I'm just kidding. I really don't give a crap. I know you're reading this at work and have nothing better to do with your time anyway.
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Teams #68-60
Teams #59-53
Showing posts with label Colorado State. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Colorado State. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
DWG's NCAA Basketball Preview: Teams #52-47
I know plenty of people are busy tonight with the debate and the Tigers/Yankees game, but I can only watch the debates 30 seconds at a time without falling asleep or dying of self-inflicted gangrene and it seems silly to write about the Tigers/Yankees game because I don't really feel like writing "Verlander gets another stupid Yankee out easily" twenty-seven times. Thus insteadly here are some NCAA Basketball previews. I hope you enjoy them.
I'm just kidding. I really don't give a crap. I know you're reading this at work and have nothing better to do with your time anyway.
52. Illinois State Redbirds. Creighton, Wichita State, and Northern Iowa seem to get most of the Missouri Valley headlines and hype, but this could end up being Illinois State's big year. Last year's team took Creighton down to the wire in the MVC Championship before losing in overtime, then beat Ole Miss in the NIT before falling to eventual champ Stanford (also in OT). That same team returns pretty much intact (including stud Jackie Carmichael who, according to anything you read on ISU on the internet "wowed" people at the LeBron Skills Academy). They do lose their starting point guard from last season who transferred to SMU to tag along with the Redbirds' coach last year, and nobody's sure if they have a player who can fill that role capably, but who cares? Their nickname is the Redbirds for christ's sake, and if the baseball playoffs have taught us anything (other than the Yankees suck) it's that Redbirds never die.
51. Marshall Thundering Herd. Marshall hasn't been to the NCAA Tournament since 1987 and has never won a game, but they've been awfully close lately which seems interesting or something I guess. Last year they were in the hunt until a killer loss to a terrible ECU team knocked them out of the at-large running and then they were crushed in the C-USA Tournament Championship game by Memphis. Two years prior they came out of the blocks at 15-2 before sucking the rest of the year. Will this be the year they finally break through? No.
50. Belmont Bruins. Belmont takes a big step up in the world this year, shifting from the Atlantic Sun to the Ohio Valley which means capturing an at-large bid goes from impossible to simply unlikely. And once again, this will be the same kind of hyper-efficient team that takes care of the basketball and shoots well, but likely lacks the athleticism to truly compete with the big-time programs and really good teams. And once again they'll probably end up in the NCAA Tournament matched up against somebody better, and everyone (myself included) will talk themselves into how Belmont could be a sweet 16 sleeper and end up picking them to beat a #4 seed in round one only to watch in horror as they get blown out by 20 and a have to put a big red X on my bracket before the first games of day 1 are out. Looking forward to it already.
49. Arkansas Razorbacks. What's the best way to rebound from John Pelphrey trying to run the program straight into the ground? Hire the sweet Mike Anderson, Nolan Richardson's protege, and let the Hogs run wild. It didn't quite kick in for year 1, but based on his track record at UAB and Missouri I'd imagine we'll see Arkansas back in the tournament in a year or two. Guard play is the key to running Anderson's system and Arkansas is plenty loaded here. B.J. Young, who flirted a bit with the Gophers (while, they more threw themselves at him and he didn't say no right away - like your sister at a kegger) had a monster freshman year and probably could have gone pro but stayed on for another year, and he's got plenty of other perimeter help. You know fun Missouri was to watch the last several years? Yeah, that's coming to Fayetteville. I wish I could bet on things like, Arkansas will be ranked in the top 10 at some point in the next 3 years. I'd totally win a bunch of money. Just like how Snacks will owe me fifty bucks when the Royals win the AL Central sometime by 2014 (a bet we made 2 years ago). Yeah. It's coming. I've already spent that money investing in pumpkins. They've been going up the month of October. I figure if I hold those babies until January and then cash out. BAM! BOATLOADS!
48. Colorado State Rams. I don't think anyone would dispute that losing Tim Miles (to Nebraska) is a blow considering how he builds programs, but if you're going to lose a guy like that (and it was inevitable) you could do a whole lot worse than hiring Larry Eustachy. I know it's easy to think about the scandal where he was busted partying with young college chicks but let's be honest who wouldn't want to do that, but don't forget the guy is a damn good coach. This is the same guy who just took a garbage program in Southern Miss to the NCAA Tournament last year and had lots of success at Iowa State, and he's also the guy who started Utah State's run of brilliance back in 1998 (hadn't been to the tournament in 10 years). And now he inherits a team that made the tournament last season and he gets most of the team back, plus Colton Iverson. Eustachy and Iverson! Count me in. That's like a modern day Balki and Cousin Larry.
47. Cal Bears. These guys could end up with one of the best backcourts in the Pac-12 and, sad and horrifying as it is, part of the reason is Justin Cobbs. Freed from the restraints of Tubby's molasses style offense Cobbs ended up averaging 12.6 points (16th in the conference) and 5.0 assists (2nd) per game last season, and he's probably not even the teams best guard - that would be Allen Crabbe. They have to figure out how to replace two big losses including their lead point guard and their best post player, but having two good guards and playing in the shitbox Pac-12 pretty much assures Cal will at least be in the running for an NCAA bid. Mother-effing Cobbs.
Previous:
Teams #68-60
Teams #59-53
I'm just kidding. I really don't give a crap. I know you're reading this at work and have nothing better to do with your time anyway.
Previous:
Teams #68-60
Teams #59-53
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
NCAA Basketball Preview - The Mountain West
With BYU heading for the weirder pastures of the West Coast Conference, Utah shipping out to the Pac-12, and TCU heading to the Big 12 via the Big East, the Mountain West is looking less and less recognizable. BYU and Utah are both gone already (meaning the Mountain West is now Utah-less), with TCU heading out next year. Boise State is already in place, and starting next season Fresno State, Hawaii (football only), and Nevada will jump on board to bring the MWC to 10 (at least for basketball, assuming Boise stays here for basketball and doesn't do something weird after the football team gets invited into the Big East). It's all very confusing, but it boils down to trading TCU, Utah, and BYU for Boise, Hawaii (football only), Fresno, and Nevada. Not exactly a great trade for the MWC, and this conference is already on the way down. More than 2 bids would be fairly miraculous.
1. NEW MEXICO LOBOS. This team is going to be a monster. Last year they won 22 games and just missed out on an NCAA bid, and this year they return basically their whole team including basically automatic MWC Player of the Year as long as he doesn't go crazy or get suspended or anything in Drew Gordon. The only player they're missing off last year's squad is Dairese Gary, which is actually a big deal because he was there point guard and was all-conference last season, but they have a great nucleus back and plenty of options to take over the point, including Demetrius Walker, a combo guard who transferred from USC and was the main subject of the recent book about AAU ball. Really though, assuming they get competent point guard play this should be a sweet 16 team.
2. UNLV RUNNIN' REBELS. The Rebels lose Tre'Von Willis and Derrick Jasper and they will be missed, Willis especially, but UNLV has plenty coming back and anything less than an NCAA bid will be a big-time failure for first year coach Dave Rice. Combo guard Oscar Bellfield is a potential stud, especially since he'll be playing more SG with Willis out plus the emergence of Anthony Marshall, and Chace Stanback is probably the best player in the conference outside of Drew Gordon and can do it all. The teams biggest issue, and the real problem for them all year, will be in the frontcourt. They were weak there last year as well and made due, but five of their six leading rebounders last year were perimeter players. I'm predicting first round NCAA exit here.
3. SAN DIEGO STATE AZTECS. Last year the stars aligned for the Aztecs with several key players hitting their peak at the same time and it resulted in a very fun and likeable team and an appearance in the Sweet 16. Now four starters are gone, including stud Kawhi Leonard who left early, but things aren't completely barren in San Diego - although it would be a rather large shocker if they made the NCAA Tournament again. In typical MWC fashion, the main additions to the team come via transfer - Garrett Green from LSU, Deshawn Stephens from a JUCO, and Xavier Thames from Washington State. None are instant superstars (like Gordon was for New Mexico) but all should be solid with potential. Add that to the talent they have coming back, much of it from a reserve role of course, and they should be decent. Remember this name: LaBradford Franklin.
