No disrespect, but it has to be said.....Georgetown just choked away what should have been a victory. There's really no other way to put it. The Hoyas are one of the country's top defensive teams and they just surrendered a 47 point second half to Davidson.
As he's had a habit of doing all season, Roy Hibbert simply disappeared in this one.
6 points and ONE rebound.....ONE rebound?!?!?!
It wasn't all on Hibbert's shoulders though....the Hoyas shot an awful 46% from the foul line (8-17).
Give Davidson some credit, they played a heck of a 2nd half. But I don't think they're a better team than G-Town. The Hoyas flat out GAVE this game away. They didn't run their offense, ignored Hibbert at times, and turned the ball over 18 times....while only forcing 5 Davidson turnovers.
Despite all of that the Hoyas had a 17 point lead in the 2nd half....you can't give up a 17 point second half lead.
We'll see how Hibbert's draft stock goes this offseason. I don't think he's anything more than an NBA role player. In fact, I think he's better in that role. He seemed to struggle at times this season as the "go-to" guy for the Hoyas.
Maybe Hibbert sneaks into the lottery because of his size and skill set....but he's not a surefire lottery pick. Especially if some of the better underclassmen come out.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Free Throw-Fest Saturday
It seems to happen every year.....with all the excitement and enthusiasm surrounding March Madness and the teams and players involved the refs the NCAA appoints to officiate these games go and decide that they want some of the spotlight.
What a shame.....despite great efforts by all the players and coaches involved, these 2 early games have been almost UN-watchable due to constant whistles from the officials.
The refs in DC called 48 fouls in the Duke-WVU game.....that's more than a foul a MINUTE.
So far in this K State-Wisconsin game the refs have called 36 fouls in 33 minutes. Wisconsin was int he DOUBLE bonus midway thru the 2nd half.
I haven't seen much of the Xavier-Purdue game but it appears the stripes are letting the PLAYERS decide the game in that one.
This Wisconsin-K State game has been especially putrid. These guys are just LOOKING for an excuse to blow their whistles.
How sad....this tourney should be decided by the PLAYERS, not the guys in the black and white striped shirts.
Hopefully it gets better as the night goes on, because some of these early games have frankly been unwatchable at times.
What a shame.....despite great efforts by all the players and coaches involved, these 2 early games have been almost UN-watchable due to constant whistles from the officials.
The refs in DC called 48 fouls in the Duke-WVU game.....that's more than a foul a MINUTE.
So far in this K State-Wisconsin game the refs have called 36 fouls in 33 minutes. Wisconsin was int he DOUBLE bonus midway thru the 2nd half.
I haven't seen much of the Xavier-Purdue game but it appears the stripes are letting the PLAYERS decide the game in that one.
This Wisconsin-K State game has been especially putrid. These guys are just LOOKING for an excuse to blow their whistles.
How sad....this tourney should be decided by the PLAYERS, not the guys in the black and white striped shirts.
Hopefully it gets better as the night goes on, because some of these early games have frankly been unwatchable at times.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Tyler Spaz-brough Love-Fest on CBS
Great day of games so far although I don't know if I'm going to be able to stomach Billy Packer and Jim Nantz slobbering over Tyler Hansbrough in this game against MIGHTY Mount Saint Mary's.
I swear to god the 2 of these love-struck puppy dogs just went nuts because Spaz-brough dribbled between his legs.....
He didn't make a great move or anything......just took one regular dribble standing still and then one dribble from his right hand to his left hand BETWEEN HIS LEGS!!!! Maybe if his NBA career doesn't pan out he can become a Harlem Globetrotter!
How amazing....there are 3rd graders out their who do this in their driveway every day. Do Packer and Nantz wet their pants everytime this happens?
You would have thought by their reaction that they were watching the 2nd coming of Pistol Pete. Give me a break....Hansbrough's got 5 points in 10 minutes against 16th seeded Mount Saint Mary's and these two guys are acting like two teenage girls who just saw their favorite American Idol contestant.
