One down

One day down in Denton (definitely not Dallas), two to go.

Virginia -5 vs. Va Tech (L)
Xavier -7.5 @ Temple (L)
Rutgers +16 @ Syracuse (L)
Charlotte PK vs. St Joe's (W)
Drake -3 @ Bradley (L)
Missouri -5 @ Iowa State (L)
Florida +6 @ Ole Miss (W)
North Carolina -12 @ Georgia Tech (L)
Michigan +11 @ Illinois (L)
San Diego State -1.5 vs. Utah
Duke -5.5 @ Florida State (W)
Dayton -6 vs. UMass (L)
Purdue -1 @ Iowa (W)
DePaul +10 @ Villanova (W)

That is a lot of road teams.

Yesterday: 6-1
Season: 224-193

Creepiest Hotel Ever

So I get to this hotel, in teh middle of countryland Texas, and there is nobody here. At all. I can't even find a worker so I can check in. Finally I find somebody and get all checked in, and head down to the restaurant to eat. Nobody at the host desk. After about five minutes somebody seats me, and I'm the only one in the place. I order a steak, because my assumptions about Texas are if you order anything other than Steak or Ribs they beat the crap out of you. Well, it's a steak in only the most academic sense of the word. I'm pretty sure if you put this on a hamburger bun the patron would send it back as being not a very good hamburger. But whatever, I'm not paying for it.

So then I head into the bar, and there's one other guy there. Wouldn't you frickin' know it, but he's a guy who is attending the same seminar as I am and he immediately starts talking to me. Annoying, to be sure. At the end of our "conversation" he says, "Well, I'll see you tomorrow and maybe we can do dinner somewhere." Well, putting aside the fact that I'm very attractive and he's probably a gay, I have zero interest in hanging out with people I don't know - ever. When I'm travelling for work by myself, I want to be left alone so I can get loaded (note: mission accomplished).

I end up spending about 3 hours in the bar (insert alcoholic reference here) and one other person shows up. The whole three hours. There's nobody here, and it's weird and creepy and I'm probably going to die. Anyway, this is supposed to be about about sports so here's some stuff:

- Mississippi State is quite good. Jamont Gordon is basically rididculus. And I just watched some guy named Jarvis Varnardo get a triple double with like 10 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 blocks. He averages 5.2 blocks per game going into the night. He's like the Antoine Broxsie I always wanted but never got.

- I've been asked to give my most hated Gophers of all-time team, so here you go:

PG Kevin Burleson
SG Kevin Clark
SF Rick Rickert
PF Kris Humprhies
C Rick Rickert

Yes, I know Rickert is in there twice, but he's was a pretty big waste of space. I know there's plenty of other guys I'm forgetting (Bear, help me out here) but I've had a lot to drink. I still have four more cooling on ice in the sink, so it might be a long night.

- Townsend Orr should be there. But then I'd have to go all three guard offense.

- So here's something constructive (kind of), I stumbled across an interesting preview of the Gophers by Down with Goldy (killer website), so let's see where we stand:

1. The improvement of Tollackson and Coleman: Well, kind of I guess. Coleman seems to be slightly more assertive, which doesn't mean much, and Tollackson is a little more polished. Really, it's like both of them went from a 3 to a 5 in their respective categories. It is what it is, and all that. Coleman still tends to disappear at times, and Tollackson is not a very good offensive player. He looks a lot like The Todd though, so that's cool.

2. Who is playing Point Guard? Well, this one has been answered fairly strongly. Nolen is really, truly the man. The fact that he's even at Minnesota is a testament to how badly he wanted to attend here, even with Monson as coach. There was a lot of talk about how he might not be Big Ten caliber, even from myself. That talk has clearly been put to rest. The program is in good hands for the next four years.

3. What's up with Kevin Payton? He sucks. Pretty much. I mean, he will do something every five games or so that looks good, but he's not a very good player.

4. How good can Lawrence Westbrook be? Um, still unsure? Sometimes he looks awesome as all hell. Sometimes you don't even realize he's on the team. Lots of potential.