4. COLORADO STATE RAMS. You know how when the Gophers were looking for a coach everybody was all like "Tim Miles blah blah blah" and mostly it was just because NDSU beat Monson's Gophers? Well maybe he's pretty decent, because the Rams have gone from 0-16 in conference play a few years ago, to a CBI berth two seasons ago, to an NIT bid last year. That may not sound all that great, but remember this is a CSU program that hasn't done shit since 2003. This year could be tough because they lose their two leading scorers and front court starters, so it will be up to some reserves to step up - or this could be a breakout season for redshirt freshman center Chad Calcaterra, a name you probably recognize because he either spurned the Gophers or they spurned him, I don't remember. And this is probably too many words about CSU already so I'll just say there's enough talent on the perimeter to get them to fourth and another probably NIT bid - tough to see an NCAA bid coming just yet.
5. AIR FORCE FALCONS. Air Force has gone from 0 conference wins, to one, and then jumped to six last season and thank god because while a super slow paced team that wins is kind of beautiful in a weird Betty White kind of way, a super slow paced terrible team is like spending time in a nursing home. I don't remember where I was going with this. Go Air Force!
7. TCU HORNED FROGS. TCU has something the two teams below them don't have, and that's a standout player and that's good enough for 7th place. The Horned Frogs have Hank Thorns who led the country in assists at 7.0 per game and did it with an impressive 2.71 assist-to-turnover ratio, all while averaging double figures in points per game. He's not much of a shooter, but he did notch 4 double-doubles last year of the points/assists variety which I'm going to assume led the nation. Unfortunately TCU's actual best player, and Thorns back court mate, Ronnie Moss was suspended last year and transferred out, or this would have been a legitimately exciting and intriguing back court. Oh well. Not like anybody cares if it isn't football anyway.
7. BOISE STATE COWBOYS. If you're anything like me, and god help you if you are, you don't know dick about Boise State's basketball program because other than Utah State and Magnum Rolle nobody pays attention to the WAC. According to what I read, they were a CBI team last year but are losing their top 4 scorers from last season and returning just one guy who played more than 18 minutes per game last season. There's a bunch of blah blah newcomers, but really it's going to be a rough one for Boise. They're stepping up in class conference-wise at the same time their team is taking a step backwards, but at least they aren't last.
8. WYOMING COWBOYS. In all my years of college basketball watching I'm almost positive I've never seen a Wyoming game. That's probably a good thing. The good news is that they hired a new coach, Larry Shyatt, who was part of the mini-Florida dynasty that was going on. The bad news is that when they hired him their best two players decided to split. Basically they're now relying on a midget point guard, a guy who has had two knee surgeries in as many years, and Larry Nance's kid. I don't think I'll be seeing them on TV any time soon.
Other previews:
Big 12
ACC
Atlantic 10
Pac 12
SEC
C-USA
1. NEW MEXICO LOBOS. This team is going to be a monster. Last year they won 22 games and just missed out on an NCAA bid, and this year they return basically their whole team including basically automatic MWC Player of the Year as long as he doesn't go crazy or get suspended or anything in Drew Gordon. The only player they're missing off last year's squad is Dairese Gary, which is actually a big deal because he was there point guard and was all-conference last season, but they have a great nucleus back and plenty of options to take over the point, including Demetrius Walker, a combo guard who transferred from USC and was the main subject of the recent book about AAU ball. Really though, assuming they get competent point guard play this should be a sweet 16 team.
2. UNLV RUNNIN' REBELS. The Rebels lose Tre'Von Willis and Derrick Jasper and they will be missed, Willis especially, but UNLV has plenty coming back and anything less than an NCAA bid will be a big-time failure for first year coach Dave Rice. Combo guard Oscar Bellfield is a potential stud, especially since he'll be playing more SG with Willis out plus the emergence of Anthony Marshall, and Chace Stanback is probably the best player in the conference outside of Drew Gordon and can do it all. The teams biggest issue, and the real problem for them all year, will be in the frontcourt. They were weak there last year as well and made due, but five of their six leading rebounders last year were perimeter players. I'm predicting first round NCAA exit here.
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| NOTE: This is an Aztec tramp stamp |
4. COLORADO STATE RAMS. You know how when the Gophers were looking for a coach everybody was all like "Tim Miles blah blah blah" and mostly it was just because NDSU beat Monson's Gophers? Well maybe he's pretty decent, because the Rams have gone from 0-16 in conference play a few years ago, to a CBI berth two seasons ago, to an NIT bid last year. That may not sound all that great, but remember this is a CSU program that hasn't done shit since 2003. This year could be tough because they lose their two leading scorers and front court starters, so it will be up to some reserves to step up - or this could be a breakout season for redshirt freshman center Chad Calcaterra, a name you probably recognize because he either spurned the Gophers or they spurned him, I don't remember. And this is probably too many words about CSU already so I'll just say there's enough talent on the perimeter to get them to fourth and another probably NIT bid - tough to see an NCAA bid coming just yet.
5. AIR FORCE FALCONS. Air Force has gone from 0 conference wins, to one, and then jumped to six last season and thank god because while a super slow paced team that wins is kind of beautiful in a weird Betty White kind of way, a super slow paced terrible team is like spending time in a nursing home. I don't remember where I was going with this. Go Air Force!
7. TCU HORNED FROGS. TCU has something the two teams below them don't have, and that's a standout player and that's good enough for 7th place. The Horned Frogs have Hank Thorns who led the country in assists at 7.0 per game and did it with an impressive 2.71 assist-to-turnover ratio, all while averaging double figures in points per game. He's not much of a shooter, but he did notch 4 double-doubles last year of the points/assists variety which I'm going to assume led the nation. Unfortunately TCU's actual best player, and Thorns back court mate, Ronnie Moss was suspended last year and transferred out, or this would have been a legitimately exciting and intriguing back court. Oh well. Not like anybody cares if it isn't football anyway.
7. BOISE STATE COWBOYS. If you're anything like me, and god help you if you are, you don't know dick about Boise State's basketball program because other than Utah State and Magnum Rolle nobody pays attention to the WAC. According to what I read, they were a CBI team last year but are losing their top 4 scorers from last season and returning just one guy who played more than 18 minutes per game last season. There's a bunch of blah blah newcomers, but really it's going to be a rough one for Boise. They're stepping up in class conference-wise at the same time their team is taking a step backwards, but at least they aren't last.
8. WYOMING COWBOYS. In all my years of college basketball watching I'm almost positive I've never seen a Wyoming game. That's probably a good thing. The good news is that they hired a new coach, Larry Shyatt, who was part of the mini-Florida dynasty that was going on. The bad news is that when they hired him their best two players decided to split. Basically they're now relying on a midget point guard, a guy who has had two knee surgeries in as many years, and Larry Nance's kid. I don't think I'll be seeing them on TV any time soon.
Other previews:
Big 12
ACC
Atlantic 10
Pac 12
SEC
C-USA
Monday, December 27, 2010
Week in Review - 12.27.2010
Merry Christmas and all that. FYI - I'm off all week, so you can probably expect either a lot of posts or zero posts. I'm probably going to be pretty busy watching Eastbound & Down, Community, and Parks and Rec DVDs or reading Pillars of the Earth, The Girl who Kicked a Hornet's Nest, or Moonlight Mile.
WHO WAS AWESOME
1. Butler Bulldogs. Just as everyone, myself included, are questioning if Butler is any good this year they head out to Hawaii and take down the Diamondhead Classic. They beat Utah, Florida State, and Washington State, and that's probably two wins over NCAA Tournament teams. The only negative would be that they didn't get a chance to face Baylor, but they did beat WSU, the team that beat the Bears. Butler needed good wins in the worst way after pissing away every chance, so this was huge for their at-large chances. With Cleveland State looking pretty studly in the Horizon, Butler gots some competition, so they're going to need everything they can get to help them out in case they can't get past the Vikings in the conference tourney.
2. USC Trojans. I think it might be time to recognize USC as an actual halfway decent team, which, along with Washington, Arizona, and Washington State gives the Pac-10 four potential NCAA teams. After a very, very shaky 4-4 start that included some embarrassing losses, they seemed to start to hit their stride by beating Texas and then Fordham transfer Jio Fontan joined the team and made them immediately much better, giving the Trojans an outside threat to go along with stellar inside dudes Alex Stepheson and Nikola Vucevic. Fontan, who scored 15 points per game last year for Fordham, has scored 15, 13, and 21 in his three games. leading the Trojans to wins over Tennessee and Lehigh and a near win over Kansas. Official Pac-10 sleeper here. Which doesn't mean much, to be completely honest with you.
