bow out in the tourney's first weekend might not be smart this time around.
6. Do you believe in anyone from the Pac-10? Washington, Arizona State and UCLA are all on a similar level -- they're decent, but notdominant teams who'd have to get really hot and catch a few breaks in order to reach the Final Four. If you have to pick one to make a deep run,the Bruins are probably the best bet. Tournament experience matters, and most of UCLA's primary players have only been to Final Fours during theircareers in Westwood. Point guard Darren Collison is a clutch performer who'll be looking to make amends for his flop againstDerrick Rose in last year's semifinal.
7. Can Marquette salvage something out of the post-Dominic James portion of its season? James, the senior point guard who broke his leftfoot on Feb. 25 against UConn, said on Monday, "I'm living my dream through Maurice Acker." Acker is the junior backup who hastaken over the reins since James has been out. He has two years' seasoning as James' relief and was a 31-minute-a-game floor general at Ball State in'05-06, and at the very least should be able to improve on James' production from the charity stripe (where he was shooting 46.1 percent) andthree-point line (28.4 percent). But where Acker won't be able to make up for James' absence is on the defensive end; while James' offensivenumbers dropped off as a senior, he was turning in a brilliant season as a lockdown defender against the Big East's best guards. Acker has quickness, buthe's three inches shorter and 20 pounds lighter than James, and won't have nearly the same impact. A team that once looked like a Final Four dark horsenow has a much lower tournament ceiling.
8. Which freshman will have the biggest impact on the dance? Memphis' Tyreke Evans, who will be running the show for aNo. 1-2 seed, will have the biggest chance. The Tigers are going to live or die with the ball in his hands, and, as the Memphis Commercial Appealrecently pointed out, Evans' numbers as a rookie actually compare well to Derrick Rose's. The freshman who could upstage Evans, though, is Oklahoma's Willie Warren, who hasbeen rising up NBA draft boards lately and has a lethal combination of shooting range and ability to get to the rim at will. Whereas Evans will be the focalpoint of opposing defenses in the NCAA tournament, Warren will be the beneficiary of all the junk schemes thrown at Blake Griffin, and willget plenty of prime scoring opportunities.
9. What will the selection committee make of LSU? Getting slotted as a five (or four) seed and shipped off to Boise after winning the SECseems like harsh treatment, but it's what might happen to the Tigers. Between the SEC having a down year (it's clearly the worst major conference,ranking sixth in the RPI) and LSU not winning any big nonconference games (it beat Washington State, and that's it), the committee has justification tokeep a host of teams that didn't win league titles ahead of the Tigers on the s-curve. This doesn't mean they can't win in the tournament; theyhave a solid veteran core of Tasmin Mitchell, Garrett Temple and Marcus Thornton that could pose a toughmatchup for a less-athletic four (or five) seed in the second round.
10. Will Kentucky sneak in ... or will its fans go into nuclear meltdown mode? The Wildcats must win at Florida on Saturday to avoidmissing the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1991 -- when they were finishing up a two-year ban from the Dance. Given the fact that the Gators are inan equally desperate bubble situation, and aren't likely to roll over at home, the odds are that UK is NIT-bound. The odds are much higher that thereaction of its fan base won't be pretty. Coach Billy Gillispie's job isn't in jeopardy, but judging from the comments lefton a recent LexingtonHerald-Leader feature about his sprawling mansion -- "I hope he's only renting" being one of the nicer ones -- the faithful aren't readyto cut him much slack.
(If the committee considered efficiency numbers, especially the ones that show Memphis' defenseis the best in the country, the Tigers would be a shoo-in for a No. 1 seed. Alas, Tigers fans, efficiency is not among the criteria considered increating the bracket.)
2. Will Stephen Curry even get to the dance? As unsatisfying as the prospect of a Curry-less dance is ... the sad truth is Davidsonhasn't done enough to earn an at-large berth. The 'Cats have an RPI of 67, only one win over a top-50 RPI team (West Virginia, on Dec. 9), and badlosses to Charleston and The Citadel. Now Curry & Co. need to win Saturday, Sunday and Monday at the Southern Conference Tournament in Chattanooga to seal a bid.The problem? The other No. 1 seed in that tourney happens to be the host -- Chattanooga.
3. Is there a dangerous mid-major still flying under the radar? You've heard plenty about Davidson, thanks to Curry; you've heardabout St. Mary's, thanks to now-healed Aussie star PattyMills; even Siena is a known commodity, thanks to its upset of Vanderbilt in last year's NCAA tournament. But you should start keeping an eye onCreighton, which won 10 straight to close the regular season in a tie (with Northern Iowa) for the Missouri Valley title. The Bluejays are an elite scoringteam with guards that could appear in plenty of BCS-conference backcourts. And their two headliners, P'Allen Stinnett and BookerWoodfox, have names with serious tourney-legend potential.
4. Are you a Pitt person, a UConn person or a Carolina person? Those are the only three teams I'd advise picking to win the nationalchampionship in your bracket. Vegas still views it as the Tar Heels'title to lose -- it likes them more than three times as much it as it likes the Panthers -- but all three are viable options. Which one you pick is amatter of taste: Pitt is a tough, offensive-rebounding monster that can look vulnerable if DeJuan Blair gets in foul trouble; UConn is anathletic, shot-blocking force that's the stingiest team of the three, but is missing its best perimeter defender, Jerome Dyson; Carolinais a high-octane scoring machine that's prone to huge lapses in its perimeter D. As of now I'm a UConn person, because I tend to side with the superiordefense ... but I reserve the right to change tastes before my bracket is filled.
