College Hoops Thread '09-'10

[The Poet]

Originally Posted by The Professor

Come on now ... my boys from UNT have heart. And sometimes, heart gets you pretty far in the Big Dance.

The only argument I have with that, Prof, is your "sometimes", as I'd say it is more accurate to say "rarely". You can't count Curry's Davidson team, as Stephen was one of those guys who fell between the cracks. Nor can you count George Mason's run, since they were a good team from a decent conference. No, you'd likely have to go back to Bryce Drew and Valpo, and "The Shot" . . . and that was a dozen years ago.

Bottom line, my brother, go to the game if you can, and enjoy it for all it's worth . . . but do not book a second night at the Marriot.

[The Poet]

OK, aside from those Final finals above, I saw four other games to note:

Cincinnati 69 - Rutgers 68 = Both of these teams are 'way back of the bubble, and the Bearcats are nearly as unlikely to win the Big East tourney as are the Scarlet Knights they eliminated last night. In fact, I think Louisville will take them out before this day is over. But it was a heck of a game nonetheless.

The other three were all in the A-10 Conference, since I don't lend much credence to the validity of those also-rans who played yesterday - no offense, but there it is.

U. Mass 59 - Charlotte 56 = This puts the 49ers out for the year, and they fell on their own dang court to boot. Mass is still on the far far side of the bubble. But they still breathe, and as this tourney is on break until the 12th, they can breathe until then anyway.

Dayton 70 - George Washington 60 = Same story here.

Rhode Island 87 - St. Joe's 76 = More of the same, since I can't see the Committee going 5-deep in the Atlantic 10. Three? Sure, OK. Four? Maybe. Five? Gimme a break. The A-10 is decent, but it ain't that great.


As for today's action, some of it is already over - more so for some than for others:

Georgetown 69 - South Florida 49 = Such as the Bulls. They are done. The Hoyas were in before the ball tipped off.

Marquette 57 - St. John's 55 = So was Marquette, at least in my book, and this should insure that. As for the Johnnies . . . well, mebbe they should have saved a few baskets from that spanking they gave U. Conn yesterday.

Texas Tech 82 - Colorado 67 = And in this early Big 12 action, the Red Raiders cow the Buffaloes. It won't get them in, but they still have a prayer. And what with all the Big Boys in the Big 12, it will take all the prayers they can muster.

Houston 93 - East Carolina 80 = There are a full handful of decent teams in the CUSA. These two are NOT amongst them. However, the Cougars are still on the prowl, whereas the Pirates are sunk.

Later tonight we have more action in a number of conferences . . . most of whom don't matter. F'instance, there's the Mid-Eastern Conference, pitting powers like Morgan State or NC A&T against other monsters. Then there's the scary Southland, featuring such beasts as Nicholls State or TAMU Corpus Christi. And if that's not enough, we have the perennial contenders of the Great West Conference, with TX Pan American or NJIT (NJIT?? Great West?? WTF??). Oh, and they also kick off play in the Mountain West and the Pac-10, and I'll leave it to the experts to decide which one is for real and which one isn't here. Aside from that, two more tickets will get punched tonight:

Montana vs. Weber State = This will give us our Big Sky representative. I suppose it is possible for one or the other of these to beat somebody in the NCAA . . . but since neither one has actually beaten anybody much of anybody all year, I'd doubt it seriously.

Quinnipiac vs. Robert Morris = And I further suppose one of these from the Northeast Conference could win a game also . . . if they are paired against one of those immediately above. As the latter will not happen, the former will not too.

I might be back with more a bit later, but for now . . . enjoy.

[The Poet]

Nebraska, the 12th-seed in the Big 12, and bottom feeder with their 2-14 conference record, has knocked 5-seed Missouri (10-6 in Big 12 play) out of the tournament in the opening round by beating them like a red-headed stepchild, 75-60.

Whoa.

[The Poet]

Well, some interesting things keep happening. But to get to the things which are NOT first:

Robert Morris 52 - Quinnipiac 50 = A close game for the Northeast automatic bid. Welcome, and goodbye.

Montana 66 - Weber State 65 = An even closer one for the Big Sky seat . . . in the temporary bleachers.

Cincinnati 69 - Louisville 66 = Well, this is notable. I didn't think the Bearcats could take this one, since the Cardinals have been playing fairly OK of late. Just shows to go ya. But that's not the MOST interesting outcome, as you'll see.