3. Klay Thompson. Ok, so I just assumed Thompson wasn't all that good and people were just all spazzy about him because of his dad, but I watched him play this weekend and the guy's pretty good. He scored 28, 20, and 31 points in their three games in Hawaii, and he's not just a deadeye shot who can't leave open, although you can't, but he's also good with the ball, can drive and score, and also has a nice mid-range game. In short, he's a really good scorer. His zero rebounds against Baylor is a bit disconcerting since he's 6-6, but he's a pretty good defender overall from what I saw. Very impressed by him Believe the hype.
4. Dwayne Bowe. Confession time. I traded away Bowe in a keeper league. I really needed a young, franchise type running back and nearly had a trade in place for Maurice Drew, but the other owner couldn't quite pull the trigger. After a couple weeks I put together a different trade with Snake for Ray Rice, but he insisted I include Bowe, who I didn't have to include in the trade for Drew. I emailed the first owner to say I had a trade in place and if he wanted to move he had to make up his mind. I waited four days, he never said anything, and so I made the trade for Rice. The next morning I get an email from owner #1 who says "I came in to work today and was going to accept the trade for Drew, but I see you moved on." Well, suffice it to say, every time Bowe has a good game (like this week's 153 yards with a TD) I die a little inside.
5. Colorado State Rams. Well you can chalk this up as a pretty freakin' big surprise, because I was pretty well convinced this team was terrible, particularly because they lost to Sam Houston State, but they went to Cancun and ended up winning the Cancun Governor's Cup tournament which is a real thing. It wasn't exactly a loaded field, but they did beat two pretty decent teams in Ole Miss and Southern Mississippi. This is the part where I'd usually saying something smart about the players involved, but I don't know a god damn thing about Colorado State this year so I'll just post this picture instead:
WHO SUCKED
1. Gopher Basketball. Seriously, I'm so sick of this team right now I can't really even write any words. If they keep doing this crap where they don't play defense or play hard and let the other team dictate the how the game is going to be played and fall behind early they are going to get absolutely destroyed in the Big Ten play. It's been fine since they've played a bunch of crap schools over the last few weeks, but we're about to start conference play and I have zero confidence that they're going to do anything other than get destroyed. I can't even talk about it right now.
2. Michigan State Spartans. Tom Izzo and the Spartans have earned quite a bit of latitude on slow starts, seeing as their MO seems to be starting slow, grabbing a 3-6 seed in the tournament, and then making the Final Four. So when they lost to UCONN nobody panicked, especially seeing how the Huskies were playing at the time. Then they lost Duke and Syracuse, and everybody was ok with it because those are two of the ten best teams in the country. They struggled to a one-point win over Oakland, and we shrugged. But Wednesday night they again faced a good challenger in Texas, this time in East Lansing, and they got completely and totally shredded. And although Texas may be a good team this was not another case of a good team getting beat by a really good team. This was a case of Michigan State playing like crap: lackluster on offense, mediocre on the boards, and just all-out terrible on defense including getting beat down the floor for easy Texas lay-ups. This isn't the same thing we've seen before, this is far more dire - like getting AIDS instead of the clap. Both suck, but one is annoying while the other can really wreck your year.
3. Baylor Bears. This team is good enough and had a good enough year that there's no need to panic or call the Hawaii trip a disaster, but it was definitely a huge disappointment. The won their opener against San Diego easily enough, but then lost a surprising one to Washington State and got beat by an unranked, but good, Florida State team as well. Coming on the heels of a loss against Gonzaga and there are some warning flags being tossed about here. One thing that would really help is if they could shoot from the outside. In their last four games they've shot just 25% from behind the line, not helped at all by Lace Dunn who went 4-20 in their final two games in Hawaii. Twenty three-point attempts in two games? Hey Dunn, you do realize you don't have to just shoot behind the line, right? You can actually get closer to the hoop. Who do you think you freakin' are, Rick Rickert?
4. Northwestern Wildcats. I've talked about it on here before, but I really don't get Northwestern's schedule. In a year where they have a very good chance of making their first NCAA tournament, they schedule like crap out of conference (293rd strength of schedule in the nation, easily the worst in the Big Ten) and set it up so their only chance to get a decent non-conference game was this week in the MSG Holiday Tournament against St. Johns. But they lost, and they lost bad. So now they sit at 8-1, and it's a completely empty 8-1, and they are guaranteed that their best out-of-conference wins are going to be Georgia Tech, a bottom ACC team, and Creighton, a mid-level MVC. And a bunch of wins against sub-200 teams. In other words, all the other Big Ten contender type teams can aim for 9-9 and be assured of a bid, where Northwestern is going to need 10-8, or maybe even better. Good luck, nerds.
5. Renardo Sidney. The #16 overall recruit last season and #5 power forward, Sidney is a 6-10, 250 lb. beast who by all accounts is extremely skilled. The problem is he can't get on the court. He had originally committed to USC, but late in the process there was a "mutual agreement to end the recruiting process" so he landed at Mississippi State. Where he was then ineligible all last season due to receiving improper benefits while in Los Angeles, and had to sit out the first nine games this year. He finally played against Virginia Tech, scored 12 points in 25 minutes, and was then immediately suspended for a violation of team rules. He went out to Hawaii with the team, played in their second-round matchup against San Diego, put up 19 points and 6 boards in 20 minutes, and got in a fistfight with a teammate and was suspended indefinitely. This guy is a complete mess. Kind of what I imagine Zach Randolph's college career would have been like it he hadn't been under Izzo's capable watch. Footage of the fight is below. Pretty sweet. Freakin' Buster Douglas and shit.
WHO WAS AWESOME
1. Butler Bulldogs. Just as everyone, myself included, are questioning if Butler is any good this year they head out to Hawaii and take down the Diamondhead Classic. They beat Utah, Florida State, and Washington State, and that's probably two wins over NCAA Tournament teams. The only negative would be that they didn't get a chance to face Baylor, but they did beat WSU, the team that beat the Bears. Butler needed good wins in the worst way after pissing away every chance, so this was huge for their at-large chances. With Cleveland State looking pretty studly in the Horizon, Butler gots some competition, so they're going to need everything they can get to help them out in case they can't get past the Vikings in the conference tourney.
2. USC Trojans. I think it might be time to recognize USC as an actual halfway decent team, which, along with Washington, Arizona, and Washington State gives the Pac-10 four potential NCAA teams. After a very, very shaky 4-4 start that included some embarrassing losses, they seemed to start to hit their stride by beating Texas and then Fordham transfer Jio Fontan joined the team and made them immediately much better, giving the Trojans an outside threat to go along with stellar inside dudes Alex Stepheson and Nikola Vucevic. Fontan, who scored 15 points per game last year for Fordham, has scored 15, 13, and 21 in his three games. leading the Trojans to wins over Tennessee and Lehigh and a near win over Kansas. Official Pac-10 sleeper here. Which doesn't mean much, to be completely honest with you.
3. Klay Thompson. Ok, so I just assumed Thompson wasn't all that good and people were just all spazzy about him because of his dad, but I watched him play this weekend and the guy's pretty good. He scored 28, 20, and 31 points in their three games in Hawaii, and he's not just a deadeye shot who can't leave open, although you can't, but he's also good with the ball, can drive and score, and also has a nice mid-range game. In short, he's a really good scorer. His zero rebounds against Baylor is a bit disconcerting since he's 6-6, but he's a pretty good defender overall from what I saw. Very impressed by him Believe the hype.
4. Dwayne Bowe. Confession time. I traded away Bowe in a keeper league. I really needed a young, franchise type running back and nearly had a trade in place for Maurice Drew, but the other owner couldn't quite pull the trigger. After a couple weeks I put together a different trade with Snake for Ray Rice, but he insisted I include Bowe, who I didn't have to include in the trade for Drew. I emailed the first owner to say I had a trade in place and if he wanted to move he had to make up his mind. I waited four days, he never said anything, and so I made the trade for Rice. The next morning I get an email from owner #1 who says "I came in to work today and was going to accept the trade for Drew, but I see you moved on." Well, suffice it to say, every time Bowe has a good game (like this week's 153 yards with a TD) I die a little inside.
