Random thoughts about today’s action:
I didn’t include Kansas State in underrated/overrated, because I think they are appropriately rated. However, they are peaking at the right time. They have won 6/7, and in that stretch, they destroyed #1 Kansas, went on the road to win at Nebraska (Neb had only one home loss, to Kansas, at that point), and destroyed Mizzou. Peaking at the right time, but still suspect on the road.
Georgetown is done. What a terrible ten days for them. After winning eight games in a row, they have dropped three out of four. Losing a few games, finishing closer to the middle of the pack in the Big East, and dropping from a 3 to 5/6 seed is one thing, but losing Chris Wright is another. Coach JTIII said through a statement that there is no timetable to Wright’s return, but they are optimistic that Wright will be ready for the first tournament game. Why is this so important? Well, have you seen Georgetown play? Wright was injured early in the second half of the game vs Cincinatti, and went on to score only 20 points that half (46 overall!). Today, they scored 51. Not gonna cut it.
Syracuse on the other hand, is also peaking. I feel as if they could be the second or third best team in the Big East, although that may not come as a surprise to many people. Kenpom has them as the second best team in the BigEast, so I’m not saying anything revolutionary. Luke Winn’s latest power rankings shows that Syracuse is the only team in the Big East that plays better on the road. That’s impressive, and a very important thing to keep in mind as all the NCAA games are at neutral sites.
To the refs and announcers and TV stations,
The game is about the players, not you. Therefore, don’t switch things up just because you see fit, and ruin the game in the process. We saw this Wednesday night with Tim Floyd getting ejected. His foot was one foot over the line, and an officiating crew who was never before seen, T’d him up. He went on to get another T, ejected, and finally escorted off the court by a police officer (who had no business stepping in).
As far as TV stations – I’ve seen this more and more these past couple of weeks. A few weeks ago, Wisconsin hosted Ohio State. Instead of sending the traditional Big10 crew, they sent Dick Vitale, who couldn’t name three people on Wisconsin. It also took him less than five minutes to compare something that was going on to Duke.
Today, BYU and SDSU got upgraded from the CBS College channel to regular CBS. They sent Lundquist and Kellog, who haven’t called a Mountain West game ALL year. Hmmmmm, I wonder who they’ll talk about the whole game? Instead of focusing on the other things BYU does well that don’t involve the words Jimmer and Fredette, they focused solely on him. Worst of all, they introduced Steve Kerr to the announce booth, who has called ZERO college games all year. The funniest part of this all is how CBS didn’t try to mask why they were introducing him. Lundquist didn’t say “Steve Kerr is a three time champion and a great announcer,” he just said “he [Kerr] is so much a part of Turner broadcasting, and of course we’re beginning a collaborative effort with Turner.” Ummmmm…..okay? Then, the first thing they show during a broadcast of a game between SDSU and BYU in 2011? They show Steve Kerr highlights from 1988 Arizona. This is what I mean by making it about them. This isn’t about how CBS/Turner can make the most money, or how Kerr can inflate his ego, its about SDSU, Jimmer Fredette, and some other people on BYU who apparently don’t do anything. If I wanted to watch Kerr, I would go get the 1990s Chicago Bulls box set I have and watch game 6 of the 97 Finals on repeat.
Oh wait, what am I saying? It’s the NCAA……..its all about money and nothing about the players. Forget I said anything.
On this game though; if people thought that BYU played 1 on 5 basketball, they learned differently today. Fredette didn’t shoot the ball particularly well, but the rest of the team did. They rebound well because, despite being undersized, they spread the floor well with their offense. Today, they shot incredibly well. They positioned themselves well for a #1 seed, and a #2 at worse, but there is still a long way to go. They have close to a 90% chance of winning their final two games, but then must travel to the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas for the MWC tournament (this is UNLV’s home floor….). BYU should be rooting for UNLV to finish in third, so that they only have to play one of SDSU/UNLV. Colorado State’s loss to Air Force today helps this cause, as the Rams now figure to be assured of a 4th place finish, (their bubble chances took a huge hit today though, so look for them to be desparate in the tournament. Also, follow CSU’s coach, Tim Miles on twitter at “CoachMiles,”….. I do).
