The College Basketball Post

Originally Posted by MDterps4

Can't wait until tomorrow!
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The under armour boys are going down buddy
 
[h1]Studio 54: Meet Jodie Meeks[/h1]
By Jason King, Yahoo! Sports 10 hours, 9 minutes ago

http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/expertsarchive;_ylt=AmR6WEVjRHwEjtXpDFNE4Enqz4x4?author=Jason+King

http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/expertsarchive;_ylt=AmR6WEVjRHwEjtXpDFNE4Enqz4x4?author=Jason+King http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/expertsarchive;_ylt=AmR6WEVjRHwEjtXpDFNE4Enqz4x4?author=Jason+King

http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/expertsarchive;_ylt=AmR6WEVjRHwEjtXpDFNE4Enqz4x4?author=Jason+King

http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/expertsarchive;_ylt=AmR6WEVjRHwEjtXpDFNE4Enqz4x4?author=Jason+King

Kentucky's Jodie Meeks works the ball against Tennessee's Bobby Maze en route to scoring 54 against the Volunteers on Jan. 13 in Knoxville.
(AP Photo/Wade Payne)

Meeks' greatest hits
Jodie Meeks broke Kentucky legend Dan Issel's single-game scoring record by striking for 54 points in a win over Tennessee. Here are some of Meeks' other scoring outbursts this season:
[table][tr][th=""]Points[/th] [th=""]Date[/th] [th=""]Opponent[/th] [/tr][tr][td]39[/td] [td]Nov. 14[/td] [td]VMI[/td] [/tr][tr][td]37[/td] [td]Nov. 29[/td] [td]Kansas State[/td] [/tr][tr][td]46[/td] [td]Dec. 20[/td] [td]Appalachian State[/td] [/tr][tr][td]32[/td] [td]Dec. 22[/td] [td]Tennessee State[/td] [/tr][tr][td]54[/td] [td]Jan. 13[/td] [td]Tennessee[/td] [/tr][tr][td]31[/td] [td]Jan. 21[/td] [td]Auburn[/td] [/tr][/table]
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More Kentucky coverage: CatsPause.com http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/expertsarchive;_ylt=AmR6WEVjRHwEjtXpDFNE4Enqz4x4?author=Jason+King
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LEXINGTON, Ky. - For the Kentucky students enrolled in Consumer Behavior 310, the first assignment of the spring semester was simple: Introduce yourself. Tell the class where you're from, and reveal an interesting fact or two.

Jodie Meeks could've saved his breath.

"I said my name," Meeks says, "and everyone started clapping. It was a little embarrassing. I guess they already knew who I was."

One week after scoring a school-record 54 points in Kentucky's victory at Tennessee, Meeks is finally beginning to grasp the magnitude of his accomplishment.

Television analysts are hyping him as a national player of the year candidate, classmates ask for his autograph as he walks through campus and NBA scouts are dissecting every dribble, shot and facial expression.

It's all been a bit overwhelming for Meeks, who finally caught a break Monday when the university closed to observe Martin Luther King Day.

"I slept until 12:30," Meeks says. "It's been a crazy week."

More like a crazy season.

Impressive as last week's feat may have been, Meeks' 54-point effort was merely the cherry on top of what's been an All-American-type year for the junior guard.

Meeks - who missed all but 11 games last season because of a sports hernia - is averaging 26 points a game for the 15-4 Wildcats, who improved to 4-0 in the SEC with Wednesday's victory over Auburn.

Meeks scored 46 in a win over Appalachian State last month and has eclipsed the 30-point plateau six times. The 54 points he dropped on Tennessee were the most by a Division I player in a regulation game in the past 10 years.

"I still can't get over it," Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie says. "It was one of the most unbelievable things I've ever seen."

"Unbelievable." The people closest to Jodie Meeks can't help but smile when they hear that word. Folks may not have guessed he would break Dan Issel's Kentucky scoring mark, but Meeks' Millennium Falcon-blast to the top of the college basketball world has hardly surprised those who know him best.

Orestes Meeks, Jodie's father, says he'll never forget his son's reaction after reading the preseason basketball magazines that predicted Kentucky would fail to reach the NCAA tournament because its roster featured just one good player in forward Patrick Patterson.

"Dad," Meeks told his father, "I think they forgot about me."

Orestes smiles.

"That's what makes this so special," he says. "People have doubted and overlooked Jodie his whole career. For him, this is validation."
More than a week has passed since Meeks broke Issel's record, and the folks at Norcross High School near Atlanta still haven't figured out what's wrong with their electronic marquee.