5. Colorado State Rams. Well you can chalk this up as a pretty freakin' big surprise, because I was pretty well convinced this team was terrible, particularly because they lost to Sam Houston State, but they went to Cancun and ended up winning the Cancun Governor's Cup tournament which is a real thing. It wasn't exactly a loaded field, but they did beat two pretty decent teams in Ole Miss and Southern Mississippi. This is the part where I'd usually saying something smart about the players involved, but I don't know a god damn thing about Colorado State this year so I'll just post this picture instead:
WHO SUCKED
1. Gopher Basketball. Seriously, I'm so sick of this team right now I can't really even write any words. If they keep doing this crap where they don't play defense or play hard and let the other team dictate the how the game is going to be played and fall behind early they are going to get absolutely destroyed in the Big Ten play. It's been fine since they've played a bunch of crap schools over the last few weeks, but we're about to start conference play and I have zero confidence that they're going to do anything other than get destroyed. I can't even talk about it right now.
2. Michigan State Spartans. Tom Izzo and the Spartans have earned quite a bit of latitude on slow starts, seeing as their MO seems to be starting slow, grabbing a 3-6 seed in the tournament, and then making the Final Four. So when they lost to UCONN nobody panicked, especially seeing how the Huskies were playing at the time. Then they lost Duke and Syracuse, and everybody was ok with it because those are two of the ten best teams in the country. They struggled to a one-point win over Oakland, and we shrugged. But Wednesday night they again faced a good challenger in Texas, this time in East Lansing, and they got completely and totally shredded. And although Texas may be a good team this was not another case of a good team getting beat by a really good team. This was a case of Michigan State playing like crap: lackluster on offense, mediocre on the boards, and just all-out terrible on defense including getting beat down the floor for easy Texas lay-ups. This isn't the same thing we've seen before, this is far more dire - like getting AIDS instead of the clap. Both suck, but one is annoying while the other can really wreck your year.
3. Baylor Bears. This team is good enough and had a good enough year that there's no need to panic or call the Hawaii trip a disaster, but it was definitely a huge disappointment. The won their opener against San Diego easily enough, but then lost a surprising one to Washington State and got beat by an unranked, but good, Florida State team as well. Coming on the heels of a loss against Gonzaga and there are some warning flags being tossed about here. One thing that would really help is if they could shoot from the outside. In their last four games they've shot just 25% from behind the line, not helped at all by Lace Dunn who went 4-20 in their final two games in Hawaii. Twenty three-point attempts in two games? Hey Dunn, you do realize you don't have to just shoot behind the line, right? You can actually get closer to the hoop. Who do you think you freakin' are, Rick Rickert?
4. Northwestern Wildcats. I've talked about it on here before, but I really don't get Northwestern's schedule. In a year where they have a very good chance of making their first NCAA tournament, they schedule like crap out of conference (293rd strength of schedule in the nation, easily the worst in the Big Ten) and set it up so their only chance to get a decent non-conference game was this week in the MSG Holiday Tournament against St. Johns. But they lost, and they lost bad. So now they sit at 8-1, and it's a completely empty 8-1, and they are guaranteed that their best out-of-conference wins are going to be Georgia Tech, a bottom ACC team, and Creighton, a mid-level MVC. And a bunch of wins against sub-200 teams. In other words, all the other Big Ten contender type teams can aim for 9-9 and be assured of a bid, where Northwestern is going to need 10-8, or maybe even better. Good luck, nerds.
5. Renardo Sidney. The #16 overall recruit last season and #5 power forward, Sidney is a 6-10, 250 lb. beast who by all accounts is extremely skilled. The problem is he can't get on the court. He had originally committed to USC, but late in the process there was a "mutual agreement to end the recruiting process" so he landed at Mississippi State. Where he was then ineligible all last season due to receiving improper benefits while in Los Angeles, and had to sit out the first nine games this year. He finally played against Virginia Tech, scored 12 points in 25 minutes, and was then immediately suspended for a violation of team rules. He went out to Hawaii with the team, played in their second-round matchup against San Diego, put up 19 points and 6 boards in 20 minutes, and got in a fistfight with a teammate and was suspended indefinitely. This guy is a complete mess. Kind of what I imagine Zach Randolph's college career would have been like it he hadn't been under Izzo's capable watch. Footage of the fight is below. Pretty sweet. Freakin' Buster Douglas and shit.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Mountain West College Basketball 2010 Preview
1. San Diego State Aztecs. I don't want to oversell a Mountain West team, because then I'd end up looking like some kind of jackass who pimps Dayton as a dynasty, but this Aztec team is loaded, and if you're looking for a final four sleeper from a non-BCS conference, look no further. Kawhi Leonard is a complete stud, a potential NBA draft pick, and is top five amongst returnees in the conference in points, rebounds and steals and top 20 in blocks, assists, and field goal percentage. Mean amongst boys, you might say, and he has his whole posse coming back with him. You got his buddies down low in Malcolm Thomas, a double-digit scorer who was top 5 in rebounding, blocks, and FG% last year, and Billy White, another double-digit scorer who led the league in FG percentage at 59%. And you get your starting back court back in double-figure scorer D.J. Gay (ha ha) and Chase Tapley. Really the only thing they need is a true point guard (Gay is more of a combo) and a shooter. Well, they signed a top point guard prospect in LaBradford Franklin, so really all they need is a shooter - if they need anything at all. In case you can't tell, I'm high on SDSU this year. Got 'em at 100-1, baby. We goin' sizzla'.
2. BYU Cougars. Jimmer is back, and Jimmer is Jimmer, but he unfortunately loses his boy Tyler Haws to his weird mormon mission, what with the strange underwear and the weird supplementary bible works. That's not to say Jimmer is on his own, because his third little buddy in the back court, Jackson Emery, is back, as is Noah Hartsock to man the lane. The losses will hurt (along with Haws the Cougars also lose do-everything forward Jonathan Tavernari and starting center Chris Miles), but there is enough talent surrounding Jimmer that BYU should be dancing again this year, if dancing was allowed by the Mormon religion. And by the way, Jimmer is totally a Utah/Mormon name. My wife was raised mormon, and her family is bonkers. She has cousins who named their kids Londyn, Brooklyn, Okland, Dagon, Presley, Daxton, Lindy, Maximus, and Braden. I swear to god I'm not kidding.
3. UNLV Runnin' Rebels. The Rebels looked like the were going to be in great shape, getting all five starters back from last year's NCAA Tournament team, but then Tre'Von Willis choked some chick (that's frowned upon), Matt Shaw was booted after failing a drug test, and Kendall Wallace tore his ACL and is out for the year. Ouch. Luckily (for the team and Willis, not so much for the girl) Willis is only going to miss three games, and he'll be joined by Chace Stanback and Oscar Bellfield, as well as Derrick Jasper assuming he's back from his own knee injury. That's enough to be near the top in the MWC but bad luck and dumb choices knock them down from loaded to merely good.
4. New Mexico Lobos. Usually when a program like New Mexico loses a couple of guys like Darington Hobson and Roman Martinez from a team that went 30-5 and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament you can count on a down period to follow. Luckily for Lobo fans, Steve Alford has them looking like the kind of team where a letdown still means an NCAA bid. Stepping in for those two are Drew Gordon, the transfer from UCLA who played well in Westwood before heading to the desert, and Alex Kirk (who the Gophers were looking at at one point) who is the one of only two Rivals Top 150 recruit coming to the MWC (he's #116, the other is BYU's Kyle Collinsworth at #134). It's not an even trade, of course, because Martinez and Hobson were do-it-all wings while Gordon and Kirk are post players, but it's the kind of influx of talent that will help, along with returning point guard Dairese Gary - particularly if Gordon has his head on straight. Don't forget, he was a top 50 player as a freshman, and was averaging double-figures in points and 2 blocks per game last year. He's still got the talent to be a star.
5. Colorado State Rams. Tim Miles has done a hell of a job, Travis Busch signing notwithstanding (and by the way, I heard he likes to hang out by himself in bars near the campus on Saturday mornings - true story), and he has the Rams solidly turned around from "shitbox" to "mediocre." I don't know that they can turn the corner just yet, but there is some talent here. Andy Ogide returns to man the paint for the Rams and he was top five in the league in both rebounding and field goal percentage, and Dorian Green had a very nice freshman season at point for CSU last year, averaging 12 points and 3 assists per game. And don't forget this is where one-time Gopher PF target Chad Calcaterra landed. He'll have a chance to contribute right away, but this team isn't quite ready to compete for an NCAA berth yet. If only they had Travis Busch for one more year, that kind of hustle cures all ills.