5. Abu Shamala shouldn't be starting, right? Well, that's pretty clear. I know he's from Minnesota and we're all supposed to love him because he's white and everything, but he's not a very good player. He's an ok guy on the right team, because he can clearly shoot the ball, but the fact that Dawg's guy Blake stepped up big is huge for this team. Also, I'm starting to think Hoffbauer might be the man.

6. Lawrence McKenzie's motivation: This was a big concern for me coming into this season, and now it almost seems like he may have gone to far. I know he's been battling injuries, and I love the fact that he is more in control, but there have been times where he needs to take over and he hasn't. Hopefully some of the assertiveness that came out in the Penn State game will stay there.

7. Big Man Depth: This was a huge concern and may still be their undoing, but J-Will seems to be developing well, and the big leap forward from Damian Johnson make this just a sort of worry, not a critical problem.

8. Tubby's influence: This, I have to say, is probably the biggest change this year. Instead of a bunch of girls running around, you have guys like sissy-boy Coleman being tough. The defense has been absolutely stellar, and it's amazing to see what a difference he has made. Also, Dan Monson can go to hell. Nice team, ass.

9. Ongoing Recruiting battles: Well, Tubby has won almost every battle. The two guys I mention prior were Devoe Joseph and Verdell Jones. Well, Devoe is already committed, and I actually have no idea about Jones, because I don't care due to Nolen being the damn man. I did hear somewhere that he might take away Busch or Shamala's scholarship to give it to someone who doesn't suck, and I can't possibly be more in favor of anything ever.

10. Just how awesome is Rico Tucker? Clearly, he's awesome as all hell, if only he had better teammates. Now, he's only 21% from three on the year, but when your teammates suck and the defense refuses to let you have an open shot that'll happen. Also, four turnovers per game probably doesn't look very good to the untrained eye, but keep in mind there are probably three of those per game where he makes an awesome pass and some dumbass let's it go through his hands. In conclusion, Rico Tucker is awesome and if you don't see it you should probably stop watching basketball and start watching curling instead. They have brooms.

- Here's your money plays for tomorrow: Duke -5.5, Dayton -6, Purdue -1. I'm sure there will be more later, but I have some stupid seminar all day tomorrow, so I wanted to give all of yous you follow my picks with baited breath an early start.

- Since this is what I do when I'm drunk in random hotels, here are your notables playing in something called the ABA (future home of Hoffbauer): Jerry Dupree (Auburn? Lsu?), Soulemayne Wane (UCONN), holy crap nevermind. Worst league ever. They even have canadian teams whose website are in foreign and everything. And the websites that actually exist, I've never heard of any of these guys. Nice league. Will fold in less than two years. But Travarus Bennett once played for Vermont in that league. So that's something.

- Jesus christ, finding info on minor league basketball is like hacking into the pentagon, I swear.

- Luis Flores (Manhattan) is playing in Italy. He was awesome and so was Manhattan. You're never getting your Manhattan shirt back Bogart, NEVER.

- Gophers beat Indiana on Thursday. Book it.

- Here are the people playing in Germany: Dijon Thompson (UCLA), Terrance Thomas (Baylor?), Mark Dickel (UNLV), Jason Conley (Missouri) - also the leading scorer in DI that one year he was at VMI or Citadel or something like that, Kyle Visser (Wake), Jason Cain (Virginia), Nate Doornekamp (BC), Nate Funk (Creighton), Michael Umeh (UNLV), Shawan Robinson (Clemson) - Video game allstar, Toby Bailey (UCLA) - holy crap was that guy awesome, Jason Gardner (Arizona) - wow, really, Rickey Paulding (Missouri), Caleb Green (ORU - O, are you?), Ray Nixon (Wisconsin) - so they'll let anybody in.

- Wow, poor Toby Bailey. I'd tell you his stats if only they didn't want me to pay "just 34 cents a day) to have access to their database. Go to hell nazis.

