# February Game Thread



## bball2223

We are officially one month away from the madness.


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## Gronehestu

It is so hard for me to quantify how much I detest Tom Crean and Indiana.

When you have a team that is so inconsistent, and for the simple reason that it's just a mashup of talent instead of a team that plays smart and well from game to game, it makes your whole league look like it doesn't have its shit together. It's so obvious that they only care about one out of every three games they play, and it's even more obvious that Tom Crean has absolutely nothing to do with his team's on-court success...I just hate them

Almost as much as I hate Minnesota. And Minnesota is pretty much the exact same team this year. They were so good against Wisconsin...they were almost perfect. But look what they've done since. It's pathetic when a team puts so much into one regular season game and then shits itself all the rest of the time. 

I'm a pretty pissed off Badger fan right now, for a lot of reasons. 

The Cuse/Duke game was good, the Zona/Cal game was good. Virginia/Pitt was a good game I don't really care what it looked like. UVa getting things going, I'm glad for that. 

This season really is crazy. As soon as someone gets into the top 10, they're going down. It's been that way all year. I don't know who the hell's gonna end up in the Final Four, because not one team in the country is bullet-proof. I can't believe how far Syracuse has gotten with only two guards on the team. 

March should be all kinds of fun this year.


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## ZachS89

There are like 10 teams i feel could win it all this year and that is a great thing for the sport and i expect nothing less from next season as well


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## Gronehestu

Syracuse has it eyes on March already. They know they can coast a bit sometimes, then turn it on and do it when they need to. 

Xavier is the type of team that, if it gets into the NCAAs could win two games because they have good-to-great guards and enough depth up front, but the Big East is filled with talented teams that just really aren't putting it together. I'm not 100% sold on Creighton still, and Nova has holes you can exploit. But look how Nova is, by and large, just stomping through the league. 

It's hard to say too much about Iowa State this year. They keep gutting games out. I can't believe such a small team can be so strong inside. Ejim plays about 5 inches taller than he is. It was remarkable that only one guy fouled out for them in a triple-OT game. Kane outplayed Smart. If Iowa St is healthy and doesn't run into someone who can simply out-size the shit out of them, there is no reason to think they can't make a Final Four run. 

Oklahoma St, however, is starting to have problems. Smart hasn't been as awesome as he's supposed to be all of a sudden, and it's more than just the loss of Cobbins. They didn't have any depth even with Cobbins. Tonight only 6 guys played more than 2 minutes for them, and only one of them was a post player. It would be a shame if Okie St bows out early; so much is being shoved onto those two amazing guards. And Travis Ford is simply not a good enough coach to coax more wins out of his team than the talent is able to produce. 

Couple interesting bubble games Tuesday night: UNC/Maryland, St John's/Providence; Baylor has a chance to keep its momentum going against Kansas. Clemson has to beat a team like Ga Tech at home to have any chance of being a darkhorse. 

And of course, in the Big 10's mid-season toilet bowl, Wisconsin travels to Champagne to take on the equally hapless Illini. I don't know if we'll win. If we don't, I just don't know when Bucky is going to course-correct. We desperately need a win

..................

Aaron Craft is pretty awesome. He's single-handedly keeping Ohio St in this game at Iowa. 14 points, 5/5 from the field, 4 steals in the first half. Dude gives his team what it needs when they need it, every time. I hate that he plays for Ohio St. 

Baylor is getting slaughtered on the boards by Kansas, I think the margin is 25-10 at halftime. That's almost as bad as Bucky has been inside. St John's is up 53-37 at Providence...wow both ways on that score. Meanwhile Memphis leads Rutgers 56-21 at the break. I'm so super pumped that Rutgers is joining the B1G next year. Great move by Jim Delaney. 

Ole Miss hanging tough at Kentucky in a matchup of the worst personalities in college sports.

..........................................

Wow Ohio St pulls it off at Iowa. They're picking themselves up off the mat nicely. Craft couldn't miss in the first half, leads them into the fray...in the 2nd half, he gives out 5 assists and doesn't even worry about scoring. 6 steals total. Dude is awesome. 

Also impressive, Kansas. They're really rounding into form. If Tharpe is good, they are really good.