Four people scored double digits for the cougars today. Most impressive was Hartsock, who did it on 6/7 shooting. He’s put up double digits in three straight games now. Jackson Emery has put up double digits in seven straight games! The team seems to be getting better and better. Many will say that they don’t play a tough enough schedule. Truth is, they have 9 wins over top-50 RPI teams, the most in the nation. They’ve beaten SDSU twice (the Aztecs’ only losses), UNLV twice, UTEP, Arizona, St. Marys, and Utah State. So if you’re ever at a party, or otherwise overhear someone say BYU doesn’t play anyone, kindly enlighten them.
What is their weakness then? Well, they’re not particularly big. They’re a little too reliant on the three, despite shooting them well. They did give up a large number of offensive rebounds to SDSU today, who in turn failed to convert. Of course I would be concerned if BYU played any of the Big10’s top three teams, Kansas, or Texas. These matchups most likely would not occur until the elite eight, however. Who could scare BYU early on? Someone who rebounds well. A look at their “close wins:” BYU beat St Marys by 1, and Utah State by 6. Quickly looking at those teams, Utah State is the second best team at limiting Offensive Rebounds in the nation, and St. Marys is 10th. So, I would be worried if BYU matched up with Utah State again (and as I mentioned yesterday, Utah State is dangerous). Other teams that are up there? The aforementioned Wisconsin (17th), Old Dominion (22nd), Temple (23rd). So if I were a #2 BYU, I would not want to see ODU or Temple, or even Xavier in the second round. I’d much rather see Illinois or Tennessee. (Remember this is just one component…..if BYU comes out and shoots 5/25 from 3PT, they most likely wont beat many teams).
Quick Note: Despite the final score, SDSU did not play poorly, and should not be overlooked come tournament time. They rebounded pretty well, and showed they can play very physically. They didn’t shoot particularly well, and BYU hit 14 three’s. Tough to win.
Bobby Knight asserted that the Big East tournament is more difficult to win than the NCAA tournament. I’m still trying to pick my jaw up off the floor from hearing that comment. A) its not true. B) its so untrue its idiotic C) a once respected (for his knowledge at least), all time leading winner said it. How could someone say this with a straight face? Do I even have to go into it? Fine, I will.
Say you are Pittsburgh, the #1 seed in the Big East, and a potential #1 seed in the NCAA tournament. You get TWO byes in the Big East tournament. Say at worst, you play #8, #4, and #2 to win the title. This would be the hardest possible path. You would play three games in three days. Right now, those teams would be Cincinatti, St. Johns, and Notre Dame. Certainly not easy, but do you think that winning those three games is the equivalent of winning the championship? For example, in Lunardi’s latest bracket, those teams would be 7, 6, and 3 seeds, respectively. So this wouldn’t even be the equivalent of a road tough enough to reach the final four, let alone the title. The fact that you have to win 6 games, even if the first is a gimmie, instead of 3 or 4 (if you only get one bye), is obvious enough that this is a really, really, really, really, really, idiotic statement. I could give examples of other teams paths to winning the Big East title compared to winning the national title, but if you don’t get it by now, you never will.
Pretty awful week for Arizona. They followed up their great win against Washington with a 0-2 performance in Los Angeles this week. Rest assured, Cats fans. Arizona gets to go home and host the Oregon schools. They figure to win both, and therefore win the championship, approximately 80% of the time (this isn’t even counting the chance that Washington loses a game). More on this later though.
Rick Stansbury looks like someone that shows up on your doorstep and tries to sell you volcano insurance.
Tennessee continues to mystify me. After beating Vanderbilt on the road this week, after Vanderbilt refused to make a free throw, I took a deep sigh, and was resigned to the fact that the Volunteers would be in the tournament. They follow that up with a poor performance today, and a loss to Mississippi State. Not good.