5. Do you believe in Duke? Picking the Blue Devils to bow out of the Dance early has become almost standard practice; they haven't beenpast the Sweet 16 since 2004, and have developed a pattern of late-season slumps. In 2007-08, Duke seemed to peak in early February, around the time it beatCarolina in Chapel Hill, and then within a few weeks began a slow slide that finished with a second-round exit from the dance. This season, the Blue Devilsbegan slumping on Jan. 28, when a heartbreaking loss at Wake Forest opened up a 2-4 stretch in the ACC. But there's reason to believe that '08-09 maybe different: Duke has actually been surging into March after inserting freshman Elliott Williams into its starting lineup, igniting afour-game winning streak. Picking the Devils to bow out in the tourney's first weekend might not be smart this time around.
6. Do you believe in anyone from the Pac-10? Washington, Arizona State and UCLA are all on a similar level -- they're decent, but notdominant teams who'd have to get really hot and catch a few breaks in order to reach the Final Four. If you have to pick one to make a deep run,the Bruins are probably the best bet. Tournament experience matters, and most of UCLA's primary players have only been to Final Fours during theircareers in Westwood. Point guard Darren Collison is a clutch performer who'll be looking to make amends for his flop againstDerrick Rose in last year's semifinal.
7. Can Marquette salvage something out of the post-Dominic James portion of its season? James, the senior point guard who broke his leftfoot on Feb. 25 against UConn, said on Monday, "I'm living my dream through Maurice Acker." Acker is the junior backup who hastaken over the reins since James has been out. He has two years' seasoning as James' relief and was a 31-minute-a-game floor general at Ball State in'05-06, and at the very least should be able to improve on James' production from the charity stripe (where he was shooting 46.1 percent) andthree-point line (28.4 percent). But where Acker won't be able to make up for James' absence is on the defensive end; while James' offensivenumbers dropped off as a senior, he was turning in a brilliant season as a lockdown defender against the Big East's best guards. Acker has quickness, buthe's three inches shorter and 20 pounds lighter than James, and won't have nearly the same impact. A team that once looked like a Final Four dark horsenow has a much lower tournament ceiling.
8. Which freshman will have the biggest impact on the dance? Memphis' Tyreke Evans, who will be running the show for aNo. 1-2 seed, will have the biggest chance. The Tigers are going to live or die with the ball in his hands, and, as the Memphis Commercial Appealrecently pointed out, Evans' numbers as a rookie actually compare well to Derrick Rose's. The freshman who could upstage Evans, though, is Oklahoma's Willie Warren, who hasbeen rising up NBA draft boards lately and has a lethal combination of shooting range and ability to get to the rim at will. Whereas Evans will be the focalpoint of opposing defenses in the NCAA tournament, Warren will be the beneficiary of all the junk schemes thrown at Blake Griffin, and willget plenty of prime scoring opportunities.
9. What will the selection committee make of LSU? Getting slotted as a five (or four) seed and shipped off to Boise after winning the SECseems like harsh treatment, but it's what might happen to the Tigers. Between the SEC having a down year (it's clearly the worst major conference,ranking sixth in the RPI) and LSU not winning any big nonconference games (it beat Washington State, and that's it), the committee has justification tokeep a host of teams that didn't win league titles ahead of the Tigers on the s-curve. This doesn't mean they can't win in the tournament; theyhave a solid veteran core of Tasmin Mitchell, Garrett Temple and Marcus Thornton that could pose a toughmatchup for a less-athletic four (or five) seed in the second round.
10. Will Kentucky sneak in ... or will its fans go into nuclear meltdown mode? The Wildcats must win at Florida on Saturday to avoidmissing the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1991 -- when they were finishing up a two-year ban from the Dance. Given the fact that the Gators are inan equally desperate bubble situation, and aren't likely to roll over at home, the odds are that UK is NIT-bound. The odds are much higher that thereaction of its fan base won't be pretty. Coach Billy Gillispie's job isn't in jeopardy, but judging from the comments lefton a recent LexingtonHerald-Leader feature about his sprawling mansion -- "I hope he's only renting" being one of the nicer ones -- the faithful aren't readyto cut him much slack.
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From Andy Katz:
Sorting out another wacky Wednesday
Thursday, March 5, 2009 | Print Entry
Do you want to know how wacky a Wednesday it was in college basketball? The question at the end of the night wasn't whether Kentucky or Floridaor Miami or Virginia Tech is in or out, but rather, "What about Northwestern?"
That's right. Why not Northwestern?
Late Wednesday and into early Thursday morning, NU coach Bill Carmody got home from another stunning road win for the Wildcats -- this time at Purdue -- andpondered the same question.
What about Northwestern?
No offense to the devoted purple-clad alums, but pondering during the first week of March the candidacy of a Big Ten school that has never once been to theNCAA tournament speaks volumes about how fluid this season has gone and how tough the decisions will be for the NCAA tournament selection committee next weekin Indianapolis.
[+] Enlarge
Brian Spurlock/US Presswire
Kevin Coble and his Northwestern teammates suddenly find themselves playing a huge game in Columbus this weekend.
"I haven't felt this confident about a team since I've been here," said Carmody, who is in his ninth season at Northwestern after leavingPrinceton. "We'll see what happens, but if we can get that win (at Ohio State on Sunday) we'll see. We've beaten some pretty good teams.It's always 'who have you beaten.'"
And the answer is quite a few quality teams. Strip the Northwestern name off the jersey and just look at the facts of what is now an 8-9 team in the BigTen, 17-11 overall.
Northwestern has home wins over Florida State, which is 16th in the RPI, Wisconsin, Ohio State and Minnesota -- all teams ahead of the Wildcats in thestandings -- and road wins, yes road wins, at Michigan State and Purdue, two of the top three teams in the league. Had the Wildcats not blown a 14-point leadto Illinois in the final five minutes and had they closed out Purdue at home -- a game in which they also lost a 14-point lead -- then a bubble discussionabout Northwestern would be moot. The Wildcats would be in.