Aside from what's ongoing in prior mentioned leagues, action has either already begun or shall soon begin in the ACC, Big Ten, SEC, and WAC conference tourneys. Fact is, we already have a few finals for y'all:

Kansas 80 - Texas Tech 68 = About what one would expect, save that the Jayhawks struggled a bit, but notable for one reason: Kansas now becomes the third school, AND THE THIRD SCHOOL THIS SEASON!, to reach the 2,000-win mark. Congratulations to them. Now let's see how many more they can get before they stub their toes, like:

Georgetown 91 - Syracuse 84 = Wow. The Hoyas were in freefall two weeks ago, and the Orange was rolling. Now that's turned around . . . at least for now. Syracuse may or may not get that #1 seed now, depending upon what Dook and the Buckeyes do in their tourneys. As for this tourney, the Big East seems to be up for grabs at the moment, especially when you consider:

Marquette 80 - Villanova 76 = And another of the higher seeds falls. If Marquette wasn't in before now, this should seal the deal. As for 'Nova, their shot at a #2-seed may drop to a #4.

Miami 83 - Wake Forest 62 = What? WHAT?? The 'Canes just purely suck, even worse than my Heels suck, while the Deacs needed this to get off that damn bubble. And this wasn't just an upset, this was a butt-stomp! Ohhhhhh my!

Houston 66 - Memphis 65 = OK, the Cougars are not as terrible, and the Tigers not as "bubbly", but this here is more of the same in the CUSA. If the last few days have been any indication, there's dang few teams going into the NCAAs who know what a tournament is, much less how to win one.

Virginia 68 - Boston College 62 = No biggie either way here, save that the Cavs survive to play another day.

There's a bulging handful of meaningful games in progress as I post, and several more throughout the evening, so I'll be back soon. Until then, enjoy.

[The Poet]

There are a few more finals, but in games where either the favorite won or where neither team much matters . . . hey, who cares if Michigan eliminated Iowa, f'instance? There is one to keep an eye on: With 9 minutes to play, Southern Miss has UAB by a dozen, and if they hold on it will be another middlin' upset - not huge, but not mild either.

[The Poet]

Nebraska shot their bolt against Missouri yeaterday, and Texas A&M ends the Huskers' season with a 70-64 final. UCLA ends Arizona's, 75-69. And Southern Miss still up double-digits with 4 1/2 to go.

[The Poet]

The Tide washes the 'Cocks, 68-63. New Mexico grounds the Air Force, 75-69. Vols about to lose LSU. UAB cuts it to single digits, with maybe enough time left.

[The Poet]

Vols win by 10, and Southern Miss a minute from winning by dang near 20.

[The Poet]

Oh, and in case you're keeping track, nobody's gonna win a ticket to The Dance today . . . although a few teams may lose one, if they haven't already.

[jcruse64]

Good coverage, Poet! Pitt is getting a good game from Notre Dame right now. Hope I can stay awake to watch Cinci and WV next, but 4:30 comes early.

Really was surprised at the Webber State loss; they were up over 20 points in the first half, and then I come back home to see they lost!

Not much exciting happening in the PAC-10, it appears. How long will it be before UCLA or Arizona are relevant again?

[The Poet]

Originally Posted by jcruse64

Good coverage, Poet! Pitt is getting a good game from Notre Dame right now. Hope I can stay awake to watch Cinci and WV next, but 4:30 comes early.

Really was surprised at the Webber State loss; they were up over 20 points in the first half, and then I come back home to see they lost!

Not much exciting happening in the PAC-10, it appears. How long will it be before UCLA or Arizona are relevant again?

Yeah buddy, the Irish gave the Panthers more than they could handle, knocking another of the ranked teams out of MSG with their 50-45 victory. As for Weber State, well, there has been bigger surprises over the last few days. And re the Pac-10, I think UCLA will find the magic fairly soon, since they have so much to offer there, in so many ways. As for Arizona, I believe they may get smacked around a bit by the NCAA for some of the things Lute Olson did there, so it may take them longer.

And speaking of the Pac-10:

Stanford 70 - Arizona State 61 = You may have noticed me lobbying for the Sun Devils getting an at-large on this thread. Well, this loss does not help them one damn bit.

In other action yesterday:

Baylor 86 - Texas 67 = Holy crud. After going 17-0, the Longhorns have now gone 7-9, and fallen off the map entirely . . . and when you consider how large a map of Texas is, that's a looooong way. They should get an at-large, but it won't be a very good one.

Kansas State 83 - Oklahoma State 64 = The Big 12 have been pushing for 7 bids, which means they want the Cowboys to be that #7. This thrashing doesn't help their cause.