6. Wyoming Cowboys. The success (it's a relative term) of the Cowboys' season this year pretty much rests on the health of Afam Mujoeke's knee. Two seasons ago Mujoeke won the MWC Freshman of the Year award, and then last year he was having a fine season averaging 17 points per game before he blew out his patella tendon, which sounds pretty terrible. If he's back at full strength he'll join sophomore Desmar Jackson to give the Cowboys a nice one-two scoring punch, and make them viable enough that they will at least threaten to upset a team or two. If he's not all the way back, it's going to be a long year in Laramie. Or longer, at least. I mean, I assume it's always a long year in Wyoming, what with all the long hours baling hay and milking cows before class and what not.
7. Utah Utes. This will be the last season for the Utes in the Mountain West, and it's probably about time to leave before they tarnish their legacy, because after being the dominant force in the conference since it's inception in 1999, winning five of the first seven league titles, they've fallen off, finishing better than 5th just once in the last five seasons and gaining just one NCAA berth. That probably won't get much better this year. Both of last year's two leading scorers are transferring (Carlon Brown to Colorado, Marshall Henderson to Texas Tech), and a host of bench fodder is leaving as well (missions and what have you) and the Utes will have a whole slew of new faces. If some of those new guys turn out to be good guards Utah could finish higher than this because they do have a lot of size in 7-3 David Foster and 7-0 Jason Washburn, both of whom finished in the top five in blocked shots in the MWC with Foster finishing fourth nationally. So they're big. And probably slow since I assume the whole team is white.
8. TCU Horned Frogs. Well if we want to start with something nice, let's talk about TCU's back court because it's actually quite solid. Ronnie Moss is an excellent all-around player who led the team in scoring (14.9 per game) and assists (5.9 per game, good for 1st in the conference and 9th nationally) and also chipped in with more than 3 rebounds and almost a steal per game. He's not exactly a wizard with the jump shot (just 40% shooting last year) and he turns it over way too much (3.8 per game) but still - he's a heck of a player. Joining him in the back court this year will be Hank Thorns, a transfer from Virginia Tech who had some limited success in his two years as a Hokie, hampered only by the fact that he can't shoot (30% from the field as a sophomore). And speaking of can't shoot the third guard and second leading returning scorer, Greg Hill, shot just 41% last year, which actually makes him the marksman of the group. So the guards are good but they can't shoot. Now let me tell you all the good things about their front court players: at least they aren't Air Force.
9. Air Force Falcons. Remember when Air Force was kind of good for a minute there, using that slower-than-a-Vickers-Gunbus-offense? They actually made the tournament in 2004 and 2006, but things have fallen off faster than Maverick after Goose died, and the Falcons have won just won conference game combined the last two seasons - lost that lovin' feeling indeed. I'd love to sit here and make Top Gun/Fighter Jet jokes for another few sentences, but researching the Falcons makes me feel like Cougar after getting missile locked, and there's no Viper to be my wingman. Great Balls of Fire!!
4. New Mexico Lobos. Usually when a program like New Mexico loses a couple of guys like Darington Hobson and Roman Martinez from a team that went 30-5 and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament you can count on a down period to follow. Luckily for Lobo fans, Steve Alford has them looking like the kind of team where a letdown still means an NCAA bid. Stepping in for those two are Drew Gordon, the transfer from UCLA who played well in Westwood before heading to the desert, and Alex Kirk (who the Gophers were looking at at one point) who is the one of only two Rivals Top 150 recruit coming to the MWC (he's #116, the other is BYU's Kyle Collinsworth at #134). It's not an even trade, of course, because Martinez and Hobson were do-it-all wings while Gordon and Kirk are post players, but it's the kind of influx of talent that will help, along with returning point guard Dairese Gary - particularly if Gordon has his head on straight. Don't forget, he was a top 50 player as a freshman, and was averaging double-figures in points and 2 blocks per game last year. He's still got the talent to be a star.
6. Wyoming Cowboys. The success (it's a relative term) of the Cowboys' season this year pretty much rests on the health of Afam Mujoeke's knee. Two seasons ago Mujoeke won the MWC Freshman of the Year award, and then last year he was having a fine season averaging 17 points per game before he blew out his patella tendon, which sounds pretty terrible. If he's back at full strength he'll join sophomore Desmar Jackson to give the Cowboys a nice one-two scoring punch, and make them viable enough that they will at least threaten to upset a team or two. If he's not all the way back, it's going to be a long year in Laramie. Or longer, at least. I mean, I assume it's always a long year in Wyoming, what with all the long hours baling hay and milking cows before class and what not.
Friday, October 2, 2009
NCAA Basketball Preview: MOUNTAIN WEST
A very balanced conference over the last few years, albeit one that can't seem to do anything other than get eliminated in the first round of the NCAA tournament, will change this year with one dominant team and a whole bunch of question marks. Also you can watch how I peter out at the end here, and if you hate these long-winded, stat and name filled previews you're in luck - I'm burned out. The previews are going to be much less fact-intensive going forward.
1. BYU. The Cougars lose their best player in do everything swingman Lee Cummard, but return two other do everything types in swingman Jonathan Tavernari (16 pts/7rebs/2assist per game) and point guard Jimmer Fredette (16/3/4) along with two other starters, including guard Jackson Emery, who made the MWC's All-Defensive Team last year. The Cougars have been a very efficient team, both offensively and defensively the last few years, and there is no reason to expect that to change. BYU should be able to cruise to it's fourth straight Mountain West crown. Also seriously yes, that guy's name is Jimmer. Mormons make up some of the weirdest names.
2. SAN DIEGO STATE. Nearly every contender in the MWC is hit hard by graduation, and the Aztecs are no different. They drop over 50% of their scoring and lose four starters, but are my pick for #2 because they are bringing in some nice talent. Malcolm Thomas and Tyrone Shelley, two former high school teammates as well as teammates of THE MAN Rico Tucker at Pepperdine give them two immediate scoring options -they were the Waves top two scorers two seasons ago and combined to average 28 points and 15 rebounds per game. The Aztecs also welcome in a very solid recruiting class, highlighted by small forward Kawhi Leonard, a major get for the program as the #48th ranked prospect on Rivals150, and former Illinois big man Brian Carlwell.
3. UTAH. The Utes lose their top four scorers from last year, including MWC player of the year Luke Nevill, but still return three starters including point guard Carlon Brown, who is an excellent all-around player and nearly notched a triple-double against Wyoming last season (15-9-9). There are a bunch of intriguing newcomers as well, including two junior college players who ranked on JucoJunctions Top150 List (Rivals), and a freshman shooting guard in Marshall Henderson who can fill it up, going for over 40 three times this past season who turned down Gonzaga and Marquette to become a Ute. Most intriguing are a pair of seven-footers; the 7-3 David Foster who returns from a Mormon mission, and 7-0 Jason Washburn, Rivals #90 before last season, which he ended up redshirting.
4. UNLV. Like SDSU, the Rebels lose over 50% of their scoring and will be relying quite a bit on newcomers, but ultimately their fate may rest in the hands of holdover Tre'Von Willis, a former transfer from Memphis and the team's leading returning scorer (11.4) and rebounder (4.3). He can score, but can also be wildly inconsistent and shot better than 50% in only one of the team's final seven games and finished the year at just 38%. The newcomers are highlighted by a couple of transfers - PG Derrick Jasper from Kentucky and combo forward Chace Stanback from UCLA. Both were top 75 type recruits who, for one reason or another, didn't pan out at their original schools but still bring top tier talent. They will be expected to start and be big contributors immediately. Also incoming is Rivals #66 prospect for this year, shooting guard Anthony Marshall who could also see big minutes.
5. NEW MEXICO. Yet another team hit hard by graduation, the Lobos are losing their top three scorers, including All-MWC First Teamer Tony Dandridge, who was awesome. The good news is that they have a lot of options at guard, including former Gopher commit for like a minute Nate Garth, as well as one-time Iowa commit Dairese Gary who followed Alford into the desert. Add in a couple talented freshmen guards, their best returning player in small forward Roman Martinez, their second leading returning scorer and former top 100 recruit Phillip McDonald, and Junior College All-American wing Darrington Hobson, and the Lobos should end up being a pretty up-tempo team this year - a change from last year's 172nd tempo ranking. The challenge will be finding someone to take over the frontcourt.
