The College Basketball Post

[ThaxbyChamblis]

Originally Posted by allen3xis

I think being on the road, in that gym (

) is too much. but we'll see.

Dukies favored by 8.5

Ehhh, I know it's not QUITE the same, but y'all did go up tp Storrs and pull one out, right?

despite size, yall are a great offensive rebounding team, that's no good

.
Let's hope we stick with that.

If Zoubek tests Greg to shoot it, it'll probably be from 20ft away...

True. Let's hope he don't hit that !#++.

against man he'll start out at the top instead of the elbow and look for backdoors and go off UCLA cuts.

UCLA cuts?

Not to be racist...but does anyone else see at least one F on that list?
Black people from the PJ's know how to swim. The go to that dirty #@! community pool in the summer when it is hot as $%$# outside. Plus Lanceis from Coney Island, right on the beach.

You closet KKK member.

 

[allen3xis]

just the initial cut at the high post, that's how we get posts looks most tims. Monroe, and the guards come off them...nothing there, it's reversed andback to Princeton sets.

Ehhh, I know it's not QUITE the same, but y'all did go up tp Storrs and pull one out, right?
you know damn well there is a difference.

...i'ma tryto not mention that aspect.

 

[handsome hustler]

Originally Posted by allen3xis

just the initial cut at the high post, that's how we get posts looks most tims. Monroe, and the guards come off them...nothing there, it's reversed and back to Princeton sets.

Ok, cool.

you know damn well there is a difference.

...i'ma try to not mention that aspect.

Interested to see the matchup between G and Freeman. Everyone talks about Zou and Monroe and Singler and Dajuan

 

[allen3xis]

yeah, I think Henderson poses the biggest problem.


RANDOM NOTES: Former Kentucky forward Mark Coury has landed at Cornell. … Texas A&M sophomore forward Denzel Bowles will transfer out ofthe program. … Florida's Billy Donovan won his 300th game with the Gators earlier in the week. He is one of six coaches in SEC history to win at least 300games joining Adolph Rupp (875), Dale Brown (44, Harry Rabenhorst (340), C.M. Newton (340) and Tubby Smith (30. … Former Pepperdine and Charlotte pointguard Mike Gerrity will walk-on at USC and then be awarded a scholarship for his final semester of eligibility a year from now. … Arizona State freshmanforward Johnny Coy has transferred to Wichita State. … Portland sophomore guard Jared Stohl set a school record with nine 3-pointers in a win against SanFrancisco last night. … UC Davis coach Gary Stewart won his 200th career game in a road victory over Cal State Fullerton. … Long Island has won four straightand is 4-1 in NEC play, the program's best start since a 5-0 start back in 1996-97. Senior Ron Manigault, the cousin of playground legend Earl "TheGoat" Manigault, leads the league in rebounding at 8.8 per contest. ... Louisiana-Monroe's Tony Hooper is done for the season with a broken left foot.

 

[gangsta207therevolution]

Mike Davis has a good junior season, 15 and 8 boards he will go pro.

 

[scuse7]

Over 29,000 sold already

I'll be there

 

[allen3xis]

[h3]Must-See Game[/h3]
By Jay Bilas, ESPN
No. 3 Wake Forest (15-0) at No. 9 Clemson (16-0), Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (ABC)
Outlook: I was among the very fortunate to have had Skip Prosser as a friend. When he had one of his best teams at Wake a few years ago,Prosser and I were sitting together after his team had practiced. He took out his team's statistics for the year and pointed to his team's defensivefield goal percentage. It was hovering at just over 42 percent.
Prosser said: "This is the number that will cost us. We have to get this down." He was right, and it was a struggle for that team to have adefensive mindset when it knew it could just outscore opponents and win.

Well, look at Wake Forest now. Any quarrel one would have with the Demon Deacons over the last several years would have targeted defense. This season, theyoung Deacons lead the ACC in field goal percentage defense (36 percent) and are third in 3-point defense (28 percent). And with a plus-7.6 rebound margin,Wake limits opponents to just one shot for the most part.

Wake Forest is guarding people, and as a result, the Demon Deacons are one of the best teams in the country. Wake is the most athletically gifted andtalented team in the ACC, and that includes North Carolina.