Tulsa 80 - Marshall 64 = And this may not help Tulsa enough to get in, yet may hurt Marshall enough to keep them out. I myself would not give the CUSA 5 bids, so you need to make the cut somewhere.

West Virginia 54 - Cincinnati 51 = Well, it wasn't easy, but at least one more of the "top" teams of the Big East lived to play another day. Will the Hoyas and the Mountaineers fight to the finish? Or will Marquette and Notre Dame continue the upset parade in the Garden? We'll find out soon enough.

N. C. State 59 - Clemson 57 = As with Wake Forest, Clemson needed this to put that bubble past their backsides. But Jerry's Pack denied them. God, don't ya just love this . . . not necessarily this in particular, but this in toto.


There will be a ticket punched for the Patriot League when Lafayette meets Lehigh this evening, but in the meantime other action proceeds. There's a few finals already today:

Duke 57 - Virginia 46 = So far the Blue Devils did what the Orange did not, which is "what they needed" to hold onto that #1-seed they want. And they had an easier time of it than:

Ohio State 69 - Michigan 68 = That's much too close for comfort for the Buckeyes, especially as poorly as the Wolverines have played this year. Does not bode well for OSU.

Kentucky 73 - Alabama 67 = Does not bode well for the Wildcats either, as this one was . . . again . . . closer than the score. The Tide had the lead up to double-digits early, and outrebounded UK too. But they did survive their first tourney experience, and may still learn from it. We'll see. Hey, at the least they did better than:

Miami 70 - Virginia Tech 65 = WTF? The Hurricanes couldn't win a big game all year, and now they take two in a row in the ACC Tourney? I don't think this hurts the Hokies at-large bid, but it cannot help their confidence much.

Illinois 58 - Wisconsin 54 = Have the Illini rightened their canoe again? This is a good win for them, and likely puts them safely off the bubble. The Badgers were off it already, but this does not help their seeding position.

Rhode Island 63 - Saint Louis 47 = What a spanking, and one that may hurt the A-10 too. Before this, the Billikens may . . . MAY, I say . . . have gotten some consideration for a 4th A-10 at-large. But the Rams can't convince the Committee to go 5-deep, so need to win to get the automatic . . . which puts somebody else out. As it won't be Temple, or Xavier, that means the Richmond Spiders. Ouch.

I have some work to do now, so may or may not be back later today. Regardless, I'll be here tomorrow. Until when, enjoy.

[The Poet]

Tennessee knocks Ole Miss out of SEC, 76-65. UTEP ends Tulsa's CUSA run, 75-61. Lehigh about 2 minutes from taking Patriot crown from Lafayette, if they don't blow it.

[The Poet]

Lehigh 74 - Lafayette 59 = The Mountain Hawks from Bethlehem take the Patriot. Next comes their pluckin' crucifixion.

[JaKaacH]

Kansas 79-Texas A&M 66--With a 21-2 run late that broke a tight game wide open. KU struggled most of the game with tons of turnovers...But it is a 40 minute game not 30. Congrats to Coach Self this was the 200th win as coach of the Jayhawks, one game after the storied program recorded all-time win No. 2,000.

Kansas State 82- Baylor 75 setting up a monumental Big 12 title game matchup against rival Kansas.

BIG 12 Basketball ROCKS

[The Poet]

Thanks for the scores, Jeff, and the breakdown of the KU game. I'd agree that the Jayhawks can be a little sloppy at times, but I'd still have to make them slight favorites to take it all this season. They have the best mix of talent, experience, and coaching ability, whereas all the other contenders fall a bit short in at least one of those catagories. And they should have a #1-seed locked up, regardless of the outcome against K-State. However, there does not seem to be one dominant team this year, with perhaps a dozen with a legitimate shot at the crown, so we'll have to see how things go. That's why, I suppose, they play the games.

As for the other action last night, here's the ones that struck me:

N. C. State 58 - Florida State 52 = What? The Wolfpack won again? WTF? Shoot, if they can get past Georgia Tech this afternoon, and Tech's far from unbeatable, they are in the ACC Championship game! That won't get them a bid, but if they can win THAT one too . . . well, I may have to send Jerry back what's left of the cigars he sent me, just on general principles.

Georgia Tech 69 - Maryland 64 = And I suppose Jerry should thank the Jackets for taking out the Terps for him. This will not keep Maryland out of the NCAAs, but it just might have gotten Tech off the bubble for good.

Georgetown 80 - Marquette 64 = Both these were in regardless already, but it is good to see at least one of the Big East top dogs decided to show up at MSG.