"There are 30 teams that probably feel like us," Carmody said. "We've beaten some of the best teams in the top 50."
They have indeed. Six in fact. None of the Big Ten bubble teams have that many. Not Wisconsin. Not Penn State. Not Michigan. Not Minnesota. Not even OhioState.
OK, if you're not buying the at-large argument for the Wildcats, fine. But why not look at the Wildcats as a capable team that could win the Big Tentournament in Indianapolis? There isn't a team in the Big Ten that Northwestern hasn't beaten or been competitive against. Forwards Kevin Coble, JohnShurna and Luka Mirkovic can hang with the best in the league, and so far, sohave guards Craig Moore and Michael Thompson.
"A few weeks ago, I would have said no way," Carmody said about winning the Big Ten tournament. "Now I'm thinking, OK, we won at Purdueand let's see what happens at Ohio State. If we do that then we'll see what happens in the tournament. I'm certainly not overconfident, butit's a really nice team to coach and a nice bunch of players."
Here's a fun fact about Northwestern. While other bubble teams are doing everything they can NOT to make the field, the Wildcats are winning key gamesin the final few weeks. Beat Ohio State and the Wildcats would have a sweep of the Buckeyes, seven wins over the top 50 in the RPI and a 5-1 finish to theregular season.
That's at least something for the committee members to think about as they prepare to be sequestered.
Some other thoughts on Wednesday and this already-wild week…
• The Big East may be down to one bubble team. Sorry, but the conference looks like it could be a seven-bid league unless Providence can beat Villanovaand/or make some noise in the Big East tournament.
•The ACC is eating its own. Georgia Tech beat Miami, North Carolina took out Virginia Tech and now the bubble in the ACC may be down to just Boston College,which lost at NC State and needs to beat Georgia Tech on Saturday, and Maryland, which is still standing if it can win at Virginia with the UNC and MichiganState wins as its bookends on the season.
•The SEC, well, what do you even say anymore after Wednesday? Kentucky simply had to win a home game against the worst team in the SEC (Georgia) to take atleast some pressure off Saturday's game at Florida. Instead, the Wildcats gave up 90 points and lost.
So too did the Gators at Mississippi State, making it hard to argue against Kentucky-Florida in Gainesville being essentially an elimination game -- forjust the right to stay on the bubble going into the SEC tournament. There's only so many way you can dress up a resume that lacks much of the body of workthe committee is searching for in selecting the teams.
• LSU did lose at home to Vanderbilt in a bit of a stunner. It doesn't affect the Tigers winning the SEC outright, but it still hurts and they may takea hit in seeding.
• Texas A&M is alive for another day and will play host to Missouri on Saturday after winning at Colorado. But the Aggies were down at one point and aloss in Boulder would have been near-doomsday for their cause. Meanwhile, Missouri beat Oklahoma to suddenly put the Sooners' No. 1 seed in seriousjeopardy.
It was fine to point out that the Sooners shouldn't get penalized when they lost two games without Blake Griffin for three of the four halves due to a concussion. But Griffin and the Soonershad no excuse Wednesday. They were beaten by a better defensive and more aggressive team in Columbia.
• Elsewhere in the conference, Kansas was hardly the aggressor as the Jayhawks whiffed on a chance to clinch the Big 12 title outright by losing to TexasTech by 19. Alan Voskuil and his nine 3s on Senior Night certainly didn'thelp.
Oklahoma's loss means that Memphis, Michigan State and Louisville are in play for a No. 1 seed, along with the expected trio of Pitt, Connecticut andNorth Carolina. The Big East could end up with three No. 1s by Selection Sunday, yet get only seven overall bids, two or three below preseason predictions.
*This may be too generous, but barring losses by Gonzaga (WCC), Butler (Horizon) or Memphis (C-USA), I have -- includingautomatic qualifiers -- 57 spots taken for the tournament.
1. America East
2. Xavier
3. Dayton
4. North Carolina
5. Duke
6. Wake Forest
7. Clemson
8. Florida State
9. Boston College
10. Atlantic Sun
11. Kansas
12. Oklahoma
13. Missouri
14. Texas
15. Connecticut
16. Louisville
17. Pitt
18. Villanova
19. Marquette
20. Syracuse
21. West Virginia
22. Big Sky
23. Big South
24. Michigan State
25. Illinois
26. Purdue
27. Minnesota
28. Wisconsin
29. Big West
30. CAA
31. Memphis
32. Butler
33. Ivy
34. MAAC
35. MAC
36. MEAC
37. Creighton
38. Utah
39. BYU
40. Northeast
41. Ohio Valley
42. Washington
43. UCLA
44. Arizona State
45. Cal
46. Arizona
47. Patriot
48. South Carolina
49. Tennessee
50. LSU
51. Southern (projecting Davidson)
52. Southland
53. SWAC
54. Summit
55. Sun Belt
56. Gonzaga (projecting WCC winner)
57. WAC (projecting Utah State)
That leaves eight spots left among 18 teams (in no particular order):
1. Maryland
2. Virginia Tech
3. Miami
4. Rhode Island
5. Providence
6. Texas A&M
7. Oklahoma State
8. Kansas State
9. Penn State
10. Ohio State
11. Northwestern
12. Michigan
13. Florida
14. Kentucky
15. Saint Mary's
16. UNLV
17. New Mexico
18. San Diego State
Maryland has to beat Virginia. Virginia Tech is at Florida State. Miami hosts NC State. URI hosts UMass. Providence is atVillanova. Texas A&M hosts Missouri. Oklahoma State is at Oklahoma. Kansas State hosts Colorado. Penn State hosts Illinois and is at Iowa. Ohio State hostsNorthwestern. Michigan is at Minnesota. Florida hosts Kentucky. Saint Mary's is in the WCC tournament. UNLV is at San Diego State. New Mexico finishes atWyoming.