Kirk Barton, the athletic director at Meeks' alma mater, hoped to commemorate the historic performance by displaying a message that would've been seen by every person who drove past the campus. "Congratulations Jodie Meeks: 54 points - A New Kentucky Record!"

Barton shakes his head.

"For some reason, I can't get the darn thing to work," he says.

Thoughtful as the gesture would've been, it's not as if people in Norcross are oblivious to Meeks' accomplishment. The morning after the game, varsity basketball coach Jesse McMillan walked into the locker room and found a gaggle of his players hovered around a television set as Meeks' highlights played on SportsCenter.

"Jodie's making it rain!" a kid says after Meeks swished one of his 10 three-pointers. "He's droppin' bombs on 'em!"

Most of the players were still in junior high during Meeks' prep career. Still, they all feel as if they know him. Meeks, after all, has remained a familiar face at Norcross, where he spent much of last summer enhancing the skills that have made him into one of the nation's top guards.

"I'd come in during the summer to do some work, and he'd be in here shooting, all by himself," says McMillan, who was an assistant during Meeks' days.

"Before he left each day, he'd stop by my office to say goodbye. He'd stand there in the doorway, and his sweat would be dripping all over the floor."

1232703038.jpg
Kentucky's Jodie Meeks and Patrick Patterson (54) celebrate a Kentucky win.
(AP Photo/John Curry)

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Meeks knew he'd have to work extra-hard during the offseason. The graduation of leading scorers Joe Crawford and Ramel Bradley meant that Meeks and Patterson would have to pick up the bulk of Kentucky's scoring load in 2008-09.

That kind of pressure could be taxing on any player, but it seemed like an especially big load for Meeks, who averaged just 8.7 points as a freshman.

"In the preseason everyone was saying I was the face of Kentucky basketball," says Patterson, Meeks' roommate and a surefire NBA draft pick either this year or next.

"It was Patrick Patterson this and Patrick Patterson that. I can see how it frustrated him, because he was in the shadow. It obviously put a chip on his shoulder. He was like, 'Hey, I'm still here.'"

The 6-foot-4 Meeks has grown used to feeling ignored.

Former Norcross stars Gani Lawal (who now plays for Georgia Tech) and Al-Farooq Aminu (Wake Forest) were crowned Georgia High School Player of the Year in 2007 and 2008, respectively. Meeks, however, was passed over for the honor as a senior in 2006.

That same season, Meeks experienced another letdown as he watched the McDonald's All-American selection show. His name was never called.

"I felt like I should've been picked," Meeks says, "but there was never a time when I pouted or felt jealous. I just used it to make me stronger."

Meeks crosses his arms and leans back in his chair.

"If it wasn't for situations like that, I wouldn't be where I am today," he says. "I don't get sad when people overlook me. I don't get angry. I get motivated. Who are they to say who I am or what I can do?"
Some time around 2:30 a.m. last Wednesday, Jodie Meeks calls his father. Orestes is making the 220-mile drive from Knoxville to Norcross after Kentucky's victory over Tennessee, and Meeks wants to make sure Dad isn't dozing off.

"Are you kidding?" Orestes tells his son. "How could I sleep after a game like that? I'm so happy for you."

Success of this magnitude would be exciting for the friends and family of any player. But those closest to Meeks say his character and personality make the last few months even more gratifying.

"It's always nice when good things happen to good people," says Barton, the athletic director. "You won't find one person around here that has a bad word to say about Jodie."

1232703461.jpg
Meeks competes in the slam dunk contest during Kentucky's Midnight Madness at Rupp Arena in Lexington Ky. on Oct. 12, 2007.
(Mark Zerof-US Presswire)

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The soft-spoken Meeks isn't flashy. A business major, he carries a 3.1 grade point average and doesn't sport any tattoos. Most of Meeks' off-nights are spent at the movie theater or watching flicks in the room he shares with Patterson.

Within an hour of last week's game, Meeks received approximately 150 text and voice messages - including one from Issel. He responded to each and every person.

"Jodie has always had his head on straight," says Martin, who has since moved on to another high school. "Players are motivated by different things. Some you yell at. Some you ignore.

"With Jodie, I didn't have to scream and yell. I could call him in and talk to him just as normal as I'm talking now. I'd tell him he needed to do this and that, and he'd do it. He didn't need to be pushed or hammered like so many other kids."