West Virginia 53 - Notre Dame 51 = Make that two . . . sort of. It took a late miss by the Irish for WVA to escape the upset, so despite 17 by baby brother Ben Hansbrough they go back to South Bend . . . perhaps for good. Hey, the Committee would have to go 8-deep in the Big Mouth to give the Irish an at-large, and that may depend on factors beyond their control, such as NCSU taking the ACC title.

Minnesota 72 - Michigan State 67 (OT) = The Gophers wanna go for an at-large, and make sure the Committee goes at least 6-deep in the Big Ten. This war likely did just that. As for the Spartans, they were on the dancecard before tip-off, so no foul.

Mississippi State 75 - Florida 69 = And pretty much the same story here, save in the SEC.

San Diego State 72 - New Mexico 69 = Now it's a different matter in the Mountain West. Though the pundits say that group is superior to the Pac-10 this year, which may be true, it does not mean they'll go 4-deep into them. And the Lobos? Well, they probably dropped a line in the seeding, but they did not lose their ticket.

UNLV 70 - BYU 66 = And here's the rest of the Aztecs' competition for those slots. Both of these likely had at-larges sewn up before play, so the only loss is BYU's (overrated??) seeding.

Purdue 69 - Northwestern 61 = The game itself meant little, since the Boilermakers were in regardles, and Northwestern's only shot this late was to take it all. But it is a bit encouraging to their fans that Purdue showed they could score more than 50 points without Hummel on the court.

Vanderbilt 78 - Georgia 66 = Really, when you come down to it, no big deal here. The Comms were already in it, and the Dawgs out. So skip it, and ignore this score.


There are a lot . . . a LOT! . . . of automatic bids up today:

UTEP vs. Houston = Here's the CUSA final, and at the moment the Miners hold a small lead over the unlikely and over-achieving Cougars, midway through the 2nd.

Boston U. vs. Vermont = And here's the American East, with Vermont looking to take a slim lead into the break.

Morgan State vs. South Carolina State = This is also for a one-and-done paycheck, for the Mid-Eastern here.

Sam Houston State vs. Stephen F. Austin = And again, for the Southland.

Arkansas Pine Bluff vs Texas Southern = Ditto, SWAC.

UC Santa Barbara vs. Long Beach State = Are you seeing a trend here? Big West, which is one of those anyway.

Utah State vs. New Mexico State = WAC. Need I repeat myself?

California vs. Washington = And if we are to believe the experts, this is it for the Pac-10 this year. Hell, if it was my call, I'd let both of these in, plus the Sun Devils, and let a few of the above stay home and pack sand . . . but sadly, it don't seem to work that way.

Kansas vs. Kansas State = And here again we have one of those crappy conferences, who shouldn't even get one stinkin' bid, much less the 7 or 11 they want.

San Diego State vs. UNLV = OK, so maybe one of these from the Mountain West could actually win a game next week. I'd not put my money on it, but you are welcome to put yours if you'd like.

West Virginia vs. Georgetown = And this one for the Big East crown is more for bragging rights than anything else, as both were in before the tourney even started, while neither is very likely to improve its seeding enough to actually make a difference.

I'll be back soon. Until then, enjoy.

[Col. Kurtz]

Originally Posted by The Poet

....
As for the other action last night, here's the ones that struck me:

N. C. State 58 - Florida State 52 = What? The Wolfpack won again? WTF? Shoot, if they can get past Georgia Tech this afternoon, and Tech's far from unbeatable, they are in the ACC Championship game! That won't get them a bid, but if they can win THAT one too . . . well, I may have to send Jerry back what's left of the cigars he sent me, just on general principles.

Georgia Tech 69 - Maryland 64 = And I suppose Jerry should thank the Jackets for taking out the Terps for him. This will not keep Maryland out of the NCAAs, but it just might have gotten Tech off the bubble for good.
....

That's why we watch the games.

Go Pack

[The Poet]

Originally Posted by Col. Kurtz

That's why we watch the games.

Go Pack

And I hope you enjoy it, my friend. Hell, I'll even hope you get another crack at Dook this year! At the very least, it will insure the Old North State will take the ACC . . . for a change.

[The Poet]

Houston is only down 3 with 6 1/2 to play. Vermont comes out of the break with an 11-point bulge over BU to work with.

[The Poet]

It's much too early, but so far Temple kicking Rhode Island butt in the A-10 semis. Kentucky/Tennessee too close and too early to matter.

[The Poet]

With 3+ to play, Houston takes 1-point lead over UTEP. Some of you boys better start praying, if you don't want the Cougars to steal your school's at-large!