This should all shake out even more by Monday night. But wow, just let this wild Wednesday settle in, and think about how Northwestern is in play for itsfirst-ever NCAA berth.
My final thought? With the way this season is going, maybe the committee should value who wants to be in the tournament by earningwins in the final weeks as part of a criteria in its body-of-work analysis. Reward the teams that actually look like they want to go dancing.
Sorting out another wacky Wednesday
Thursday, March 5, 2009 | Print Entry
Do you want to know how wacky a Wednesday it was in college basketball? The question at the end of the night wasn't whether Kentucky or Floridaor Miami or Virginia Tech is in or out, but rather, "What about Northwestern?"
That's right. Why not Northwestern?
Late Wednesday and into early Thursday morning, NU coach Bill Carmody got home from another stunning road win for the Wildcats -- this time at Purdue -- andpondered the same question.
What about Northwestern?
No offense to the devoted purple-clad alums, but pondering during the first week of March the candidacy of a Big Ten school that has never once been to theNCAA tournament speaks volumes about how fluid this season has gone and how tough the decisions will be for the NCAA tournament selection committee next weekin Indianapolis.
[+] Enlarge
Brian Spurlock/US Presswire
Kevin Coble and his Northwestern teammates suddenly find themselves playing a huge game in Columbus this weekend.
"I haven't felt this confident about a team since I've been here," said Carmody, who is in his ninth season at Northwestern after leavingPrinceton. "We'll see what happens, but if we can get that win (at Ohio State on Sunday) we'll see. We've beaten some pretty good teams.It's always 'who have you beaten.'"
And the answer is quite a few quality teams. Strip the Northwestern name off the jersey and just look at the facts of what is now an 8-9 team in the BigTen, 17-11 overall.
Northwestern has home wins over Florida State, which is 16th in the RPI, Wisconsin, Ohio State and Minnesota -- all teams ahead of the Wildcats in thestandings -- and road wins, yes road wins, at Michigan State and Purdue, two of the top three teams in the league. Had the Wildcats not blown a 14-point leadto Illinois in the final five minutes and had they closed out Purdue at home -- a game in which they also lost a 14-point lead -- then a bubble discussionabout Northwestern would be moot. The Wildcats would be in.
"There are 30 teams that probably feel like us," Carmody said. "We've beaten some of the best teams in the top 50."
They have indeed. Six in fact. None of the Big Ten bubble teams have that many. Not Wisconsin. Not Penn State. Not Michigan. Not Minnesota. Not even OhioState.
OK, if you're not buying the at-large argument for the Wildcats, fine. But why not look at the Wildcats as a capable team that could win the Big Tentournament in Indianapolis? There isn't a team in the Big Ten that Northwestern hasn't beaten or been competitive against. Forwards Kevin Coble, JohnShurna and Luka Mirkovic can hang with the best in the league, and so far, sohave guards Craig Moore and Michael Thompson.
"A few weeks ago, I would have said no way," Carmody said about winning the Big Ten tournament. "Now I'm thinking, OK, we won at Purdueand let's see what happens at Ohio State. If we do that then we'll see what happens in the tournament. I'm certainly not overconfident, butit's a really nice team to coach and a nice bunch of players."
Here's a fun fact about Northwestern. While other bubble teams are doing everything they can NOT to make the field, the Wildcats are winning key gamesin the final few weeks. Beat Ohio State and the Wildcats would have a sweep of the Buckeyes, seven wins over the top 50 in the RPI and a 5-1 finish to theregular season.
That's at least something for the committee members to think about as they prepare to be sequestered.
Some other thoughts on Wednesday and this already-wild week…
• The Big East may be down to one bubble team. Sorry, but the conference looks like it could be a seven-bid league unless Providence can beat Villanovaand/or make some noise in the Big East tournament.
•The ACC is eating its own. Georgia Tech beat Miami, North Carolina took out Virginia Tech and now the bubble in the ACC may be down to just Boston College,which lost at NC State and needs to beat Georgia Tech on Saturday, and Maryland, which is still standing if it can win at Virginia with the UNC and MichiganState wins as its bookends on the season.
•The SEC, well, what do you even say anymore after Wednesday? Kentucky simply had to win a home game against the worst team in the SEC (Georgia) to take atleast some pressure off Saturday's game at Florida. Instead, the Wildcats gave up 90 points and lost.
So too did the Gators at Mississippi State, making it hard to argue against Kentucky-Florida in Gainesville being essentially an elimination game -- forjust the right to stay on the bubble going into the SEC tournament. There's only so many way you can dress up a resume that lacks much of the body of workthe committee is searching for in selecting the teams.
• LSU did lose at home to Vanderbilt in a bit of a stunner. It doesn't affect the Tigers winning the SEC outright, but it still hurts and they may takea hit in seeding.
• Texas A&M is alive for another day and will play host to Missouri on Saturday after winning at Colorado. But the Aggies were down at one point and aloss in Boulder would have been near-doomsday for their cause. Meanwhile, Missouri beat Oklahoma to suddenly put the Sooners' No. 1 seed in seriousjeopardy.
It was fine to point out that the Sooners shouldn't get penalized when they lost two games without Blake Griffin for three of the four halves due to a concussion. But Griffin and the Soonershad no excuse Wednesday. They were beaten by a better defensive and more aggressive team in Columbia.