Meeks credits his parents for his levelheadedness. Orestes, a sales executive at IBM, and Margaret, a bookkeeper at a middle school, always stressed the importance of working hard and remaining humble.

When Meeks was 10, he and his father were driving home from a little league baseball tournament that ended with him being named most valuable player. Orestes noticed Meeks smiling as he sat in the passenger seat and gawked at his trophy.

"You did really well, son," Orestes told him. "But what you have to understand is that this was your best day, and even on your best day, there are still thousands of kids that are better right now.

"No matter what you achieve, you've got to keep working hard, because there's always someone working harder."

Those words obviously had an effect on Meeks, who continues to draw praise for the energy he brings to practice and for the time he spends on his game when no one else is watching.

Meeks' most noticeable strides involve his long-range shooting.

In high school the chiseled, 204-pound Meeks was so much bigger and stronger than his opponents - Meeks bench pressed 310 pounds as a senior - that he usually scored his points by bulling his way to the basket.

That approach helped Meeks win a state championship as a senior, but it also made college recruiters question whether he had shooting range to be an elite guard at the next level.

With each game, Meeks continues to bludgeon that theory. He's made 44 percent of his three-pointers, including 10 of 15 against Tennessee, nine of 14 against Appalachian State and eight of 15 against Tennessee State. He's also shooting 91 percent from the free-throw line.

The biggest reason for Meeks' improvement is his flexibility and balance. Instead of adding bulk in the weight room like he did in high school, Meeks spends a large chunk of his workout sessions stretching and doing lunges and aerobic exercises.

"It's made all the difference in the world - and not just in his shooting," Gillispie says. "People want to talk about all the points he's scoring, and they should. But he's in such phenomenal shape that he's affecting the game in all kinds of ways.

"He's like the Energizer Bunny out there. He never stops moving. He goes hard on every single play."
Countless times during the past few days, Patterson has walked into his apartment and found Meeks watching his historic game.

"He's got it on DVD, and he's always got it on," Patterson said. "I don't blame him. I'd watch it, too."

As much as he'd like to repeat the performance, Meeks knows doing so will be next to impossible. Opposing defenses are keying on him more and more, meaning anything less than 100 percent effort could lead to a lackluster game and, more than likely, a Kentucky loss.

"Most teams think that, if they knock off me and Jodie, they'll beat Kentucky," said Patterson, a forward who averages 18.3 points a game. "There's a big X on my back, and Jodie knows there's one on his back, too. There's a lot of pressure on us."

Perhaps even more so for Meeks. Along with being one of the biggest keys to Kentucky's season, last week's 54-point game has turned Meeks into a carnival act. Some people will watch Kentucky to see if the Wildcats can win.

Others might tune in to see how many points Meeks will score.

"It doesn't bother me," Meeks says. "I'm not afraid of failure. It comes with sports and it comes with life. If you don't try, you'll never know what you can do."
Click to expand...
 
L'vill
UNC
Wake
Zaga (my long shot... they have all the pieces just need to put it all together for that one run)
 
just throwin 2 teams I like in March out there..

Arizona State
Michigan State

other than them...UNC, Uconn, Pitt, Duke, Louisville, Wake.

I woulda put G'Town as a contender for a spot before last night -- we'll see what the true team is rather soon.

...another note...no top seed will want to be in the same bracket as Memphis for a potential 2nd round or Sweet 16 game.

edit again..Zags definitely, too.
 
There's no football this weekend - well, unless you count the Senior Bowl - but if you were looking forward to plopping down in front of your TV andwatching a lot of high-quality basketball instead, you might be disappointed.

While there are some good games on tap this weekend, the quantity isn't what you want it to be on the weekend before the Super Bowl. Here's a lookat the weekend's five best games, along with some others that have some intrigue.

We do this every Friday; every Tuesday we take a look at the best games during the week.