I seriously might puke....Carolina is playing the team that won the play-in game, their the #1 seeded team in the tournament....and Nantz and Packer can't stop gushing about how great the Tar Heels are. Man, I can't wait 'til the Tar Heels face a real team and are exposed.
I'll just hang out and wait until they go on a 20 shot miss streak like they did last year against Georgetown right in the middle of the most important game of the season.
Funny none of these gushing announcers who LOVE Hansbrough never ask where "Psycho T" was during that brutal offensive performance. You would think a STAR and National Player of the Year would be able to at least WILL his team to ONE basket in a Regional Final game, right?
That's Carolina's big problem....when they get in a tight game....WHO do they look to for a big basket? Hansbrough? Wayne Ellington? Danny Green?
Hopefully Indiana will play like the REAL Indiana team and we'll at least get to see how the Tar Heels react to playing a REAL team in Round 2.
Gotta get through a tough Arkansas team first though.....
Honestly....not to sound like a Tar Heel "hater" but this team didn't exactly play a tough schedule this year. 4 ACC teams in the tourney.....and it's not like Duke looked all that impressive in their game against Belmont.
So....the Tar Heels split with the Dukies, beat the Canes once and swept Clemson in 3 very close games against the ACC teams that made the tourney. Virginia Tech took them to the buzzer a week ago....
Out of conference the Heels struggled early in the season against Davidson....okay....solid mid-major team, some credit there. The Heels beat BYU, but it was tight all night. Besides that the only decent teams the Heels played were Ohio State and Kentucky.....and they caught both those teams early in the year when they weren't playing very well.
So....OSU, Kentucky, Davidson, BYU and an ACC schedule in a down year for the ACC.
I know everyone is in LOVE with this UNC team.....and I know they went 32-2 but something still doesn't sit right with me about this team. A second look at their schedule now that most of the season has played out makes me question the Heels a little more.....I'm just saying....
I swear to god the 2 of these love-struck puppy dogs just went nuts because Spaz-brough dribbled between his legs.....
He didn't make a great move or anything......just took one regular dribble standing still and then one dribble from his right hand to his left hand BETWEEN HIS LEGS!!!! Maybe if his NBA career doesn't pan out he can become a Harlem Globetrotter!
How amazing....there are 3rd graders out their who do this in their driveway every day. Do Packer and Nantz wet their pants everytime this happens?
You would have thought by their reaction that they were watching the 2nd coming of Pistol Pete. Give me a break....Hansbrough's got 5 points in 10 minutes against 16th seeded Mount Saint Mary's and these two guys are acting like two teenage girls who just saw their favorite American Idol contestant.
I seriously might puke....Carolina is playing the team that won the play-in game, their the #1 seeded team in the tournament....and Nantz and Packer can't stop gushing about how great the Tar Heels are. Man, I can't wait 'til the Tar Heels face a real team and are exposed.
I'll just hang out and wait until they go on a 20 shot miss streak like they did last year against Georgetown right in the middle of the most important game of the season.
Funny none of these gushing announcers who LOVE Hansbrough never ask where "Psycho T" was during that brutal offensive performance. You would think a STAR and National Player of the Year would be able to at least WILL his team to ONE basket in a Regional Final game, right?
That's Carolina's big problem....when they get in a tight game....WHO do they look to for a big basket? Hansbrough? Wayne Ellington? Danny Green?
Hopefully Indiana will play like the REAL Indiana team and we'll at least get to see how the Tar Heels react to playing a REAL team in Round 2.
Gotta get through a tough Arkansas team first though.....
Honestly....not to sound like a Tar Heel "hater" but this team didn't exactly play a tough schedule this year. 4 ACC teams in the tourney.....and it's not like Duke looked all that impressive in their game against Belmont.
So....the Tar Heels split with the Dukies, beat the Canes once and swept Clemson in 3 very close games against the ACC teams that made the tourney. Virginia Tech took them to the buzzer a week ago....