Jimmy Dykes actually posed the following statement during that game today: “I’m not sure which team this game is bigger for; Tennessee trying to get into the tournament, and Miss State is trying to get the #2 spot in the SEC West.” I hope he wasn’t being serious. Id imagine that making the tournament is more important than getting one bye in the SEC tournament. IF Mississippi State earned the ‘coveted’ #2 SEC West spot, they would get a BYE. They would then play, as it stood today, the winner of Kentucky and Auburn, (gonna take the cats in that one). So is this even an award? If they finished 3rd in the West, they would play South Carolina. If they won, they would play Vanderbilt. First of all, I would rather play Vanderbilt than Kentucky. Second of all, if you were Mississippi State, and were 15-13, wouldn’t you rather get one win, and one loss, ie go 1-1, than 0-1? Third of all, why am I talking about Mississippi State? They lost to Auburn and LSU. How is it even possible that they could finish 2nd in any division?
TEAMS THAT HELPED THEMSELVES THE MOST TODAY:
Virginia Tech – Start with the obvious. I thought VA Tech was a tournament team all along, but this probably cemented it. Their best wins before this had been to Maryland (x2), FSU, and Penn State, so adding Duke was what they needed. They host BC and go to Clemson. This is really setting up to be pandoras box opening for the ACC. VT will lose to one of those teams, and then that team will get in, and all of a sudden youll have five/six teams in from a terrible ACC league. Oh, by the way, Vitale said VT is in, so it’s a lock, I don’t even know why I’m writing this. Also, the audio problems that ESPN was experiencing throughout the final 8 minutes achieved the impossible: they somehow made Vitale more annoying.
Colorado, although it may not be enough. The Buffs could win out, and get another win in the Big12 tournament, and all of a sudden they have 21 wins, including one over Texas, and two over KSU. Long way to go, but this certainly helps.
Michigan - Michigan might have actually been on the inside looking out if not for Wisconsin’s banked three this week. The wolverines are 18-12. They host MSU in their final game for a chance to go 19-12, and 9-9 in the big10. They split with Minnesota, beat MSU in East Lansing, and beat Clemson and Oakland. Therefore, they don’t have the best wins ever, and would therefore maybe need a win or two in the Big10 tournament, but they’re right there.
This got me looking at the Big10 standings. Theres the possibility that there’s a 4 way tie for fourth. Okay. Let’s say Michigan plays Illinois, in the 4vs5, and MSU and Penn State finish 6th and 7th. Now, lets say that Michigan loses to Illinois, and MSU beats Iowa. How is it really fair that Michigan beats MSU twice, finishes higher than MSU, and gets a mythical bye, only to play a harder team, where MSU is rewarded with getting to play Iowa? This is the case for any team between 5 and 6. This is the same argument I made with the SEC. If I were a bubble team, I’d rather be 1-1 than 0-1. Wouldn’t you?
Kansas State – See above. I will add this – the Wildcats are rather poor on the road. This could certainly be a problem come tournament(s) time.
Baylor – I suppose. In that they beat a ranked team (how A&M is ranked I don’t know), and stopped their bleeding. Baylor had lost 3 of 4, their lone win against Wayland Baptist (????????). This win helps, but they’ll still probably need to win a couple in the Big12 tournament. Or, beat Texas the final game of the year. Their best wins are Texas A&M (x2). Other than that? Nebraska. Other than that? Colorado. Other than that? Don’t ask.
That’s about it.
THE TEAMS THAT ARE SAYING “I HOPE NO ONE WATCHED THE GAMES OR LOOKED AT THE SCORES TODAY”
As this season has progressed, it seems that every day, this category is full. Today is no exception. Once again, there are many more teams that hurt themselves than do anything good. They call this a “soft bubble” (I think – I honestly don’t even know what this means. Is this a reference to the stock market?)