This weekend's 5 to watch
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[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Luke Harangody will put serious pressure on UConn's frontcourt.[/td] [/tr][/table]Connecticut at Notre Dame, Saturday, 7 p.m., ESPN: The Fighting Irish (12-5, 3-3 Big East) have not been done any favors bythe schedule-makers; they're coming off back-to-back road losses to Louisville and Syracuse, then have Marquette and Pitt after this one. This looks to be a more important game for them thanfor the Huskies (17-1, 6-1). UConn big man Hasheem Thabeet hasn't alwaysanswered the bell when going up against big-time post players, and the Irish's Luke Harangody certainly is a big-time post player. Important for the Irish will betheir defense against a deep UConn backcourt.
Xavier atLSU, Saturday, 8 p.m.,ESPN2: Xavier (16-2) looks to be the best team in the Atlantic 10 and is angling for a top-four seed in the NCAA tournament. The Musketeers arebalanced offensively, shooting 38.6 percent from 3-point range and beating up foes on the boards. But they have been sloppy with the ball, which LSU (15-3)will try to exploit. Tigers swingman Marcus Thornton is one of the best playersin the SEC, and forward Tasmin Mitchell - who missed last season with an injury- has provided a big boost in the frontcourt. This would be a huge non-conference win for LSU, which has to be considered the favorite to win the wide-open SECWest.

Louisville at Syracuse, Sunday, noon, Big East syndication/ESPN FullCourt: Louisville takes an unbeaten Big East record into the CarrierDome. To come out of the Carrier Dome with that perfect record intact, Louisville needs to get good defense from its guards against Syracuse's backcourt ofJonny Flynn and Eric Devendorf. The Cardinals have the advantage in the frontcourt, thoughtougher-than-nails Orange forward Paul Harris will make life difficult forEarl Clark, Terrence Williams and Samardo Samuels.

Michigan State at Ohio State, Sunday, 3:45 p.m., CBS: The Spartans beat the Buckeyes by nine in East Lansingthree weeks ago, though the recent emerge of freshman big man B.J. Mullensshould help the Buckeyes this go-round. Both teams are coming off losses - Ohio State at Illinois and Michigan State athome in a stunner to Northwestern. Starting with this one, Ohio State (13-4, 3-3 Big Ten) plays four of five at home - the only road game isagainst woeful Indiana. If the Buckeyes want to have a legit shot at winning the Big Ten, they need to go 4-1 during this stretch. TheBuckeyes have been solid on defense but inconsistent on offense. Michigan State (15-3, 5-1) had won 11 in a row until the shocker against Northwestern.Considering the upcoming opponents, a win in this one easily could spark the Spartans to at least a five-game winning streak.

Oklahoma at Oklahoma State, Monday, 9 p.m., ESPN: Oklahoma State had adapted well to new coach Travis Ford's up-tempo offense, but the Cowboys' defense hasn't been that good.As with most teams, the Cowboys are going to have matchup problems with Oklahoma big man Blake Griffin. Still, OU doesn't want to let Oklahoma State dictate the pace. TheSooners will be much better off if this game turns into a grind-it-out affair, which would let Griffin do his job in the low post.

Others to keep an eye on

Niagara at Siena, Saturday, noon, MSG/ESPN FullCourt: Yes, we're still in January, but Siena would all but lock up the Metro AtlanticAthletic Conference regular-season title with a victory over the Purple Eagles.
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[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Gary Williams sure could use an upset win at Duke.[/td] [/tr][/table]Marylandat Duke, Saturday, noon,ESPN: Maryland sure could help itself if it could find a way to upset the Blue Devils. The Terps have lost both their ACC road games - by a total offive points.
Wisconsin-Milwaukee at Butler, Saturday, 2 p.m., ESPN FullCourt: UWM looks to be one of the few teams in the Horizon that can hang withButler - but maybe not on Butler's home court.

Memphisat Tennessee,Saturday, 3:30 p.m., CBS: This game isn't as important as most predicted it would be, but it's still a chance for each team to get a nicenon-conference win. Plus, the animosity between John Calipari and Bruce Pearl is fun to watch.

Wisconsin at Illinois, Saturday, 4 p.m., ESPN: Wisconsin (12-6, 3-3 Big Ten) has lost three in a row and is indanger of falling out of the conference race. The Illini (16-3, 4-2) have won their three Big Ten home games - over Indiana, Michigan and Ohio State - by acombined 64 points.

Baylor atOklahoma, Saturday, 4 p.m., ESPNU: Baylor lost twice to the Sooners last season, and it needs its backcourt to come through in a big way if it is topull the upset.

Utah atUNLV, Saturday, 4 p.m.,Versus: A big one in the Mountain West. UNLV is coming off a huge win at BYU and now gets the Utes at home. Utah, by the way, has the best RPI in theleague - by a large margin.

George Mason at VCU, Saturday, 4 p.m., ESPN2: This is the only regular-season meeting between these teams, and the winner takes a big steptoward winning the Colonial's regular-season crown.