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## 29380

*The Adreian Payne Story: How Michigan State Star Became the Ultimate Role Model
*


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## 29380

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/432286959973568512


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## Diable

Duke is back to playing terrible defense in a road game. Sort of looks like they expected this to be easy, which of course it would be if they weren't playing so poorly


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## 29380

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/432372240391606272
:nonono:


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## ZachS89

Ender said:


> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/432372240391606272
> :nonono:


Marcus had to have a reason to push that guy he said something that doesn't excuse the fact that he pushed him but lets not crucify him before hearing his side first


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## Gronehestu

Fans say some pretty awful shit, because they're often over-served, and always convinced that an impenetrable glass wall separates them from the players. And coward fans say some truly horrible stuff. 

Who knows what the guy said. It could have been vile, it could have been blase 

But you do not do what Smart did. Period. That moment right there could well be the difference between Okie St struggling for awhile, and Okie St going down in absolute flames. Same for his draft stock. Turns out Smart has a good dose of Randy Moss in hiim

Somewhere, Doug Gottlieb is crying in his beer, and that makes me happy.

Edit: As far as on-court stuff goes, Jordair Jett and Melvin Ejim are awesome as hell, couple seniors who don't have NBA measurable but holy shit are they outstanding collegiate basketball players

Edit 2: LOL Gottleib










I feel like we're all going to end up really hating this instigating old dude when this story is all said and done, but holy shit did Smart screw up. Gottleib has another tweet ripping Travis Ford for not controlling Smart.


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## EpicFailGuy

Gronehestu said:


> Fans say some pretty awful shit, because they're often over-served, and always convinced that an impenetrable glass wall separates them from the players. And coward fans say some truly horrible stuff.
> 
> Who knows what the guy said. It could have been vile, it could have been blase
> 
> But you do not do what Smart did. Period. That moment right there could well be the difference between Okie St struggling for awhile, and Okie St going down in absolute flames. Same for his draft stock. Turns out Smart has a good dose of Randy Moss in hiim
> 
> Somewhere, Doug Gottlieb is crying in his beer, and that makes me happy.
> 
> Edit: As far as on-court stuff goes, Jordair Jett and Melvin Ejim are awesome as hell, couple seniors who don't have NBA measurable but holy shit are they outstanding collegiate basketball players
> 
> Edit 2: LOL Gottleib
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I feel like we're all going to end up really hating this instigating old dude when this story is all said and done, but holy shit did Smart screw up. Gottleib has another tweet ripping Travis Ford for not controlling Smart.


Great win for your Badgers today. Jackson with the big shot.


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## Gronehestu

EpicFailGuy said:


> Great win for your Badgers today. Jackson with the big shot.


Thanks man and I'm glad for the win but...sigh

This team really doesn't have a future in March. The turnovers and sloppy play and inability to come up with key rebounds and stops are a ticking time bomb, and eventually one or all of those deficiencies will knock us out of both the B1G and national tourneys

Jackson is so perfectly infuriating. He makes bad decisions, dribbles the air out of the ball, into trouble, into bad shots. He'll have really good stretches but you know beyond doubt that bad Traevon is lurking at all times...

...and then he makes these big shots, so you can't bench him. He's absolutely, 100% infuriating lol

I think it says a lot about how bad things have gotten for Bucky lately, and how omnipresent our issues are, that even after an exhilarating finish like that I'm sitting here pointing all this bad out. I said before the year that this team was going to live utterly on the 3 ball, and for awhile they didn't, but now that's the case. And 4 guys standing on the 3pt arc launching jumpers is simply no way to go about sustaining success. And then today we try all we can to blow the lead. Harris made a helluva contested shot, but the beat goes on: we can't stop people from making shots when we have to stop them. Hope things change for the better.


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## Mrs. Thang

Wisconsin has no future in March, but that win at least ensures that they will be there at all. With the tough part of their conference schedule coming up it was conceivable, if not probable, that they would fail to get even 9 wins in the conference which would put them in a questionable spot. Still, with no Appling, no Dawson, and Harris having the worst game of his career, that's a game they need to win by more than 2 points at home.


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## 29380

Smart suspended 3 games



> Jeff Orr Statement
> 
> "I would like to take this opportunity to offer my sincere apologies to Marcus Smart, Oklahoma State, Tubby Smith and the Texas Tech Men's Basketball program. My actions last night were inappropriate and do not reflect myself or Texas Tech - a university I love dearly. I regret calling Mr. Smart a *"piece of crap"* but I want to make it known that I did not use a racial slur of any kind. Additionally, I would like to offer my apologies to Texas Tech fans that have been embarrassed by the attention this incident has created."