Jeff Teague is one of the top five guards in the nation, James Johnson is a special talent, and Al-Farouq Aminu is one of the five best freshmen in the country. Chas McFarland is a big body that can finish plays, and Dino Gaudio has a lot of long andathletic bodies that he can throw on the floor and wear you down.

Clemson was expected to be good, but after losing three seniors, the Tigers were not expected to be better. So far, Oliver Purnell's team has beenbetter than last season's version, which went to the ACC tournament final and earned a No. 5 seed in the NCAA tournament.

Clemson is led by interior load Trevor Booker. The lefty big man is averaging 15points, 9.1 rebounds and an ACC-leading 2.8 blocks and is shooting an ACC-leading 57 percent from the field. Booker struggled with fouls last season but hasstayed on the floor in large measure because he has been put at the point of the Clemson press. Instead of being on the back end of the press and facing a2-on-1 or 3-on-2 that might lead to a foul, Booker is guarding the ball and avoiding fouls. He is a confident scorer -- Clemson can throw it to him in the postand have him score over people. If the Tigers play through Booker, they run better offense. Another lefty, K.C. Rivers, is the primary perimeter scorer, and he has big-shot capability. Rivers has putup good numbers and is a steadying influence on the floor.

Clemson's best shooter is sophomore Terrence Oglesby, who is the J.J. Redickof the Tigers. Oglesby has deep range, and has hit 42 treys on the season, tops in the ACC and only one of two players in the league with 40 or more (alongwith Miami's Jack McClinton). Oglesby has done a better job of getting into thelane and diversifying his game.

Clemson loves to press full court, and any time you press, you create opportunities. There are opportunities for you to force turnovers, and there areopportunities for your opponent to get open shots once the initial line of defense is breached.

Key Matchup: Wake's Jeff Teague vs. Clemson's DemontezStitt
Teague is the best young player in the ACC, and he is absolutely impossible to stay in front of. Teague is very good in transition and is the only player inthe ACC with multiple 30-point games. Against Clemson's press, Teague will have the chance to create advantage opportunities for himself and his teammates.Stitt has been a pleasant surprise at the point. He is averaging over 8 points and 3.6 assists per game, and he is a penetrating point guard who can attack offthe bounce and get to the rim and the free throw line.

Key Stats: Rebounding and Turnovers
Both teams are athletic and long and can play at a fast tempo. In this game, every possession will be valuable, even though there will be a lot of them. ForClemson to win, the Tigers have to force Wake Forest turnovers and gain more possessions through their defense. Clemson is not a great rebounding team, and ifWake can win the battle of the boards and take care of the ball while still applying pressure to score, the Deacons will have a great shot to win a road game.Wake won at BC on Wednesday but was not a good road team last season (1-7 in the ACC).

X-Factors: Al-Farouq Aminu and Terrence Oglesby
Aminu is a very talented player who can score and finish around the goal. He could get a lot of opportunities on the back end of the press offense. Oglesby hasgot to hit some shots against the Wake perimeter defense. He is capable of a big shooting game.

Who Wins? Wake Forest
The Demon Deacons are younger and less experienced, but they are confident, long-armed and talented. I like Wake to win on the road in a very toughenvironment.
[h3]More Big-Game Breakdowns[/h3]
By Jay Bilas, ESPN
Pittsburgh at Louisville: The Cardinals struggle to shoot from the perimeter against grindingdefenses, and Pitt can grind it out with the best of them. The Panthers are just as deep as Louisville and are more physical. Unless the Cards hit shots,Pittsburgh will get a win in Freedom Hall. The difference can be Levance Fields andhis ability to handle pressure and DeJuan Blair and his ability to dominate on the glass. Blair has the length and offensive-rebounding capability to reallybother freshman Samardo Samuels.
The Winner: I like Pittsburgh to win on the road.