Out of conference the Heels struggled early in the season against Davidson....okay....solid mid-major team, some credit there. The Heels beat BYU, but it was tight all night. Besides that the only decent teams the Heels played were Ohio State and Kentucky.....and they caught both those teams early in the year when they weren't playing very well.
So....OSU, Kentucky, Davidson, BYU and an ACC schedule in a down year for the ACC.
I know everyone is in LOVE with this UNC team.....and I know they went 32-2 but something still doesn't sit right with me about this team. A second look at their schedule now that most of the season has played out makes me question the Heels a little more.....I'm just saying....
Duke-Belmont Thoughts
This was the best game of the game. The Xavier-UGA game was interesting and Kentucky and Marquette played a close one, but the Bruins near upset of the Dukies was Thursday's most dramatic game.
Duke was extremely lucky to escape with a win....
Belmont is well-coached team that played HARD. I can't remember a team coming out in Round 1 of the tourney and laying it all on the line like Belmont did. Belmont pushed the tempo all night and out-hustled Duke all night long. Coach K couldn't have been happy with some of the efforts he got on Thursday.
Surprisingly enough, Belmont exposed the Blue Devils lack of athleticism. Duke looked like the slower team all night and a couple of Belmont's quick guards gave them fits on both ends of the floor.
I still don't know if it's because Duke isn't athletic or if Belmont's Alex Renfroe (#12) is just that FAST.
The guy is a blur with the basketball....before last night I was sure Darren Collison of UCLA was the fastest player in the tournament with the basketball.....but now I'm pretty sure it was Renfroe.
#40 Henry Harris is also lightning quick....when Belmont played Harris and Renfroe in the backcourt together, Duke couldn't handle the speed. Both of these guys are lean, skinny guys who look more like track or marathon runners than basketball players. I couldn't really think of a basketball comparison to either of them.....their athletic ability reminded me of football players like Ted Ginn and DeSean Jackson.....
Belmont made the day for me.....even though they lost they played hard and with passion. The Bruins played their style of basketball even though most would have thought that fast=-paced style might hurt them against Duke.
All is not lost for the Dukies though....I know a lot of people are down on them after their performance Thursday, but West Virginia's win is good news for the Blue Devils. Duke matches up better with WVU. The matchup to watch is at the point where Greg Paulus is going to need to keep Demetris Nichols in front of him....if the Blue Devils want to start playing better defense and limit WVU's open 3-point looks.
Despite their poor showing against Belmont, the Dukies will still be the favorite against WVU on Saturday in what should be an interesting matchup.
Duke was extremely lucky to escape with a win....
Belmont is well-coached team that played HARD. I can't remember a team coming out in Round 1 of the tourney and laying it all on the line like Belmont did. Belmont pushed the tempo all night and out-hustled Duke all night long. Coach K couldn't have been happy with some of the efforts he got on Thursday.
Surprisingly enough, Belmont exposed the Blue Devils lack of athleticism. Duke looked like the slower team all night and a couple of Belmont's quick guards gave them fits on both ends of the floor.
I still don't know if it's because Duke isn't athletic or if Belmont's Alex Renfroe (#12) is just that FAST.
The guy is a blur with the basketball....before last night I was sure Darren Collison of UCLA was the fastest player in the tournament with the basketball.....but now I'm pretty sure it was Renfroe.
#40 Henry Harris is also lightning quick....when Belmont played Harris and Renfroe in the backcourt together, Duke couldn't handle the speed. Both of these guys are lean, skinny guys who look more like track or marathon runners than basketball players. I couldn't really think of a basketball comparison to either of them.....their athletic ability reminded me of football players like Ted Ginn and DeSean Jackson.....
Belmont made the day for me.....even though they lost they played hard and with passion. The Bruins played their style of basketball even though most would have thought that fast=-paced style might hurt them against Duke.