- And also the Overlook Hotel where I am is setup so you can't see the TV from the desk where the internet is. That is some bullshit right there. How am I supposed to watch the Gophers beat Indiana and do internet at the same time. Wrong.

- 12:24, beer gone. Bye.

Steers n Queers

I'm off to Dallas. But it's not even Dallas. It's forty minutes north of Dallas on the North Texas campus. Yippee.

Ohio State +7.5 @ Michigan State (W)
Northern Iowa -1 vs. Creighton (L)
Notre Dame -12.5 vs. Cincinnati (W)
Baylor -6 vs. Oklahoma State (W)
Kentucky +9.5 @ Mississippi State (W)
Wisconsin -6 @ Penn State (W)
UNLV -1.5 vs. BYU

Yesterday: 0-3
Season: 218-192

Pepperdine Rocks

Live blog the Pepperdine game? Of course, but first:

1. Georgetown is the suck. If you even consider putting Georgetown in your final four, you should seriously stop watching sports.

2. Kansas is the jesus of basketball. If the NCAA was Conference USA, Kansas would be Memphis.

11:10 - Blog slightly delayed due to crazy pregnant wife wanting to watch Made on MTV. TiVo initiated.

12:19 - Made over. Whitley went from a ballerina to a boxer. She won her first match, and learned a lot about love. And really, isn't that what it's all about?

12:20 - Announcers sucking off Gonzaga already. Also, it seems half the crowd is pro-Zags, but it's at Pepperdine. That's ok, Rico will dunk all over Pargo.

12:21 - Rico not starting. This is some bullshit right here.

12:22 - Remember when Pepperdine was good? That one year with all the guys with afros and the guy named something like Brazza or Barrazza or something and I think they beat Indiana in the tournament? Remember that? That was sweet.

12:23 - I think I watched that Pepperdine/Indiana game at the Bebop in Blaine. How sad is that? Also, I'm plenty drunk right now and have no plans to stop.

12:25 - Worst announcers in history.

12:25 - Rico in for about thirty seconds, and scores, going one-on-three, making the announcer go "whoo hoo hoo" after he breaks Pargo's ankles. So good.

12:27 - Rico steal, and would have been an assist if this was hockey. Speaking of hockey, there was some faggy hockey match on TV at the bar, and a fight broke out, and everybody watching at the bar got an erection. Such a gay sport.

12:28 - Foul on Rico because the ref is a racist.

12:29 - Pepperdine is brutal. No wonder Rico has to try to do everything himself. Just threw a perfect lob, and stupid unathletic guy couldn't go and get it. Followed up by crazy white boy trying to do a turnaround fadeaway in the post, when poor Rico was open in the corner.

12:32 - Pargo can't handle Rico. Fouls him after getting beat.

12:33 - 17-6 Gonzaga. Pepperdine +13.5 looking not awesome here.

12:35 - Pepperdine is literally the worst team I've seen this year. Yikes.

12:38 - Needs more Rico.

12:39 - I forgot to mention that when I was watching the Gopher/Penn State game with $nake and Bogart, we turned $20 into $225 playing pulltabs. So that was pretty sweet.

12:40 - Gonzaga on pace for 136 points. Also, it's the Fargo-Moorhead Acro team at halftime this Sunday against Michigan State, if you're into that sort of thing. Which I am. Not gymnastics as a whole, I mean, I'm straight and everything. I like the ladies, they really rev my engine. I'm just saying the FM Acro team is totally awesome.

12:42 - Steal by Rico. Layup by Rico. Need more Rico.

12:43 - Pepperdine offense: four guys stand around the three point line without really moving, one guy half-heartedly tries to post up. Pepperdine defense: None.

12:46 - So this is funny and sad. Pepperdine plays a total uptempo run run run type of game. But they're the ones leaning over, grabbing their shorts, and all tired and out of shape right now. That's some great coaching there.

12:49 - Rico gets a rebound, goes coast-to-coast, makes a great pass, and it goes off his stupid teammate's hands and out of bounds. Somehow, that's a turnover to Rico. If someone would just get him some decent teammates, we'd have total domination.