• Elsewhere in the conference, Kansas was hardly the aggressor as the Jayhawks whiffed on a chance to clinch the Big 12 title outright by losing to TexasTech by 19. Alan Voskuil and his nine 3s on Senior Night certainly didn'thelp.
Oklahoma's loss means that Memphis, Michigan State and Louisville are in play for a No. 1 seed, along with the expected trio of Pitt, Connecticut andNorth Carolina. The Big East could end up with three No. 1s by Selection Sunday, yet get only seven overall bids, two or three below preseason predictions.
*This may be too generous, but barring losses by Gonzaga (WCC), Butler (Horizon) or Memphis (C-USA), I have -- includingautomatic qualifiers -- 57 spots taken for the tournament.
1. America East
2. Xavier
3. Dayton
4. North Carolina
5. Duke
6. Wake Forest
7. Clemson
8. Florida State
9. Boston College
10. Atlantic Sun
11. Kansas
12. Oklahoma
13. Missouri
14. Texas
15. Connecticut
16. Louisville
17. Pitt
18. Villanova
19. Marquette
20. Syracuse
21. West Virginia
22. Big Sky
23. Big South
24. Michigan State
25. Illinois
26. Purdue
27. Minnesota
28. Wisconsin
29. Big West
30. CAA
31. Memphis
32. Butler
33. Ivy
34. MAAC
35. MAC
36. MEAC
37. Creighton
38. Utah
39. BYU
40. Northeast
41. Ohio Valley
42. Washington
43. UCLA
44. Arizona State
45. Cal
46. Arizona
47. Patriot
48. South Carolina
49. Tennessee
50. LSU
51. Southern (projecting Davidson)
52. Southland
53. SWAC
54. Summit
55. Sun Belt
56. Gonzaga (projecting WCC winner)
57. WAC (projecting Utah State)
That leaves eight spots left among 18 teams (in no particular order):
1. Maryland
2. Virginia Tech
3. Miami
4. Rhode Island
5. Providence
6. Texas A&M
7. Oklahoma State
8. Kansas State
9. Penn State
10. Ohio State
11. Northwestern
12. Michigan
13. Florida
14. Kentucky
15. Saint Mary's
16. UNLV
17. New Mexico
18. San Diego State
Maryland has to beat Virginia. Virginia Tech is at Florida State. Miami hosts NC State. URI hosts UMass. Providence is atVillanova. Texas A&M hosts Missouri. Oklahoma State is at Oklahoma. Kansas State hosts Colorado. Penn State hosts Illinois and is at Iowa. Ohio State hostsNorthwestern. Michigan is at Minnesota. Florida hosts Kentucky. Saint Mary's is in the WCC tournament. UNLV is at San Diego State. New Mexico finishes atWyoming.
This should all shake out even more by Monday night. But wow, just let this wild Wednesday settle in, and think about how Northwestern is in play for itsfirst-ever NCAA berth.
My final thought? With the way this season is going, maybe the committee should value who wants to be in the tournament by earningwins in the final weeks as part of a criteria in its body-of-work analysis. Reward the teams that actually look like they want to go dancing.
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Rakim Sanders has been playing some great ball lately.
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Yeah, he has...BC will manage with him and Jackson next year. Tyrese is actually the only Senior, I think.
http://georgetown.rivals.com/
Can someone post that lead article on Williams? thanks
http://georgetown.rivals.com/
Can someone post that lead article on Williams? thanks
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Yep. And Trapani.
http://georgetown.rivals.com/
http://georgetown.rivals.com/
Can someone post that lead article on Williams? thanks
March 4, 2009
[h1]Williams and Hoyas in Full Swing[/h1]
Ron Bailey
HoyaReport.com Publisher
Talk about it in Hoya Premium Court
March 4, 2009 - The Hoya Nation has been abuzz recently about the recruitment of the Class of 2009's Latavious Williams, a six-foot-eight and a half inch, 215 pound forward fromStarkville, MS. As previously reported by this writer in HoyaReport.com's Premium Court message board community, Williams plans to attendGeorgetown's final home game of the season, a 5:00 pm tilt with DePaul this Saturday. In anticipation of that trip, his travel team coach, Scooter Owens,was gracious enough to shine some light on this talented player many Blue and Grey supporters have come to believe vitally important to G'Town's futuretalent pool, if he should commit.
"He's gotten a lot better" opined Owens, Williams' coach with the Brandon Bass Elite travel team organization for two years. That improvementincludes amongst other things being able to "defend on the perimeter".
If you are getting the impression Williams is more of a small forward than power forward, you're right. When asked to parallel the young guy to anexisting player, Owens' response was informative. "If I had to compare him to somebody, it would between Shawn Marion, Tyrus Thomas or JoshSmith", all NBA players capable of toggling between small and power forward, depending on the system, said Owens. "But he's probably a bettershooter".
Latavious Williams, of Brandon Bass Elite is one of the most highly recruited, unsigned frontcourt players available.
Owens went further, drawing a parallel to a current Hoya: "He could play the role of DaJuan Summers…But he's probably more athletic than Summers.Summers is more polished. Latavious is raw".
Currently a fifth year player at Christian Life Academy in Humble, Texas, Williams has averaged a reported 21 points and 12 rebounds a game during the2008-2009 season. It's that work, along with his stellar Brandon Bass Elite - a squad comprised of student athletes from Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas -campaign last year that have colleges salivating, as he didn't attend any of the invitation-only camps.
"They are right up there at the top of the list" said Owens of Williams' interest in the Hoyas. Also recruiting him, according to the coach are"Memphis, Florida State, Baylor, Kansas State", with a decision being made "probably around April or May".