UCLA atWashington,Saturday, 4 p.m., Fox Sports Net: This is big for the Huskies, who play their next four on the road. UCLA, meanwhile, plays its next four at home -including a non-conference showdown with Notre Dame.

Texas A&Mat Texas, Saturday, 8p.m., ESPNU: These teams split their two games last season, with each romping on its home court. A&M (15-4, 1-3 Big 12) is in danger of fallingout of contact with the conference leaders with another league loss.

San Diego State at BYU, Saturday, 9 p.m., The mtn.: San Diego State has been surprisingly strong in the Mountain West, and the Aztecscould further cement their legitimacy with a win at BYU. The Cougars have lost twice in a row overall and already have lost twice at home this season afterwinning 54 in a row at home.

Floridaat Vanderbilt, Sunday, 1:30 p.m., CBS: Florida collapsed in the final minute of a loss at South Carolina onWednesday and will look to bounce back against a scuffling Vandy team.

Pittsburgh at West Virginia, Sunday, 4 p.m., Big East syndication/ESPN FullCourt: WVU is hoping home-court advantage givesit enough impetus to pull the upset.

Virginia Tech at Miami, Sunday, 5:30 p.m., Fox Sports Net: Virginia Tech (13-5, 3-1 ACC) is coming off a huge road victory againstWake Forest.Can the Hokies follow it up with a win in Coral Gables? After this, Miami (14-4, 3-2) plays three of its next four on the road - and the one home game in thestretch is against Wake.

Marquette at Notre Dame, Monday, 7 p.m., ESPN: We talked earlier about Notre Dame. Marquette, meanwhile, plays host to Georgetown after thisone.

Mike Huguenin is the college sports editor for Rivals.com. He can be reached at [email protected].
 