12:52 - I'm not completely paying attention anymore, but I believe Pepperdine has gone seventeen minutes without getting a shot off. On the brightside, KFC has brought back the sauceless hot wing, so that's pretty sweet.

12:56- I have no idea who that girl in the picture above is, but the internet told me she attended Pepperdine. I see no need to argue.

12:57 - Halftime score: Gonzaga 50, Pepperdine 27. Here's a summary: Pepperdine turnover, Gonzaga layup, Pepperdine missed shot, Gonzaga wide open three, repeat ad infinitum. Also, Rico is awesome and should play more.

12:59 - Pepperdine has 11 turnovers and 12 made field goals. Also, Georgetown is a shitbox team.

1:00 - Rico is starting the second half, this can only lead to good things. Also, speaking of shitbox teams, I have an excellent Colts picture to use, but not yet. I'm sure I'll put it up at some point next week when I'm in Dallas.

1:01- Wow, Rico slaps the ball away from Bouldin, but the rest of the team is so crappy they can't be bothered to get the loose ball and we have a layup by Gonzaga.

1:03 - I really can't stress this enough: Pepperdine may very well be the worst college basketball team of all time. Last year's Gophers would have beaten them by 20.

1:04 - So some d-bag white guard on Pepp was wide open, completely uncovered, and he missed. Dude, you're white and not tall. Your only skill is shooting. You can't miss that shot. Rico is going to cap you. Except he believes in Jesus and all that. So I guess not. This game is very not exciting. Gonzaga 60, Pepperdine 27.

1:12 - Some tall white dude for Pepperdine just tried to make a layup but hit the bottom of the rim. Like the kind of thing you see the uncoordinated kids, or wrestlers, do in high school gym class.

1:13 - Pepperdine just cut it to thirty with 14:30 left. You read that correctly.

1:17 - Those dicks never give Rico the ball.

1:20 - Rico steal and assist. Clearly the catalyst needed to come back from a thirty point deficit.

1:21 - If you're wondering, the Zags went ahead and let Josh Heytveldt back on teh team. Last year he got booted off the team for dealing drugs, but I'm sure he's learned his lesson so now he's back. Should've shown Courtney James some leniancy.

1:23 - So some idiot Pepperdine guy turns it over, and on the fast break Rico makes an absolutely ridiculously awesome block on a layup. Of course, all the rest of the Pepperdine guys are fat lazy idiots, and a Gonzaga guy just picks it up and lays it in. Poor Rico.

1:24 - Heytveldt doesn't look like a drug-dealer. He looks like a Neo-Nazi.

1:25 - Steal by Tucker. Takes it down and hits the pull-up three. Just sick.

1:34 - Oh, if you're wondering how Mychel Thompson looks, I seriously haven't even noticed him. Since he plays for Pepperdine and isn't named Rico, I'm going to assume he's a giant piece of crap. He's no his dad.

1:44 - Thank god it's over. 90-57 Gonzaga. Rico Tucker = Jesus.

Big Monday

1. Awesome, awesome win for the Gophers. Usually, I'd write something like, "If it wasn't for Blake Hoffbauer's crazy hot shooting, and the completel inepitude of the Nittany Lions at the free throw line (17-36) there's no way the Gophers can win this game." Today, however, I'm in a good mood, so I won't even bother going in that direction.

That they were down 16 at one point in the second half, and came all the way back to win, on the road, shows just how much Tubby has changed this team. That toughness, and their defense, gives them a chance to make it to the NCAA tournament. Hoffs four three-pointers in three minutes or whatever was the most fun I've had watching a game in a while. And Nolen's key steal and pressure free throws more than make up for his shakiest game as a Gopher (5 TOs).

I still hate that they use Spencer as the key to the offense. Yes, he scored 19 points, but I don't think it's the best way to go. He also took two three-pointers, so I'm not sure what that's all about. He works out, no doubt. It will be interesting to see how he fares against the Hoosiers this week.