6. WYOMING. Maybe the team hit worst by graduation, the Cowboys lose three double-digit scorers including Brandon Ewing, one of the best player's in the school's history. Wyoming will look to Afam Muojeke, the only returning scorer over 5.2 ppg, and a whole host of newcomers this year. The two most interesting newcomers are a pair of opposites; a giant and a midget. The giant comes from Auburn in the form of 7-2 (with a 7-5 wingspan) Boubacar Sylla, who suffered from foot problems and only played in four games for the Tigers. Wyoming coach Heath Schroyer claims he's not a project or a stiff, but we shall see. The little midget is 5-9 point guard JayDee Luster, a transfer from New Mexico State, who was ranked the #19 player in the state of California his senior year of high school and was being recruited by schools like Florida and Wake Forest before hurting his ankle and ending up at NMSU.
7. TCU. Jesus, two and 2/3rds conferences done and I'm already getting burned out. Time to make these shorter. Whatever happened to Brandon Smith? Does anybody know? After he transferred to TCU, he just never showed up. I even checked out a TCU message board at some point last year, and they had no idea over there either. Maybe he's actually Devron Bostick in the witness protection program or some such, or like a Verbal Kint/Kaiser Soyze kind of thing. Makes a lot of sense.
8. COLORADO STATE. Last season I predicted the Gophers would lose when they traveled into Colorado to play CSU. I was wrong, but not by much. I also thought the Rams would be a decent team. I was wrong again. They won just 9 games all year, mainly because their stud Marcus Walker shot just 41%. He's gone now, but your boyfriend and former NDSU coach Tim Miles has the team moving in the right direction, bringing in a nice recruiting class including big man Trevor Williams, who the Gophers showed interest in at one time. He also has already grabbed Chad Calcaterra for 2010, no if only he could find another weiner guard like Ben Woodside his master plan would be complete.
9. AIR FORCE. Triple-option in hoops? Only if the options are slow, slower, and slowest. The Falcons are perennially one of the slowest (read: boringest) teams in all of NCAA basketball. The past five years they have been 2nd, 3rd, 6th, 4th, and 6th in slowest tempo. That shtick was working well a few years ago when they were good, but that coach is gone and now the players are terrible and the team is terrible. They ranked last in, well, almost everything last season and grabbed not a single conference win. Oh, and four of their "best" players from last year are long gone. They're like the Fordham of the Rockies.
I think those got a lot better towards the end there. Plus, as the kind folks from the Xavier board pointed out, I don't really know what I'm talking about anyway. Expect future conference previews, and oh yes, I don't plan to quit, to contain less facts, less research, and more nonsense. I can only believe this is an improvement.
Other Previews:
Conference USA
Atlantic 10
1. BYU. The Cougars lose their best player in do everything swingman Lee Cummard, but return two other do everything types in swingman Jonathan Tavernari (16 pts/7rebs/2assist per game) and point guard Jimmer Fredette (16/3/4) along with two other starters, including guard Jackson Emery, who made the MWC's All-Defensive Team last year. The Cougars have been a very efficient team, both offensively and defensively the last few years, and there is no reason to expect that to change. BYU should be able to cruise to it's fourth straight Mountain West crown. Also seriously yes, that guy's name is Jimmer. Mormons make up some of the weirdest names.
2. SAN DIEGO STATE. Nearly every contender in the MWC is hit hard by graduation, and the Aztecs are no different. They drop over 50% of their scoring and lose four starters, but are my pick for #2 because they are bringing in some nice talent. Malcolm Thomas and Tyrone Shelley, two former high school teammates as well as teammates of THE MAN Rico Tucker at Pepperdine give them two immediate scoring options -they were the Waves top two scorers two seasons ago and combined to average 28 points and 15 rebounds per game. The Aztecs also welcome in a very solid recruiting class, highlighted by small forward Kawhi Leonard, a major get for the program as the #48th ranked prospect on Rivals150, and former Illinois big man Brian Carlwell.
3. UTAH. The Utes lose their top four scorers from last year, including MWC player of the year Luke Nevill, but still return three starters including point guard Carlon Brown, who is an excellent all-around player and nearly notched a triple-double against Wyoming last season (15-9-9). There are a bunch of intriguing newcomers as well, including two junior college players who ranked on JucoJunctions Top150 List (Rivals), and a freshman shooting guard in Marshall Henderson who can fill it up, going for over 40 three times this past season who turned down Gonzaga and Marquette to become a Ute. Most intriguing are a pair of seven-footers; the 7-3 David Foster who returns from a Mormon mission, and 7-0 Jason Washburn, Rivals #90 before last season, which he ended up redshirting.
4. UNLV. Like SDSU, the Rebels lose over 50% of their scoring and will be relying quite a bit on newcomers, but ultimately their fate may rest in the hands of holdover Tre'Von Willis, a former transfer from Memphis and the team's leading returning scorer (11.4) and rebounder (4.3). He can score, but can also be wildly inconsistent and shot better than 50% in only one of the team's final seven games and finished the year at just 38%. The newcomers are highlighted by a couple of transfers - PG Derrick Jasper from Kentucky and combo forward Chace Stanback from UCLA. Both were top 75 type recruits who, for one reason or another, didn't pan out at their original schools but still bring top tier talent. They will be expected to start and be big contributors immediately. Also incoming is Rivals #66 prospect for this year, shooting guard Anthony Marshall who could also see big minutes.
5. NEW MEXICO. Yet another team hit hard by graduation, the Lobos are losing their top three scorers, including All-MWC First Teamer Tony Dandridge, who was awesome. The good news is that they have a lot of options at guard, including former Gopher commit for like a minute Nate Garth, as well as one-time Iowa commit Dairese Gary who followed Alford into the desert. Add in a couple talented freshmen guards, their best returning player in small forward Roman Martinez, their second leading returning scorer and former top 100 recruit Phillip McDonald, and Junior College All-American wing Darrington Hobson, and the Lobos should end up being a pretty up-tempo team this year - a change from last year's 172nd tempo ranking. The challenge will be finding someone to take over the frontcourt.
6. WYOMING. Maybe the team hit worst by graduation, the Cowboys lose three double-digit scorers including Brandon Ewing, one of the best player's in the school's history. Wyoming will look to Afam Muojeke, the only returning scorer over 5.2 ppg, and a whole host of newcomers this year. The two most interesting newcomers are a pair of opposites; a giant and a midget. The giant comes from Auburn in the form of 7-2 (with a 7-5 wingspan) Boubacar Sylla, who suffered from foot problems and only played in four games for the Tigers. Wyoming coach Heath Schroyer claims he's not a project or a stiff, but we shall see. The little midget is 5-9 point guard JayDee Luster, a transfer from New Mexico State, who was ranked the #19 player in the state of California his senior year of high school and was being recruited by schools like Florida and Wake Forest before hurting his ankle and ending up at NMSU.
7. TCU. Jesus, two and 2/3rds conferences done and I'm already getting burned out. Time to make these shorter. Whatever happened to Brandon Smith? Does anybody know? After he transferred to TCU, he just never showed up. I even checked out a TCU message board at some point last year, and they had no idea over there either. Maybe he's actually Devron Bostick in the witness protection program or some such, or like a Verbal Kint/Kaiser Soyze kind of thing. Makes a lot of sense.
8. COLORADO STATE. Last season I predicted the Gophers would lose when they traveled into Colorado to play CSU. I was wrong, but not by much. I also thought the Rams would be a decent team. I was wrong again. They won just 9 games all year, mainly because their stud Marcus Walker shot just 41%. He's gone now, but your boyfriend and former NDSU coach Tim Miles has the team moving in the right direction, bringing in a nice recruiting class including big man Trevor Williams, who the Gophers showed interest in at one time. He also has already grabbed Chad Calcaterra for 2010, no if only he could find another weiner guard like Ben Woodside his master plan would be complete.
9. AIR FORCE. Triple-option in hoops? Only if the options are slow, slower, and slowest. The Falcons are perennially one of the slowest (read: boringest) teams in all of NCAA basketball. The past five years they have been 2nd, 3rd, 6th, 4th, and 6th in slowest tempo. That shtick was working well a few years ago when they were good, but that coach is gone and now the players are terrible and the team is terrible. They ranked last in, well, almost everything last season and grabbed not a single conference win. Oh, and four of their "best" players from last year are long gone. They're like the Fordham of the Rockies.