Though very athletic, capable of shooting from the perimeter and handling the ball at least in half court situations - Owen shared Williams' favorite move"is probably his crossover" - as with any player there are points of development the young guy needs to embrace. "He's improved so much, buthe has to get stronger" first said his travel team coach. Later Owens added "I guess he's not aggressive enough, he's laid back, until thegame is on the line".
Check back next week for more on Latavious Williams. He's definitely a Hoya recruiting target that has an upside to be coveted.
Want to find out what Williams is looking for in a school and discuss the possibility of G'Town landing him? Visit this site's PremiumCourt message board community.
Note: Owens' Brandon Bass Elite organization, based out of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is chock full of sought after players. Following is abrief talent primer:
Tony Mitchell - junior combo guard - six-foot-seven and half inches -Owens labeled Mitchell a natural point guard that is extremely athletic. He has committed to Kansas State, and currently attends Miami Center Life Academy.
Terrance Lafayette - junior guard - six-foot-two inches - Attending Christian Life with Williams, schools like Houston, Tulsa and Nichols State are all overthis Baton Rouge product (formerly of that city's Capitol High School). Lafayette is a scorer, and comes from an athletic family, as his brother is in theNBADL.
Steele Davis - sophomore frontcourt man - six-foot-eight inches - Formerlyof pre-Katrina New Orleans, the likes of Georgetown, Kansas State, Baylor and others are tracking Davis; as Owens put it "Everybody likes Steele",which is no wonder as the young man can rebound, is mobile and has a skill set that is developing. Davis is enrolled at Our Savior New American (Long Island,NY).
J. J. Thomas - junior forward - six-foot-five inches - "He's aCharles Barkley type" said Owens of Thomas . "He boards well". Expect schools to jump on Johnson, who attends Baton Rouge's ScotlandvilleHigh School, this summer.
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Glad ESPN picked up on the Northwestern angle... they definitely deserve some talk at this point.
Penn State with their biggest game in the last 8 years tonight... it's probably not a must win, but it's about as close to must-win as you can get. Istill think @ Iowa plus a first round BTT win could get them in... but tonight would give them that push to feeling sort of on the safe side of the bubble ifthey could pull it off.. really really exciting times up here, i'm just happy to be in the conversation the last week of the season honestly. I saidthat's all i wanted out of this year, and I'm happy no matter what - i'll be disappointed if we don't perform well down the stretch, butwe're playing a bit over our heads anyways and you can't expect too much out of our guys. I have a hard time seeing how they lose tonight given howamped up Melle will be.
Penn State with their biggest game in the last 8 years tonight... it's probably not a must win, but it's about as close to must-win as you can get. Istill think @ Iowa plus a first round BTT win could get them in... but tonight would give them that push to feeling sort of on the safe side of the bubble ifthey could pull it off.. really really exciting times up here, i'm just happy to be in the conversation the last week of the season honestly. I saidthat's all i wanted out of this year, and I'm happy no matter what - i'll be disappointed if we don't perform well down the stretch, butwe're playing a bit over our heads anyways and you can't expect too much out of our guys. I have a hard time seeing how they lose tonight given howamped up Melle will be.
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For anyone that cares, tonight's Tennessee vs. South Carolina game on ESPN will decide the SEC East Champ. SCarolina PG Devan Downey, IMO,can also win SEC POY tonight if he has a huge game, taking the spotlight off Kentucky's Jodie Meeks for a change. Looks like Kentucky is missing the BigDance for the first time in 17 years = No Meeks for POY.
The Gamecocks lost 82-79 earlier this season to the Vols in Knoxville.
I'm a Gamecocks fan as everyone knows, so I'll be tuning in.
The Gamecocks lost 82-79 earlier this season to the Vols in Knoxville.
I'm a Gamecocks fan as everyone knows, so I'll be tuning in.
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DEPast, the game is in columbia right?
Im going to be in columbia later on, might have to make a trip to the colonial center and check this out..probably won't since it's on such shortnotice
Im going to be in columbia later on, might have to make a trip to the colonial center and check this out..probably won't since it's on such shortnotice
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Latavious just needs to go to Baylor...
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All across college basketball this season, first-year coaches are helping programs re-discover success.
Trent Johnson helped LSU add to its trophy case, Keno Davis is poised to get Providence back into the NCAA tournament and Marquette was a mainstay in thetop 10 thanks to Buzz Williams.
In all, eight of the 25 members of this year's Yahoo! Sports' "All Coaches Team" are in their inaugural season at their respective school.None of them, though, were good enough to unseat this year's MVC: Kansas' Bill Self, the Yahoo! Sports National Coach of the Year.
Bill Self, Kansas - Despite losing five standouts to the NBA draft and seven of their top nine players overall, the Jayhawks are poised tocontend for the national title for the second straight year. Kansas has already claimed a share of the Big 12 title for the fifth straight season. It can winthe league outright by defeating Texas in Saturday's regular-season finale. The Jayhawks are 13-2 in league play. Last year's national championshipsquad went 13-3.
Trent Johnson, LSU - More than a few people were surprised during the offseason when the Tigers hired Johnson, the former Stanford andNevada coach. Less than a year later, LSU has won 13 straight SEC games and has already claimed the outright conference title. Johnson was fortunate to inheritan athletic team with a couple of outstanding players in Tasmin Mitchell and Marcus Thornton, but under Johnson, their game has reached a new level.
Craig Robinson, Oregon State - One year after finishing 0-18 in the Pac-10, the Beavers are 7-9 heading into their last two regular-seasongames. Robinson - the brother-in-law of President Barack Obama - proved to be an outstanding hire. If he recruits well and keeps winning, his time in Corvalliscould be short.