__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/432653542181314560


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## Diable

Doug McDermott is a real smooth operator, can't see you teaching him a lot more about the game at the next level though.


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## Gronehestu

West Virginia is all over Iowa St in the first half, 38-22 right now. WVU has 7 threes already and the Cyclones just looking out of sorts; turnovers all over, charges, and now DeAndre Kane just airballed a free throw :uhoh:


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## Gronehestu

Michigan on the verge of leaving Columbus with a huge get-right victory over their rivals. Derrick Walton Jr has had himself a game, 13 with 10 boards and 6 helpers and he made a key strip of Amir Williams off an offensive board to start Michigan in transition. Big win after that beatdown Iowa laid on them on Saturday, meanwhile Ohio St had strung together a few wins to right their own ship.

I don't know what to make of the B1G right now; we'll have to wait until March has been decided to really see where this league is. On the one hand, it is deep, and the teams at the bottom even have good guards and are scrappy and everyone plays defense, so nobody is ever out of a game, no matter how much a talent mismatch it appears on paper. 

You can also look at it from the perspective of highly ranked teams from the non-conference slate have come into league play and taken turns being savaged by a half dozen teams that aren't going to go to the NCAA tournament. 

I maintain my opinion, and I feel it is decently objective here, that the bottom of the B1G (Nebraska, Penn St, Northwestern) is stronger than the bottom of almost any conference. And I think it's still a strong league, just not as impressive as last year. It's somewhat a microcosm of the top 100 or so teams in the whole of college basketball this season; nobody is a sure bet every night, and almost everyone can play and get a win if they bring it. 

Bucky needs to come out and slaughter Minnesota. Nothing less than a drawing and quartering of those ****s will erase the taste in my mouth from our trip to the twin shitties. Time to start putting it together again Badgers, enough of this regression crap. Build on your momentum

EDIT: wow and Ole Miss goes down at Bama. The SEC beat goes on: Florida is awesome, Kentucky should be so much better, and everyone else is racing to be .500. I think the last thing anyone in that conference wants is to be the new 'third best team'

EDIT 2: It's such a shame that Clemson can't score more points. KJ McDaniels has been fantastic all season; he's good enough to carry a team to the NCAA's on his back. He's improved his outside shot, he's making his free throws, he's become better at leaping and being aggressive defensively without fouling so much. He's awesome, and he may not be a lotto pick but he's going to be a legit NBA player. He can slash and attack and score the ball from an expanding range, he is a ridiculous rebounder for his size, and he will eat up shots that people try to put up on him. He might never average double figures but he's going to be All-Defense.

But he's getting the least help of any star in the country. Rod Hall is a solid point guard if he's the 4th best player on his team. Landry Nnoko has really made strides as a rebounder and rim-protector, and he scores the odd bucket...but there's nothing else. A bunch of interchangeable, inefficient guards. It's nice that Blossomgame has finally gotten healthy but he's not a scoring threat and he can't make his freebies. I hope Clemson can make a run in the ACC tourney cause you have to love a team that D's up like them...just gotta score some points


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## Diable

Duke-Carolina might get cancelled, snowing pretty hard here. We probably get at least six inches here by tip. They are expecting ice after the snow in Chapel Hill Durham area


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## bball2223

Didn't realize how bad it was down there as I haven't paid much attention to the news. Duke/UNC is postponed until next Thursday the 20th. Probably the right call to cancel the game, ice is no joke to travel on, even for us more used to it in the Midwest. 

Pitt leads Syracuse 19-14 at the under 8 timeout. Pitt is 9-0 at the Petersen Events Center versus top 5 teams all-time.


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## Diable

You can't really get anywhere easily right now. Traffic jams were really bad everywhere and if you did get to the game, you might end up having to camp out there or you could lose power in an ice storm

Duke gets to pay 4 games in a week because of the rescheduled game.


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## bball2223

Tyler Ennis at the Buzzer for the win. Syracuse remains unbeaten.