I think those got a lot better towards the end there. Plus, as the kind folks from the Xavier board pointed out, I don't really know what I'm talking about anyway. Expect future conference previews, and oh yes, I don't plan to quit, to contain less facts, less research, and more nonsense. I can only believe this is an improvement.
Other Previews:
Conference USA
Atlantic 10
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Breaking News All Over the Place!!!!!!!!11!!!1
Ok, so not so much breaking news, but news worth a little chat nonetheless. Three little nuggets:
1. Sammy Sosa was on steroids. Wait. Wrong file. That's not in my "breaking news" file, that's in my "no shit, sherlock" file. Everybody already knew this, didn't they? The only guy more obvious than Slammin' Sammy was Bonds.
You gotta respect a guy who is willing to cheat in all kinds of different ways, though. Not only did he bring the roids, but if you recall he was busted using a corked bat, too. He might as well have just gotten an aluminum bat that was painted like a wooden one. That's genius, actually, scratch that. It's like playing Madden and using the rewind button if you throw a game-losing interception, but then hitting the reset button too. And claiming it was an acccident.
I'm glad Stammerin' Sammy finally got outed officially though, since apparently there were some people who didn't know. Never liked him. His whole joyful act when McGwire broke Maris's record was the phoniest thing I had ever seen until Kobe and his teammates celebrated their new NBA title as if every single one of those guys wouldn't have shanked Kobe in the kidney if they thought they could get away with it.
2. The Twins finally did to Jesse Crain what they should have done to Matt Guerrier last year, and shipped Jesse Crain down to AAA when Glen "Perk" Perkins came off the DL. Crain has been an absolute nightmare this season, sporting an ERA of 8.15 (397th of 415 pitchers with at least 10 ips) and a WHIP of 1.92 (385th) and basically has made Guerrier look like Juan Berenguer. Ideally, he will spend his time in Rochester fixing whatever is wrong with him and get back to his 2005-2006 form, although it wouldn't surprise me if we don't hear from him again (Hi Jack Cressend!).
Of course, Crain hasn't been in the minors since 2004, so I'm assuming this is pretty humiliating for him and maybe it will motivate him to get in gear. Although when a guy sports a chin warmer and a sea-shell necklace like some kind of outcast frat boy who just got action for the first time from a 250 lb. drunken behemoth in cancun who just puked, I'm guessing he doesn't have a lot of shame left in him.
3. Finally, the big news we have all been waiting for. After a lengthy battle for his services, which I'm assuming involved a lot of money under the table, free cars, and copious amounts of willing and available trim, your hero and mine Travis Busch has signed on to attend (and apparently play basketball at) Colorado State next season (due to his hustle, he was granted a waiver and doesn't have to sit out next season and becomes eligible immediately.)
What? How did this happen? I thought he was going to fall down a lot and be scrappy for a D-2 type school like Winona or Metro State, but now all of a sudden he's heading not only D-I, but to a team in the Mountain West? It's not exactly a power conference, but it's not the Summit League either. I know they lost there ball-hoggy scoring point guard guy so they need scorers, but I don't think Mr. 2.6 points per game is really the answer here. Actually, I'm pretty sure a 6-3 (yeah right) 210 lb. power forward is the answer to anything, unless the question is "Who can dominate at the local YMCA adult pick-up?"
Do you remember just a few years ago Colorado State had three seven-footers? And now they are going to bring in a six-foot power forward who couldn't guard a black guy to save his life (he should do ok against BYU and Utah). It's pretty clear Tim Miles has run that program into the ground, or whatever is below the ground; Magma - I don't know, I'm not a geologist, all I know is these quotes from Miles really speak for themselves:
I swear I didn't make either of those up, although they are damn close to what I would write if I was making them up - but with more references to falling down. When reached for comment, Devron Bostick said, "He do b hustlin."
Also I'm very sad that Austin Daye stayed in the draft, I hit a home run at softball last night, Jason Kubel is still awesome, and this food on a stick thing at the State Fair has got to stop. I just saw a show that profiled the Rueben on a stick and Spaghetti and Meatballs on a stick. Ridiculous. Just knock it off. Although I also learned that the Meat Raffle was invented in Minnesota. Awesome.
If you're lucky I might have a US Open preview tomorrow.
1. Sammy Sosa was on steroids. Wait. Wrong file. That's not in my "breaking news" file, that's in my "no shit, sherlock" file. Everybody already knew this, didn't they? The only guy more obvious than Slammin' Sammy was Bonds.
You gotta respect a guy who is willing to cheat in all kinds of different ways, though. Not only did he bring the roids, but if you recall he was busted using a corked bat, too. He might as well have just gotten an aluminum bat that was painted like a wooden one. That's genius, actually, scratch that. It's like playing Madden and using the rewind button if you throw a game-losing interception, but then hitting the reset button too. And claiming it was an acccident.
I'm glad Stammerin' Sammy finally got outed officially though, since apparently there were some people who didn't know. Never liked him. His whole joyful act when McGwire broke Maris's record was the phoniest thing I had ever seen until Kobe and his teammates celebrated their new NBA title as if every single one of those guys wouldn't have shanked Kobe in the kidney if they thought they could get away with it.
2. The Twins finally did to Jesse Crain what they should have done to Matt Guerrier last year, and shipped Jesse Crain down to AAA when Glen "Perk" Perkins came off the DL. Crain has been an absolute nightmare this season, sporting an ERA of 8.15 (397th of 415 pitchers with at least 10 ips) and a WHIP of 1.92 (385th) and basically has made Guerrier look like Juan Berenguer. Ideally, he will spend his time in Rochester fixing whatever is wrong with him and get back to his 2005-2006 form, although it wouldn't surprise me if we don't hear from him again (Hi Jack Cressend!).
Of course, Crain hasn't been in the minors since 2004, so I'm assuming this is pretty humiliating for him and maybe it will motivate him to get in gear. Although when a guy sports a chin warmer and a sea-shell necklace like some kind of outcast frat boy who just got action for the first time from a 250 lb. drunken behemoth in cancun who just puked, I'm guessing he doesn't have a lot of shame left in him.
3. Finally, the big news we have all been waiting for. After a lengthy battle for his services, which I'm assuming involved a lot of money under the table, free cars, and copious amounts of willing and available trim, your hero and mine Travis Busch has signed on to attend (and apparently play basketball at) Colorado State next season (due to his hustle, he was granted a waiver and doesn't have to sit out next season and becomes eligible immediately.)
What? How did this happen? I thought he was going to fall down a lot and be scrappy for a D-2 type school like Winona or Metro State, but now all of a sudden he's heading not only D-I, but to a team in the Mountain West? It's not exactly a power conference, but it's not the Summit League either. I know they lost there ball-hoggy scoring point guard guy so they need scorers, but I don't think Mr. 2.6 points per game is really the answer here. Actually, I'm pretty sure a 6-3 (yeah right) 210 lb. power forward is the answer to anything, unless the question is "Who can dominate at the local YMCA adult pick-up?"
Do you remember just a few years ago Colorado State had three seven-footers? And now they are going to bring in a six-foot power forward who couldn't guard a black guy to save his life (he should do ok against BYU and Utah). It's pretty clear Tim Miles has run that program into the ground, or whatever is below the ground; Magma - I don't know, I'm not a geologist, all I know is these quotes from Miles really speak for themselves:
"We are excited to have Travis join us. He is a person who values education, he's got a dynamic personality, and he is a relentless basketball player. He will be a great fit for our program."
"I expect he will step out of his role of a complementary player and into a leadership position on our team. He's got the tools and work ethic to make big things happen for Rams basketball"
I swear I didn't make either of those up, although they are damn close to what I would write if I was making them up - but with more references to falling down. When reached for comment, Devron Bostick said, "He do b hustlin."
Also I'm very sad that Austin Daye stayed in the draft, I hit a home run at softball last night, Jason Kubel is still awesome, and this food on a stick thing at the State Fair has got to stop. I just saw a show that profiled the Rueben on a stick and Spaghetti and Meatballs on a stick. Ridiculous. Just knock it off. Although I also learned that the Meat Raffle was invented in Minnesota. Awesome.