Mike Anderson, Missouri - Anderson's "Forty Minutes of Hell" has changed the face of Tigers basketball. Now in his thirdseason, Anderson finally has the athletes who suit his style. Missouri has defeated top-10 schools such as Kansas and Oklahoma with a roster that featuresseven new faces, including six who have played a huge role in the Tigers' success.
Leonard Hamilton, Florida State - The Seminoles are headed back to the NCAA tournament for the first time in 11 years thanks to theirperformance in one of the country's top conferences. Florida State is currently 22-8 overall and 9-6 (fourth) in the ACC. The Seminoles' success cameat an ideal time for Hamilton, whose approval rating was beginning to decline.
Oklahoma coach Jeff Capel.
(AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Jeff Capel, Oklahoma - True, the Sooners have the best player in the country. But Blake Griffin was on the roster last year, too, andOklahoma wasn't half as good. Capel would be foolish to leave Oklahoma for Georgia.
Darrin Horn, South Carolina - A tremendous hire by the Gamecocks, who will surprise someone in the NCAA tournament.
Bruce Weber, Illinois - Orchestrated one of the biggest turnarounds in college basketball, as the Illini are 23-7 overall and 11-6 in BigTen play just one year after going 16-19 and 5-13.
Russ Pennell, Arizona - Considering he was working as a radio color commentator a year ago, Pennell couldn't have done a better job ofholding the Wildcats' program together. Arizona is a dangerous team.
Buzz Williams, Marquette - The Golden Eagles didn't miss a beat under Williams, who inherited a talented roster when he was hired lastspring to replace Tom Crean.
Washington coach Lorenzo Romar.
(AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Lorenzo Romar, Washington - The Huskies already own a share of the Pac-10 title, and if they beat Washington State on Saturday, they'llhave the crown all to themselves.
Mike Montgomery, Cal - Even though the Golden Bears lost their top two players to the NBA, the former Stanford and Golden State Warriorscoach was able to change the program's culture in his first season.
John Calipari, Memphis - Kept Conference USA winning streak alive despite losing three players from last year's team to the NBAdraft.
Randy Bennett, St. Mary's - The Gaels would've won the West Coast Conference title if not for an injury to star guard PatrickMills.
Keno Davis, Providence - The Friars could be back in the NCAA tournament thanks to Davis. The former Drake coach is one of collegebasketball's up-and-coming stars.
Ed DeChellis, Penn State - A home victory over Illinois on Thursday would give the Nittany Lions their highest regular-season win total inschool history.
Roy Williams, North Carolina - When playing their best, the Tar Heels are on a different level than their opponent.
Brad Stevens, Butler - The Bulldogs won their third straight Horizon League title - and this time they did it without any seniors on theroster.
Oliver Purnell, Clemson - Not many teams get after it with the same intensity as the Tigers, whose tenacity and athleticism make themcapable of defeating any team in the country.
Tom Izzo, Michigan State - Spartans won the outright Big Ten title for the first time in a decade despite a rash of illnesses and injuriesthat would've caused most teams to flounder.
Frank Martin, Kansas State - With Michael Beasley and Bill Walker gone, Martin proved that he was more than just a scowl and a stare.
Matt Painter, Purdue - Inexcusable as Wednesday's Senior Night loss to Northwestern might have been, the Boilermakers had an excellentseason for a team with so many injuries.
Herb Sendek, Arizona State - Helped make the Sun Devils relevant again. But will he capitalize on the recruiting trail?
Jim Boylen, Utah - The Utes are tied for the Mountain West lead and own victories over LSU and Gonzaga.
Tom Crean, Indiana - Coaching performances aren't always measured by wins and losses. Crean inherited one of the most dismal situationsin college basketball history. The Hoosiers - who lost half of their Big Ten games by 10 points or less - surprised everyone with their competitiveness.
Mike Brey, Notre Dame - Once ranked as high as fifth, the Fighting Irish won't make the NCAA tournament, which is shocking consideringtheir mix of talent and experience.
Scott Drew, Baylor - Great recruiter but completely overmatched as a Division I head coach. Most disappointing team in college basketballother than Notre Dame.
Ernie Kent, Oregon - With just two Pac-10 wins, it's time for a change in Eugene.
Paul Hewitt, Georgia Tech - Yellow Jackets are too talented to win just two ACC games.
Jerry Wainwright, DePaul - Athletic director says he'll be back next season despite going winless in the Big East.
Trent Johnson helped LSU add to its trophy case, Keno Davis is poised to get Providence back into the NCAA tournament and Marquette was a mainstay in thetop 10 thanks to Buzz Williams.
In all, eight of the 25 members of this year's Yahoo! Sports' "All Coaches Team" are in their inaugural season at their respective school.None of them, though, were good enough to unseat this year's MVC: Kansas' Bill Self, the Yahoo! Sports National Coach of the Year.
Bill Self, Kansas - Despite losing five standouts to the NBA draft and seven of their top nine players overall, the Jayhawks are poised tocontend for the national title for the second straight year. Kansas has already claimed a share of the Big 12 title for the fifth straight season. It can winthe league outright by defeating Texas in Saturday's regular-season finale. The Jayhawks are 13-2 in league play. Last year's national championshipsquad went 13-3.
Trent Johnson, LSU - More than a few people were surprised during the offseason when the Tigers hired Johnson, the former Stanford andNevada coach. Less than a year later, LSU has won 13 straight SEC games and has already claimed the outright conference title. Johnson was fortunate to inheritan athletic team with a couple of outstanding players in Tasmin Mitchell and Marcus Thornton, but under Johnson, their game has reached a new level.
Craig Robinson, Oregon State - One year after finishing 0-18 in the Pac-10, the Beavers are 7-9 heading into their last two regular-seasongames. Robinson - the brother-in-law of President Barack Obama - proved to be an outstanding hire. If he recruits well and keeps winning, his time in Corvalliscould be short.