All is not lost for the Dukies though....I know a lot of people are down on them after their performance Thursday, but West Virginia's win is good news for the Blue Devils. Duke matches up better with WVU. The matchup to watch is at the point where Greg Paulus is going to need to keep Demetris Nichols in front of him....if the Blue Devils want to start playing better defense and limit WVU's open 3-point looks.
Despite their poor showing against Belmont, the Dukies will still be the favorite against WVU on Saturday in what should be an interesting matchup.
Chalk Walks On Thursday....
Almost an entire day of higher seeds winning on Thursday.....so now every bozo who just picks the higher seeds every year thinks they're a college basketball expert.
A few disappointments on Thursday for me.....Kent State played terribly on offense against UNLV, scoring only 10 points in the first half. This is the 2nd time in a row the Golden Flashes have made the tourney only to come out in round with with an awful 1st half performance.
2 years ago back in 2006 they as a 12 seed they drew Pitt and came out much like they did yesterday against UNLV.....
Arizona was a bit of a disappointment. I really thought this team would come out with a chip on their shoulder and win a few games. It's not that they played terribly though....they just ran into a buzzsaw in West Virginia who shot 51% from the field and made 11 of 19 3-pointers (58%).
Demetris Nichols (4-7 on 3's) and Alex Ruoff (5-7 on 3's) just didn't miss. Tough to beat any team that shoots 58% from behind the arc.
I will say this - any of the experts who said Arizona didn't belong in the tournament were DEAD WRONG. Arizona played well and anyone who thinks their loss to WVU justifies those who said Arizona State deserved a spot in the tourney over them is just plain wrong.
The only real upset was K State's win over USC. Keep an eye on Kansas State.....they have the tourney's best player and a lot of athleticism. It's not far-fetched at all to see them move past Wisconsin into the Round of 16.
A few disappointments on Thursday for me.....Kent State played terribly on offense against UNLV, scoring only 10 points in the first half. This is the 2nd time in a row the Golden Flashes have made the tourney only to come out in round with with an awful 1st half performance.
2 years ago back in 2006 they as a 12 seed they drew Pitt and came out much like they did yesterday against UNLV.....
Arizona was a bit of a disappointment. I really thought this team would come out with a chip on their shoulder and win a few games. It's not that they played terribly though....they just ran into a buzzsaw in West Virginia who shot 51% from the field and made 11 of 19 3-pointers (58%).
Demetris Nichols (4-7 on 3's) and Alex Ruoff (5-7 on 3's) just didn't miss. Tough to beat any team that shoots 58% from behind the arc.
I will say this - any of the experts who said Arizona didn't belong in the tournament were DEAD WRONG. Arizona played well and anyone who thinks their loss to WVU justifies those who said Arizona State deserved a spot in the tourney over them is just plain wrong.
The only real upset was K State's win over USC. Keep an eye on Kansas State.....they have the tourney's best player and a lot of athleticism. It's not far-fetched at all to see them move past Wisconsin into the Round of 16.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Sean Miller Looks Like Jimmy Kimmel....and Temple Stinks
First off, let's get this out of the way.....Temple is awful. Michigan State is locking them down...the Owls might not even score 50.
Some good news out of the A-10, this experienced Xavier team is making a run.
Not to get too off topic, but has anyone else ever noticed the striking resemblence between Xavier coach Sean Miller and Jimmy Kimmel?
Some good news out of the A-10, this experienced Xavier team is making a run.
Not to get too off topic, but has anyone else ever noticed the striking resemblence between Xavier coach Sean Miller and Jimmy Kimmel?
Has anyone ever seen these two in the same place at the same time?
For those of you who don't know - before Miller began his coaching career he played some PG at Pitt and got the assist on the classic "Send it in, Jerome!" backboard shattering dunk by Jerome Lane.
Afternoon Game Thoughts
Some interesting matchups this afternoon.....I think the Kent State-UNLV game will be a good one. Purdue-Baylor also figures to be competitive.