Lastly, it seemed McKenzie finally stepped up a bit on offense, hitting a huge three pointer towards the end of the game, on a somewhat poor decision. But that's what I want to see from him a little more often. Some of that aggressiveness from last season, even if it leads to some bad shots once in a while. I really, truly believe he is the key to how far this team can go. And Coleman. Who had nice stats, but once again I didn't really notice him that much.

Anyway, great, great win. With Indiana and Michigan State coming up, this week is going to be big. Win just one of those games, and the team is looking pretty.

2. I never, ever in a million years thought I'd be typing this, but on team that is really under the radar this season is Duke. Watching them this week against Temple and Virginia (ok, not the best competition, but they killed them) they are a really good team. They're ranked 9th and their only loss is by 1 at Pittsburgh, but you don't hear much about them. With North Carolina, Memphis, UCLA, and Kansas looking like locks for #1 seeds already, I haven't heard much about Duke.

Henderson and Nelson are two of the best inside/outside type guys in the country. Singler and Taylor King are two excellent freshmen, and even Paulus is having a good season - somehow. Their biggest weakness is a lack of size, with only Singler being over 6-6 amongst the main contributors, and he has a tendency to wander outside once in a while. Duke ranks 11th out of the twelve ACC teams in rebounding, and that could hurt, but with four guys shooting over 42% from three, they could beat anybody.

3. Make sure to stay up to watch the big Gonzaga at Pepperdine tilt on ESPN tonight at 11pm. Expect Rico Tucker domination.

4. I am now part of the Big Ten Bloggers poll, posted over at Gopher Nation. Here are my rankings:

1. Indiana
2. Wisconsin
3. Purdue
4. Minnesota
5. Michigan State
6. Ohio State
7. Penn State
8. Illinois
9. Iowa
10. Michigan
11. Northwestern

5. If we end up with a Green Bay vs. New England Superbowl, I'm going to have to root for Green Bay, and I don't like that one bit. Or blow up the stadium.

6. The most awesomest thing yesterday, was right before the first quarter of the Indy/San Diego game. They were introducing the winners of the punt, pass, kick contest in different age groups, and one of the winners was a 15 year old girl who was "representing the New England Patriots" and the crowd booed her. That was awesome.

7. I added a donkload of links over on the right. Basically, just a whole bunch of other nerdy bloggers, representing the other Big Ten teams. If you want to know anything about any of the other teams, go ahead and check them out. I pretty much just make up whatever I write about other teams anyway.

8. I will be in Denton, Texas starting tomorrow evening for three nights. Expect drunken ramblings - well, moreso than usual.


Georgetown -2.5 @ Pitt
Oklahoma +15.5 @ Kansas

Yesterday: 5-2
Season: 218-189

Picks

Thoughts on Gophers/PSU game coming tomorrow. I'll just say, "Dawg, you were right."

Rhode Island -8 vs. Duquesne (L)
Oregon -2 vs. Stanford (W)
Duke -14.5 vs. Virginia (W)
Syracuse +8.5 @ West Virginia (L)
Alabama +9.5 @ Arkansas (W)
Illinois +12.5 @ Indiana (W)
Denver PK vs. Ark-Little Rock (W)

Yesterday: 5-5
Season: 213-187

Wow. Huge win. Never been happier to be wrong. This is what happens when you don't play Shamala.

Seriously, they still aren't covering the white guys. It's fundamental.

Stop leaving the white guys open

Picks

Vanderbilt -2 @ Kentucky (L)
Wofford +8.5 vs Davidson
Penn State -2 vs. Minnesota (L)
UCLA -6.5 vs. Washington St (W)
Arizona -1 @ Houston (W)
Purdue PK vs. Ohio State
UCONN +10 @ Georgetown (W)
Marquette -6.5 vs. Notre Dame (W)
Southern Illinois -2 @ Indiana St
New Orleans +3.5 vs. Southern Alabama


Yesterday: 1-3
Season: 208-182