James Lang/US Presswire

Greg Monroe and the Hoyas will look to give Duke an ultra-rare nonconference loss at home.
Georgetown at Duke: The Blue Devils are guarding really well in ACC play. In three games, they've allowed 44, 58 and 56 points andhave the best defensive efficiency in the country. Duke does a great job of pressuring the ball and forcing offenses further out on the floor, and the BlueDevils do a great job of taking away patterned movement. Georgetown is coming off a superb performance against Syracuse -- shooting almost 60 percent from thefloor. Can Georgetown execute against Duke's pressure and gain backdoor opportunities to soften up the defense? Remember, Duke was beaten by Michigan'ssimilar offense in Ann Arbor when the Wolverines used the Devils' overplay against them and forced them into taking a ton of 3-pointers. Duke has not shotthe ball well over the past two games and must be better offensively to win. If Georgetown does not do a better job of rebounding, the Blue Devils will getsecond shots and take the game.
The Winner: Duke is deeper and better, but I like Georgetown in a really tight game.
Arizona State at UCLA: This game features the nation's best all-around player in Arizona State's James Harden and the best pointguard in the country in UCLA's Darren Collison. ASU is the most efficientoffensive team in the country, and the Sun Devils face a very good defensive team in UCLA. The difference could very well be Arizona State big man Jeff Pendergraph, who is one of the most efficient big men in the country, and one of thehardest-working.
The Winner: I was leaning toward ASU at first, but I'm going to have to go with UCLA at Pauley Pavilion.

Miami at North Carolina: The Hurricanes escaped the clutches of Maryland down in Coral Gables after the Terps had built a 17-point lead inthe second half. Miami has size up front and a special guard in Jack McClinton, but North Carolina will be stinging from the two losses to Boston College andWake Forest and should play with the same intensity that saw the Tar Heels win each of their first 13 games by double digits. Miami is an NCAA-tournament team,but UNC has too much to play for and is too strong.
The Winner: North Carolina will win by double digits.
[h3]Stuff To Impress Your Friends With[/h3]
ESPN Research
• Duke will put its 67-game home winning streak against nonconference opponents on the line Saturday versus Georgetown.The last non-ACC team to beat the Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor was St. John's on Feb. 26, 2000. Only four of the 67 games since have pitted Duke against aranked opponent, including a 61-52 win over the Hoyas on Dec. 2, 2006.
• Even before its game at Cameron Indoor, Georgetown has already played the most Top 25 teams (six) of anyone in the country. The Hoyas are 3-3 in thosecontests.

Mark J. Rebilas/US Presswire

Jeff Pendergraph and ASU have had their share of road struggles against quality opponents.
• UCLA has won eight straight against Arizona State, by an average of 12.9 ppg.
• An even worse omen for ASU? The Sun Devils have lost 18 straight road games to Top 25 opponents, losing those games by 15.8 ppg. The good news? The last wincame in 2002 … at UCLA.
• When Mike Montgomery makes the short trip to Palo Alto to face the Stanford program he coached for 18 years (1986-2004), he will do so with a Cal team thateasily leads the nation in 3-point percentage (48.3 percent). The next closest? The 42.2 percent by Oklahoma State, led by another first-year coach, TravisFord.
• This will be the fourth time that Syracuse and Notre Dame will meet as ranked opponents, and if the past three are any indication, expect a classic. Allthree of their previous Top 25 meetings were decided by four points or fewer.
• Of all the teams that have played at least five games at the Carrier Dome, Notre Dame actually has the highest win percentage (.462, 6-7). Villanova issecond at 11-13 (.45.
• Notre Dame's Luke Harangody has nine straight 20-point games, the first Fighting Irish player since Adrian Dantley in 1975-76 to score 20-plus points inat least nine consecutive games.
• Notre Dame has struggled on the road against ranked conference opponents -- and "struggled" is perhaps too nice a word. In their last 16 suchgames, the Irish are 1-15.
• Speaking of struggles away from home, Wake Forest has lost 10 straight road games against ranked teams.
• Clemson (16-0) is one win away from tying the best start in school history, while Wake (15-0) is one win away from breaking a tie with the 1926-27 team forthe school's best start.
• If Indiana loses to Penn State on Saturday, the Hoosiers will have an eight-game losing streak, which would tie the 1963-64 team for the longest at IU sinceWorld War II.
• Since joining the ACC in 2004, Miami is 1-10 on the road against the North Carolina schools (UNC, Duke, Wake, NC State). The only victory came in Chapel Hillin 2006.