The most intriguing game could be the Marquette-Kentucky game. Both teams are talented but seem to struggle at times on the offensive end for periods of time. I think Tom Crean's Marquette squad will turn up the defense a notch and walk out with a win.
I think Pitt may get an early challenge from an athletic Oral Roberts team, but will pull away in the second half. Teams like Pitt that come into the tourney riding huge waves are often ripe for an upset. Remember when Syracuse ran through the Big East tourney and then came out and laid an egg against Vermont....???
Well, Pitt finds themselves in an almost identical situation, it will be interesting to see how they handle it.
Those of you looking for an upset....I think Baylor has the best chance to pull one.
Another thing to watch......with some of these games being played in Denver it will be interesting to watch to see if the altitude effects any of these teams, especially in the 2nd half of these games. Just a little something to keep an eye on.
The most intriguing game could be the Marquette-Kentucky game. Both teams are talented but seem to struggle at times on the offensive end for periods of time. I think Tom Crean's Marquette squad will turn up the defense a notch and walk out with a win.
I think Pitt may get an early challenge from an athletic Oral Roberts team, but will pull away in the second half. Teams like Pitt that come into the tourney riding huge waves are often ripe for an upset. Remember when Syracuse ran through the Big East tourney and then came out and laid an egg against Vermont....???
Well, Pitt finds themselves in an almost identical situation, it will be interesting to see how they handle it.
Those of you looking for an upset....I think Baylor has the best chance to pull one.
Another thing to watch......with some of these games being played in Denver it will be interesting to watch to see if the altitude effects any of these teams, especially in the 2nd half of these games. Just a little something to keep an eye on.
Early Thursday Observations
Well, early on it doesn't look so good for the A-10. Xavier is struggling and MSU is giving Temple fits with their defensive pressure.
Temple has some big athletic guards but they just seem to want to stand around the 3 point line and jack up shots. It's obvious the Spartans are making the Owls uncomfortable by getting up and guarding them and making them do something off the dribble.
Temple needs to get aggressive and get to the basket, then the 3's will start to open up. If they don't this game could get ugly. A couple buckets by Ryan Brooks as I write this gets Temple off the schnide.
In the other game, Xavier came out looking confident. They jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead and then CJ Anderson missed a wide open layup and got elbowed in the face afterward. It was extremely EARLY but that missed layup and the loss of Anderson to the bench seemed to kill Xavier's rhythm. The whole first half after that was a struggle. Credit goes to Georgia for extending their defense and making Xavier beat them off going to the basket and not out on the 3 point line.
Temple-MSU just went to half with the Spartans up 9....same exact score as the Xavier-UGA game.
Temple really needs Dionte Christmas and Tyndale to do something on offense. The two combine to average 34 points a game.....right now at half they have 2....
These poor early showings by these A-10 schools doesn't bode well for anyone who picked a St. Joe's upset in their bracket. The A-10 doesn't look very good right now...
Temple has some big athletic guards but they just seem to want to stand around the 3 point line and jack up shots. It's obvious the Spartans are making the Owls uncomfortable by getting up and guarding them and making them do something off the dribble.
Temple needs to get aggressive and get to the basket, then the 3's will start to open up. If they don't this game could get ugly. A couple buckets by Ryan Brooks as I write this gets Temple off the schnide.
In the other game, Xavier came out looking confident. They jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead and then CJ Anderson missed a wide open layup and got elbowed in the face afterward. It was extremely EARLY but that missed layup and the loss of Anderson to the bench seemed to kill Xavier's rhythm. The whole first half after that was a struggle. Credit goes to Georgia for extending their defense and making Xavier beat them off going to the basket and not out on the 3 point line.
Temple-MSU just went to half with the Spartans up 9....same exact score as the Xavier-UGA game.
Temple really needs Dionte Christmas and Tyndale to do something on offense. The two combine to average 34 points a game.....right now at half they have 2....
These poor early showings by these A-10 schools doesn't bode well for anyone who picked a St. Joe's upset in their bracket. The A-10 doesn't look very good right now...
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
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