Arizona – See Above
VCU – The Rams fell to 12-6 in the CAA, and finished in 4th place. They await the winner of the Drexel v. Towson game in the CAA tournament. Then, if they win, most likely George Mason. They would need to beat Drexel (who they lost to earlier this week), and George Mason, advancing to the finals, to think about making the big dance. Their early win over UCLA is looking better and better, but losing to Georgia State and South Florida negates that.
Wichita State – This league is destined to be a one bid league. Wichita was getting blown out for a majority of the game, and rallied, just to fall short, giving Mizzou State the regular season MVC championship. This was a great game, and great story involving coach Cuonzo Martin (a fourteen year cancer survivor). Despite Mizzou State’s win, and Wichita’s loss, I feel that the only bid will go to the eventual champion. Therefore, Wichita losing isn’t the end of the world, but I just wanted to talk about this game some more. Added bonus – Martin’s high school team, East St. Louis in Illinois, won 2 state titles, and featured LaPhonso Ellis as well.
Nebraska – Done. 6-8 in Big12 wont cut it.
Memphis – Talked about them last night, don’t want to anymore.
Alabama – This team already had a lot of questions. Was their 11-3 record in the SEC legit? Could they battle consistently with the “monsters” of the SEC east? This loss hurts considering that the Tide still have to go to Florida and host UGA, so a split would be nice. They’ve already locked up the SEC West title (if they make a T-shirt for this, Im buying it), and will play most likely either Tennessee or UGA in their first SEC tournament game. They’ve beaten Kentucky, they’ve beaten Tennessee. They’re sitting on 19 wins……..gonna be close.
Minnesota - Their home court advantage did not exist this year. This team blew a big lead to Virginia at home, and added home losses to Illinois, Michigan, and Ohio State. Traditionally, they would have won 3 of those 4 games. If that were the case, they would have 20 wins instead of 17. The fact that they have won ONE game in their last EIGHT is bad enough, and even worse when you consider that win was against Iowa. Their non-conference wins against WV and UNC can’t help them now. They need to win the Big10 tourney.
Harvard – Bad enough to lose to your rival. Even worse to fall to second place in your conference. Even worst-er-est when you consider they don’t have a conference tournament to make up for it. Harvard was in control of the Ivy league until slipping up in New Haven today. For those of you wondering – Yale plays their home games in “Lee Amphitheater,” which holds 2,532 people. Princeton now holds the lead, and has three road games to close. Harvard is one game back, but has already beaten Princeton. They close with two home games, including their finale against Princeton next Saturday. All eyes will be on Lavietes Pavillion, which, somehow, holds less people than Yale’s stadium.
Tennessee – See Above
Colorado State – See Above
Conference USA – Look at the standings in this clusterfrick. UAB is in first place at 10-4. Then, there’s a four way tie for 2nd, and a two way tie for sixth. I really hope no more than one team makes this tournament. Five teams have more than twenty wins, (UAB, Memphis, UTEP, S. Miss, and Marshall), but two of those teams lost today.
As a final note. Tomorrow night I will be posting a massive, robust, badass Conference tournament preview blog. It will be epic. There are 32 conferences. Fourteen will be done after tomorrow. Eighteen will be done after next weekend. I will present the final standings for the 14 conferences that are done, give you the bracket setup of the conference, the matchups, and everything else you need to know about the conference tournaments, (except for the Ivy, since they’re so smart they don’t have a tournament).
More importantly, I will run the data and figure out the odds of each team getting each seed for the other eighteen conferences! Like I said, it’s gonna be a big blog. I hope you enjoy it. It will be my best effort to compile all the conference tournament information one could possibly need into one website.
Wait a minute…….does this mean I need to figure out the Conference USA standings? Shit. What did I get myself into? I hope you all appreciate what I’m doing for you.
Make sure to follow me on twitter as well at (@? Don t even know how this works), but my name is bigh1313. I tweet at least a few times a day on the weekends, and are usually better, knee-jerk reactions to what I see on tv.
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