[h4]Player To Watch[/h4]
Terrence Williams, Louisville

The matchup between freshman Samardo Samuels and sophomore DeJuan Blair will draw much of the attention, but if a steadily improving Louisville team isgoing to pull the upset of top-ranked and undefeated Pittsburgh on Saturday (6 p.m., ESPN), the real man to watch is Williams.

Williams

He's not the most gifted shooter, yet he's third on the team in scoring. Far from the biggest guy on the roster, he leads the Cardinals inrebounding. He's not the point guard, but he's tops in assists. The stat-stuffer has been cramming the box score during the Cardinals' four-gamewin streak, averaging 14.2 points, 10.7 rebounds, 6 assists and 1.7 steals. A relentless defender, Williams might have his own intriguing matchup, perhapsagainst a like-minded but better-shooting Sam Young.

Williams is also the emotional leader for a Louisville team that just a month ago looked lost. Mired in a horrible shooting night against Villanova,Williams still had the courage -- not to mention the strength and talent -- to slip in the winning finger roll, cradling the basketball like a football as hedrove to the rim. He said afterward that the reason he had the nerve to take the shot was that "I'm too old not to make that shot.''

This Louisville team appears to be on the brink of a run similar to the one that took last year's Cards to the doorstep of the Final Four. Saturday willoffer a more definitive answer. And the chatterbox "T-Will" will help supply it.

-- Dana O'Neil, ESPN.com

[h4]Louisville's Rick Pitino on facing No. 1 Pi[/h4]
[h4]Key Games This Weekend[/h4]Saturday

• No. 13 ND at No. 8 Syracuse, Noon, ESPN
SU coach Jim Boeheim couldn't be too excited about how his team's brutal 10-game stretch started Wednesday night at Georgetown. The Orange were beatenbadly, 88-74, which ended their seven-game winning streak. Worse, Syracuse was lethargic and almost lackadaisical on defense. Georgetown's 88 points werethe most allowed by the Orange this season (and the most the Hoyas had scored against a Big East opponent during the John Thompson III era). The Hoyas shot59.3 percent, including 12-for-21 on 3-pointers.

The Big East exhibition games are clearly over for Syracuse. The Orange's first four Big East opponents are a combined 1-16 against conference foes.Cuse will play seven ranked teams in its next nine games, starting with Saturday's home game against Notre Dame at the Carrier Dome. Fighting Irish guardKyle McAlarney had to be licking his chops after watching film of Syracuse'sdefense against the Hoyas. McAlarney, who has made 47.9 percent of his 3-point attempts this season, scored 19 points with five 3-pointers in an overtime lossat Louisville on Monday night. Fighting Irish forward Luke Harangody scored 28points, his ninth consecutive outing with 20 points or more.\


[h4]Viewer's Guide[/h4](All times ET) Saturday:
11 a.m.: "College GameDay" (ESPN)
Noon: Notre Dame at Syracuse (ESPN)
1:30 p.m.: Georgetown at Duke (CBS)
2 p.m.: Oklahoma at Texas A&M (ESPN)
3:30 p.m.: Wake Forest at Clemson (ABC)
3:45 p.m.: Arizona St. at UCLA (CBS)
4 p.m.: Illinois at Michigan St. (ESPN)
6 p.m.: Pittsburgh at Louisville (ESPN)
8 p.m.: California at Stanford (FSN)
9 p.m.: Miami at North Carolina (ESPN)

 

[rellnye]

Originally Posted by SCuse7

Over 29,000 sold already

I'll be there

Good luck. It is too cold to go outside. I'll watch from the warm and comfort of my dorm.

I hate what the student section has become anyway. It sucks so hard.

 

[allen3xis]

"Our league is the best league," Krzyzewski said following Duke's 70-56 victory at Georgia Tech this week. "The fact that we have 12 teams shouldn't be discriminated against. Believe me, we don't want more; I don't want more. But we have a hell of a league."

"It just seems that people are always talking about the Big East," Krzyzewski said. "I don't know if it's because they [ESPN] want an audience for Big Monday. I don't know.