Mike Anderson, Missouri - Anderson's "Forty Minutes of Hell" has changed the face of Tigers basketball. Now in his thirdseason, Anderson finally has the athletes who suit his style. Missouri has defeated top-10 schools such as Kansas and Oklahoma with a roster that featuresseven new faces, including six who have played a huge role in the Tigers' success.
Leonard Hamilton, Florida State - The Seminoles are headed back to the NCAA tournament for the first time in 11 years thanks to theirperformance in one of the country's top conferences. Florida State is currently 22-8 overall and 9-6 (fourth) in the ACC. The Seminoles' success cameat an ideal time for Hamilton, whose approval rating was beginning to decline.
(AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Jeff Capel, Oklahoma - True, the Sooners have the best player in the country. But Blake Griffin was on the roster last year, too, andOklahoma wasn't half as good. Capel would be foolish to leave Oklahoma for Georgia.
Darrin Horn, South Carolina - A tremendous hire by the Gamecocks, who will surprise someone in the NCAA tournament.
Bruce Weber, Illinois - Orchestrated one of the biggest turnarounds in college basketball, as the Illini are 23-7 overall and 11-6 in BigTen play just one year after going 16-19 and 5-13.
Russ Pennell, Arizona - Considering he was working as a radio color commentator a year ago, Pennell couldn't have done a better job ofholding the Wildcats' program together. Arizona is a dangerous team.
Buzz Williams, Marquette - The Golden Eagles didn't miss a beat under Williams, who inherited a talented roster when he was hired lastspring to replace Tom Crean.
(AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Lorenzo Romar, Washington - The Huskies already own a share of the Pac-10 title, and if they beat Washington State on Saturday, they'llhave the crown all to themselves.
Mike Montgomery, Cal - Even though the Golden Bears lost their top two players to the NBA, the former Stanford and Golden State Warriorscoach was able to change the program's culture in his first season.
John Calipari, Memphis - Kept Conference USA winning streak alive despite losing three players from last year's team to the NBAdraft.
Randy Bennett, St. Mary's - The Gaels would've won the West Coast Conference title if not for an injury to star guard PatrickMills.
Keno Davis, Providence - The Friars could be back in the NCAA tournament thanks to Davis. The former Drake coach is one of collegebasketball's up-and-coming stars.
Ed DeChellis, Penn State - A home victory over Illinois on Thursday would give the Nittany Lions their highest regular-season win total inschool history.
Roy Williams, North Carolina - When playing their best, the Tar Heels are on a different level than their opponent.
Brad Stevens, Butler - The Bulldogs won their third straight Horizon League title - and this time they did it without any seniors on theroster.
Oliver Purnell, Clemson - Not many teams get after it with the same intensity as the Tigers, whose tenacity and athleticism make themcapable of defeating any team in the country.
Tom Izzo, Michigan State - Spartans won the outright Big Ten title for the first time in a decade despite a rash of illnesses and injuriesthat would've caused most teams to flounder.
Frank Martin, Kansas State - With Michael Beasley and Bill Walker gone, Martin proved that he was more than just a scowl and a stare.
Matt Painter, Purdue - Inexcusable as Wednesday's Senior Night loss to Northwestern might have been, the Boilermakers had an excellentseason for a team with so many injuries.
Herb Sendek, Arizona State - Helped make the Sun Devils relevant again. But will he capitalize on the recruiting trail?
Jim Boylen, Utah - The Utes are tied for the Mountain West lead and own victories over LSU and Gonzaga.
Tom Crean, Indiana - Coaching performances aren't always measured by wins and losses. Crean inherited one of the most dismal situationsin college basketball history. The Hoosiers - who lost half of their Big Ten games by 10 points or less - surprised everyone with their competitiveness.
Mike Brey, Notre Dame - Once ranked as high as fifth, the Fighting Irish won't make the NCAA tournament, which is shocking consideringtheir mix of talent and experience.
Scott Drew, Baylor - Great recruiter but completely overmatched as a Division I head coach. Most disappointing team in college basketballother than Notre Dame.
Ernie Kent, Oregon - With just two Pac-10 wins, it's time for a change in Eugene.
Paul Hewitt, Georgia Tech - Yellow Jackets are too talented to win just two ACC games.
Jerry Wainwright, DePaul - Athletic director says he'll be back next season despite going winless in the Big East.
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AD Vassailo in the NBA? Thoughts?
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Dude is too slow and doesn't take it hard to the cup. I've never seen him take the ball into the lane without throwing up a floater. But Ican see him being a poor man's Mike Miller.
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No, he needs to stay in Starkville and go to Mississippi State, which is practically in his backyard, haha.
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Both of y'all are wrong, he needs to go to Duke.
Duh!
Duh!
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IDK why some teams are scheduling such tough games for senior night. Even if I was going to the tourney, I would probably cry if I was a senior and lost thesenior night game. I know the schools don't always have a great amount of say in the matter but they can do a better job.
Anderson for COY. NOBODY in the world expected Missouri to be where they're at.
Go Providence!
Go South Carolina!
Anderson for COY. NOBODY in the world expected Missouri to be where they're at.
Go Providence!
Go South Carolina!
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son they dont really have that much say over their conference schedule. thats up to the conference.
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but prepare to see that +!+$ 27 times an hour over the next few weeks.
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Go
Providence
Penn State
Xavier
South Carolina!
Providence
Penn State
Xavier
South Carolina!
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Efejuku
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Lance Stephenson and Lincoln will be practicing at St. John's tomorrow. All bags of cash must be undisclosed and filled with twenty dollar bills. That isall.