[font=Arial, Helvetica]Craig Robinson watched his brother-in-law take the oath of office on Tuesday afternoon.[/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica]Then he slept in the Lincoln Bedroom at the White House on Tuesday night.[/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica][/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica]Then he coached Oregon State to a win at California on Thursday.[/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica]Relatively speaking, my life is boring.[/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica]Let's do the Friday Look Ahead.[/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica]Game worth flying to see in person: Rick Pitino's Louisville Cardinalscouldn't beat Western Kentucky, Minnesota or UNLV (sans Wink Adams), but what they could do (because they've done it) is start 5-0 in the Big Eastwhile notching victories over Pittsburgh, Notre Dame and Villanova. Make sense? Of course not. But it has set things up for a nice game Sunday, one in whichthe ninth-ranked Cardinals will visit eighth-ranked Syracuse.[/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica]Game worth driving to see in person: I get more grief about ranking Notre Dame 14thin the Top 25 (and one) than I do about anything else (besides my ridiculous hair and pretty white teeth), mostly because the Irish have five losses. But I'mnot worried about the five losses, because the schedule has been crazy, stocked full of tough games on neutral sites and in hostile arenas. However, for me tocontinue to justify the ranking I need the Irish to start knocking-off elite teams (like it did with Texas back in November), and Saturday against No. 3Connecticut seems like a good place to begin.[/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica][/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica]Game worth watching on TV: Among the things John Calipari and Bruce Pearl disagree on -- and thereare many -- is where to play the annual Memphis-Tennessee game. Calipari wants it to be on a neutral site in Nashville. ButPearl insists on a home-and-home format, one that alternates between Memphis and Knoxville. Asked why, Pearl responded: "I don't want to deny my fansin Knoxville the opportunity to see one of the greatest coaches who has ever coached this game in John Calipari." In case you were wondering, Calipari andPearl still don't get along so well, and that quote -- delivered straight but laced with over-the-top sarcasm -- won't help heading into Saturday'sshowdown between the Tigers and Vols.[/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica]Some non-BCS love: There was an interesting article in the Cincinnati Enquirer this weekdetailing Xavier's dominance in the Atlantic 10. The basic premise was that the Musketeers have outgrown their league, and I don'tdisagree. But the problem is that, at the moment, there's simply nowhere for them to go. Thus, Xavier will have to settle for sporadic distractions againstrepresentatives of power leagues, like Saturday's game at LSU.[/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica]An obvious prediction: Utah State is (very quietly) leading the WAC with an 18-1record that includes a 6-0 mark in league play. This weekend the Aggies get Hawaii, which is 1-5 in the WAC. So expect Utah State to take a7-0 league mark into next week's showdown with Nevada.[/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica]A crazy prediction (but it might happen anyway): The Wisconsin Badgers have droppedthree consecutive games -- to Purdue, Minnesota and Iowa. That's not good. So how crazy would it be for me to pick the unranked Badgers to win at No. 25Illinois? Crazy enough to make it the crazy prediction, meaning it's time for you to take the Badgers straaaaaaaaight up onSaturday, then spend Sunday trying to figure out how I do this so well.[/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica][/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica]Player trying to keep rolling: Gerald Henderson got off to an uneven start this season, averagingjust 6.7 shots through his first three games. But the junior wing is shooting way more these days, and that he's making most of those shots is one of thereasons Duke is merely a win against Maryland on Saturday away from becoming the nation's top-ranked team. Henderson is36-of-59 (61 percent) from the field and averaging 22.0 points in the Blue Devils' past four games. Keep that up, and everything should be fine.[/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica]Player trying to get rolling: Oliver Purnell's Clemson Tigers have gone from16-0 to 16-2, and some are suggesting it's because the Tigers were never worthy of the Top 10 ranking they possess. Not true, I say. My opinion is thatthey simply did what most teams would do if said teams had to consecutively play Wake Forest and North Carolina, i.e., lose consecutive games to Wake Forestand North Carolina. But either way, it sure would help if Trevor Booker got back to being Trevor Booker. The Clemson junior is averaging 14.6 points and 8.7rebounds per game, but he's averaged just 8.0 points and 6.0 rebounds in this two-game skid that has the Tigers desperately needing a win Sunday againstGeorgia Tech.[/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica]Three things you should know before you go[/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica][/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica]1. Blake Griffin is still leading the nation in rebounding. The Oklahoma sophomoreand favorite for National Player of the Year is averaging 13.6 rebounds per game for the sixth-ranked Sooners heading into Saturday's game againstBaylor.[/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica]2. Mike Anderson's Missouri Tigers will be looking for their 14th-consecutivehome win Saturday when they host Texas Tech, and if they get it they'll improve to 17-3 overall, 4-1 in the Big 12. In other words, watchout for this team, particularly considering the Tigers are ranked fifth at KenPom.com and in great position to make the NCAA tournament.[/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica]3. It's never good when two good teams are both coming off losses heading into a game againsteach other, because what it ensures is that one of those good teams is on the verge of enduring a losing streak. Such is the case with Sunday's matchupbetween seventh-ranked Michigan State and Ohio State. The Big Ten powers will battle at Value City Arena -- the Spartanscoming off a loss to Northwestern, the Buckeyes a loss to Illinois.[/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica]Final thought: LaTonya Sadler is the media contact at the Big Ten, one of the best in the businessat what she does. Always helpful, always available. And now she's loaded with tons of statistical information that suggests this argument about whichconference is the nation's best might not ought to be confined to the Big East and ACC.[/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica]As of today, 10 of the Big Ten's 11 teams have Top 80 RPIs.[/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica]Because so many Big Ten schools have good RPIs, the Big Ten has also played a higher percentage of its games againstTop 25 RPI teams and Top 50 RPI teams, and they've beaten a higher percentage, too. So the numbers are fascinating. And though I still think the strengthat the top of the Big East and ACC (UConn, Pitt and Syracuse in the Big East; Duke, Wake Forest and North Carolina in the ACC) likely gives those leagues aslight edge, the statistical information we so often rely upon should be enough to launch the Big Ten into the conversation, and when you see the league get atleast six (and perhaps seven) bids to the NCAA tournament you can resort to this data to understand why.[/font]
 
+@$% OU and Pitt come March...the big man depth on both teams is so wack. I can't buy those teams until they get a back up big man to step up...

And A&M is playing a televised game tomorrow night? Let me get Texas HUUUUUGE then...
 
Originally Posted by JamesOnNT

A lot of good games today and tomorrow
pimp.gif
..
Click to expand...


Yep
pimp.gif


Us beating Louisville with the way they're playing would be big. But our matchups are bad. A lot of 2-3.

WVU is tough as hell. They played great and G'Town came out like we have on road games.
 
Why does it seem like Digger always tries to say something positive about a team/player that will make the crowd behind him cheer?
 
Originally Posted by JPZx

Why does it seem like Digger always tries to say something positive about a team/player that will make the crowd behind him cheer?
Click to expand...
because he's lame.
 
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