The argument that the Big East is better, he said, is "more of a superficial - no, that's too harsh - it's more of a surface look at things," he said. "When you take an in-depth look, our league is the toughest league. I don't think there's any question about it.

"One through 12, the Big East is better," said Jay Bilas of ESPN. "And I think if you put a lie detector on every ACC coach and said, 'If you think the Big East is not as good as the ACC, we'll let you move into the Big East right now and play the rest of the season in the Big East,' none of them would agree to it."

 

[scuse7]

Is Aminu that good...he didn't do much against UNC.

He just made some dumb mistakes

...

Rell you a little baby


And Allen...when are you going to make a trip to the dome for a G'Town/SU game?

 

[allen3xis]

been before (03)..but yeah, need to get to one again.

lot of things to get to...

#1 being BET....NT summit?

...MSG prices

Anyone been to the Prudential Center? Only hear good reviews of the place and SHU tix come cheap.

 

[handsome hustler]

Originally Posted by allen3xis

"Our league is the best league," Krzyzewski said following Duke's 70-56 victory at Georgia Tech this week. "The fact that we have 12 teams shouldn't be discriminated against. Believe me, we don't want more; I don't want more. But we have a hell of a league."

"It just seems that people are always talking about the Big East," Krzyzewski said. "I don't know if it's because they [ESPN] want an audience for Big Monday. I don't know.

The argument that the Big East is better, he said, is "more of a superficial - no, that's too harsh - it's more of a surface look at things," he said. "When you take an in-depth look, our league is the toughest league. I don't think there's any question about it.

 

[true 3 blue]

I'm in there if yall do a summit at MSG

 

[jamesonnt]

Originally Posted by allen3xis

Long Island has won four straight and is 4-1 in NEC play, the program's best start since a 5-0 start back in 1996-97. Senior Ron Manigault, the cousin of playground legend Earl "The Goat" Manigault, leads the league in rebounding at 8.8 per contest. ...

Long Island!

.. too bad I know absolutely nothing about them / don't care.

Cousins to Memphis would be major.

MSG prices

what do the prices for the BET look like?
when I went to the Jimmy V last year I got seats in the 300's I think(facing the court - a little to the left of the halfcourt line. behind the basket =

) for $40 each and those seats were definitely worth it.
I'm assuming the BET cost a lot more but ..

 

[scuse7]

Originally Posted by allen3xis


#1 being BET....NT summit?

...MSG prices

That is what we need to do.

 

[allen3xis]

what do the prices for the BET look like?
depends on the sessions...idk, i gota look into it. i know all session passes are like 2g's..

 

[DeadsetAce]

The Winner: Duke is deeper and better, but I like Georgetown in a really tight game.
my dude jay bilas

just grab some boards and we'll be fine

 

[craftsy21]

Bilas and these guys still just don't get it.

Saying UNC needs to play better defense? They are 12th!!!!!!! in defensive efficiency... that means only 11 teams do a better job of stopping teams perposession... well you might say, "but they play so fast, teams get a lot of posessions so they score higher numbers on average... ". Quite alright,since they have the most efficient offense in the country at the same time.



When are these guys going to finally start using the right stats to make their points?

 

[allen3xis]

Hubert

that fool sucks.

 

[shannonscrooks]

Originally Posted by true 3 blue

I'm in there if yall do a summit at MSG

Co-sign. Definitely would like to get to the BET this year.

Also, tourney is going to be in Boston this year...

....

 

[dacomeup]

BET? Word.

 

[tmay407]

%*!%, I've been looking at the eastern time for the OU @ A&M game...I might be late now...

*kicks cruise control up to 85*

 

[allen3xis]

Originally Posted by ShannonsCrooks

Originally Posted by true 3 blue

I'm in there if yall do a summit at MSG

Co-sign. Definitely would like to get to the BET this year.

Also, tourney is going to be in Boston this year...

....

...you goin?

..
I see what Shuges was talkin bout with Jackson, dude is outa gas 4 minutes in.

 

[ThaxbyChamblis]

They're running them boys out the building...

 

[allen3xis]

ND on their way to 1-16 in their last 17 against ranked conference opponents on the road.