If you're lucky I might have a US Open preview tomorrow.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Gophers 72, Colorado State 71
Luckily, thanks to DirectTV's Regional Sports package, I get the Mountain Sports Network, the only place to watch last nights Gopher victory over the CSU Rams. Actually, the lucky ones are those who weren't able to watch the game, because it was ugly.
I anticipated the game being a struggle. Since the schedule came out, I'd had this game pegged as a loss, and it easily could have been. It came down to a missed three by CSU's Andre McFarland as time expired - a wide open three pointer from the corner, I might add. But you know what? To go on the road against a non horrible team with some pretty good players and a good coach and come out with win is a great step for this team, no matter how ugly it was. I am very pleased with the outcome of last night's game, however many ugly spots there may have been.
The good:
1. Pressure defense. The Gophers press and overall pressure was excellent, and the Rams seemingly had no idea how to deal with it, turning the ball over 20 times, including six by last year's leading scorer Marcus Walker, who was held to just seven points on 2-11 shooting, mainly due to the Minnesota defense. Another factor was he was hit by a car the night before the game, as the MTN Network announcers made sure to mention every five seconds. Tubby pulled the press off with about four mintues to go or so, which baffles me.
2. Blake Hoffarber. Not just for his outside shooting (5-8 on threes), but for his aggressiveness as well. It didn't work out all the time, but Blake was once again putting the ball on the floor and trying to get to the rim. He is developing into a very good offensive player, particulary when he gets involved inside and out. Slight negative here is that he was at 20 points with about sixteen minutes left in the game, and finished with the same 20 points.
3. Al Nolen. Particularly when he drove the ball. He, like pretty much the entire team, has a tendency to settle for the long three pointer at times rather than trying to get to the rim, but last night when he got inside he was unstoppable.
4. Devoe Joseph. Once again he played limited minutes for some reason, only getting in for a total of 9 but putting up five points, two rebounds and an assist while not missing a shot in that time. I can't figure out why he's not getting more time, as I haven't seen anything that makes me think he needs to develop further or why he shouldn't be a first wave off the bench kind of guy. The only excuse I can come up with is that the Gophers are already deep on the perimeter, and they are, but that doesn't explain the ten minutes Kevin Payton got last night.
5. Offensive rebounding. They managed to grab 17 offensive rebounds, which really kept them in the game on a mediocre shooting night.
The bad:
1. Stagnant offense. The offensive philosophy seemed to come in waves, for a while they were happy to just shoot the ball from three with littel ball movement, then they would work in inside through the pass or the dribble, and then fall back in love with chucking it up. The offense was much more effective when they utilized the inside game, but they didn't do it enough. I'm not entirely certain Damian Johnson needs to be putting up 3 three-point attempts, although it was good to have him back in all other ways.
2. Free Throws. They didn't get to the line much (only 13 attempts) which is not surprising when you consider the entire team turned into Rick Rickert for a large chunk of the game, and even worse they only made 7, with Al Nolen going 2-5. The team is going to have to greatly improve their foul shot shooting to have much more success this year.
3. New guys minutes. This is very much not what I expected for the season, as other than Paul Carter's 22 minutes, none of the other new guys played much. Sampson got 10 minutes (he was banged up, however), Iverson 11, Joseph 9, and Bostick just 1. I'm hoping Tubby is just trying to ease them in to college basketball, but the 1 minute for Bostick is very alarming. It screams to me that Tubby has decided he isn't counting on him making much of an impact this year, and that sucks, considering it seemed likely when he was signed he would end up being the team's top scoring option.
4. Travis Busch. He clearly has a place on this team, and although I expect his minutes to switch to Iverson and Sampson as the season goes on I'm sure he will always get his handful of playing time. The problem as I see it is he doesn't know his role. There is no reason he should have taken six shots last night, as his role on offense should be garbage baskets and offensive rebounds. There is no reason for him to shoot a three-pointer, ever. There is not reason for him to come off a screen 17 feet from the hoop and catch-and-shoot. It's not what he needs to be doing, and hopefully Tubby can reign him in. There's gotta be some game film of Zack Puchtel out there he can watch, right?
All in all, I'm very happy with the result, and I think the Rams were the perfect team for the Gophers to face as their first road test; bad enough to be beatable, good enough to actually test them. They certainly didn't play perfectly, and some flaws were very much in evidence, but they got the win, and at this point, that's the most important thing. The rest will come.
I anticipated the game being a struggle. Since the schedule came out, I'd had this game pegged as a loss, and it easily could have been. It came down to a missed three by CSU's Andre McFarland as time expired - a wide open three pointer from the corner, I might add. But you know what? To go on the road against a non horrible team with some pretty good players and a good coach and come out with win is a great step for this team, no matter how ugly it was. I am very pleased with the outcome of last night's game, however many ugly spots there may have been.
The good:
1. Pressure defense. The Gophers press and overall pressure was excellent, and the Rams seemingly had no idea how to deal with it, turning the ball over 20 times, including six by last year's leading scorer Marcus Walker, who was held to just seven points on 2-11 shooting, mainly due to the Minnesota defense. Another factor was he was hit by a car the night before the game, as the MTN Network announcers made sure to mention every five seconds. Tubby pulled the press off with about four mintues to go or so, which baffles me.
2. Blake Hoffarber. Not just for his outside shooting (5-8 on threes), but for his aggressiveness as well. It didn't work out all the time, but Blake was once again putting the ball on the floor and trying to get to the rim. He is developing into a very good offensive player, particulary when he gets involved inside and out. Slight negative here is that he was at 20 points with about sixteen minutes left in the game, and finished with the same 20 points.
3. Al Nolen. Particularly when he drove the ball. He, like pretty much the entire team, has a tendency to settle for the long three pointer at times rather than trying to get to the rim, but last night when he got inside he was unstoppable.
4. Devoe Joseph. Once again he played limited minutes for some reason, only getting in for a total of 9 but putting up five points, two rebounds and an assist while not missing a shot in that time. I can't figure out why he's not getting more time, as I haven't seen anything that makes me think he needs to develop further or why he shouldn't be a first wave off the bench kind of guy. The only excuse I can come up with is that the Gophers are already deep on the perimeter, and they are, but that doesn't explain the ten minutes Kevin Payton got last night.
5. Offensive rebounding. They managed to grab 17 offensive rebounds, which really kept them in the game on a mediocre shooting night.
The bad:
1. Stagnant offense. The offensive philosophy seemed to come in waves, for a while they were happy to just shoot the ball from three with littel ball movement, then they would work in inside through the pass or the dribble, and then fall back in love with chucking it up. The offense was much more effective when they utilized the inside game, but they didn't do it enough. I'm not entirely certain Damian Johnson needs to be putting up 3 three-point attempts, although it was good to have him back in all other ways.
2. Free Throws. They didn't get to the line much (only 13 attempts) which is not surprising when you consider the entire team turned into Rick Rickert for a large chunk of the game, and even worse they only made 7, with Al Nolen going 2-5. The team is going to have to greatly improve their foul shot shooting to have much more success this year.
3. New guys minutes. This is very much not what I expected for the season, as other than Paul Carter's 22 minutes, none of the other new guys played much. Sampson got 10 minutes (he was banged up, however), Iverson 11, Joseph 9, and Bostick just 1. I'm hoping Tubby is just trying to ease them in to college basketball, but the 1 minute for Bostick is very alarming. It screams to me that Tubby has decided he isn't counting on him making much of an impact this year, and that sucks, considering it seemed likely when he was signed he would end up being the team's top scoring option.
4. Travis Busch. He clearly has a place on this team, and although I expect his minutes to switch to Iverson and Sampson as the season goes on I'm sure he will always get his handful of playing time. The problem as I see it is he doesn't know his role. There is no reason he should have taken six shots last night, as his role on offense should be garbage baskets and offensive rebounds. There is no reason for him to shoot a three-pointer, ever. There is not reason for him to come off a screen 17 feet from the hoop and catch-and-shoot. It's not what he needs to be doing, and hopefully Tubby can reign him in. There's gotta be some game film of Zack Puchtel out there he can watch, right?
All in all, I'm very happy with the result, and I think the Rams were the perfect team for the Gophers to face as their first road test; bad enough to be beatable, good enough to actually test them. They certainly didn't play perfectly, and some flaws were very much in evidence, but they got the win, and at this point, that's the most important thing. The rest will come.
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