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## 29380

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/433785319172083712


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## Gronehestu

So, full disclosure, I don't like Syracuse or Jim Boeheim very much. And I kinda like Pitt, they do things the way you're supposed to in all facets. And I'm not taking away from Ennis, cause that kid is having a man's season and that was one hell of a moment for him

Watching Syracuse, who's been fortunate over and over this season to remain unbeaten in a year where no one is bullet proof, make that miracle...shit. It kinda felt like the Koch brothers winning the lottery. I can't wait to see Cuse lose in March...grumble grumble lol

Illinois is just embarrassing themselves, and embarrassing the B1G. Groce has done an impressive job of recruiting and adding proven transfers...but the guy isn't much of a game coach. No matter what you're facing, you can't lose 9 of 10 with the talent he's got. But he was good enough to pull down Tom Crean's pants last year lol...god almighty Crean is a horrible ****ing coach. How you like your team now, Hoosiers? Shavon Shields isn't a complete player by any means, but he went nuts 2 or 3 times last year, he's gone nuts 2 or 3 times already this year. He's one to watch. In Pettway and Shields, Brasky has a couple wings who can dominate offensively when they're on. 

Boise St with a big win over New Mexico...both those teams need to finish strong if the Mountain West is going to be more than a one-bid-league. And maybe my guys at Wyoming could make a run and sneak into the Field, I told everybody Larry Nance was gonna bust out and he's putting up 16, 9 and 2.2 blocks per game. Not just his daddy's son anymore. 

Stanford and LSU continue to be the type of teams that get coaches into trouble...so many questionable losses on their resumes. But who the hell knows, everyone has a bunch of losses this year so we'll see. I bet one of them goes to the Sweet 16...or maybe Oklahoma will get there after blowing one at home to Texas Tech

VCU with a real statement win, jumping all over George Washington. The Rams might be new to the A-10 but they're trying to remind people who's boss. Can't wait for that Saint Louis/VCU matchup it's gonna be crazy good!

Richmond and Dayton took care of business too - I like the A-10 they're pushing for 6 bids; but wow, what has happened to UMass? George Mason is one of the very most disappointing teams in America this year. 

Couple interesting results from the MAC, as well: Western Michigan takes out Akron at home to make the West more interesting, while Toledo beats Ohio to stay a game ahead of the Broncs. The MAC isn't that strong a league but those 4 teams are interesting; only one of them will get to March but I can see reasons why any of them might be able to pull off a win once there...and Buffalo is still lurking. They've been sloppy all year but they do have a couple guards that are getting better, and McCrea is a great player


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## Gronehestu

Didn't mean to double-post and now I can't delete...lol


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## Mrs. Thang

Before that game last night, Syracuse had only played 4 true road games all season (@ MSG against St. Johns in front of an 80% pro-SU crowd does not count), and those 4 teams are a combined 40-54 and represent the 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 6th worst teams in the ACC.

So the Pittsburgh game was big for them because, in typical Boeheim fashion, they somehow made it to mid-February without playing a road game against a good team. It was a lucky win, but they could have easily lost by 6-7 and did well to even put themselves in a position to take that shot. Despite their record though, I don't think they are clearly better than Florida, Arizona, Duke, Kansas, or healthy Michigan State. They have some tough road games yet to come and it wouldn't be at all surprising to see them lose 2-3 of their last 5 games (although of course they now get Duke at the end of a 4 games in 7 days gauntlet because why wouldn't they).


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## Gronehestu

**** Minnesota...take em down Bucky


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## EpicFailGuy

If Wisconsin keeps attacking downhill, this will be over quickly in the 2nd half. 

Minnesota playing matador D so far.


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## Gronehestu

Wouldn't it be incredible if Dekker and Kaminski looked to drive the ball and score in the paint like they did in that 2nd half every game?

We've shown flashes of doing the things we need to change for the better in the last 3 games, but just flashes. We need to do more. Kaminski and Dekker are really the keys; it's dangerous to start counting on Hayes as an every-game force because he's 25 games into his freshman season and at some point he'll have a hiccup or two, but when the other two are being assertive and looking to get their points inside this team is tough to defend. 

I hope things keep getting better. History isn't our friend in this case, but we'll see. On Wisconsin


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## Diable

Arizona State is lucky that the refs don't call their crowd for a Technical. up 3 on Arizona with .7 on the clock after 2 OT's


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## Mrs. Thang

Syracuse gets another garbage win on the back of a bunch of WTF officiating. Worst call came with 15 seconds left on a baffling play where NC State beat them deep on an inbounds, Cooney fouled TJ Warren from behind on a breakaway layup (that went in) and they not only wiped out the continuation (which was reasonable), but didn't even give him the shooting foul (which was absurd). NC State wasn't even in the bonus yet so they had to inbound and promptly turned it over.


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## EpicFailGuy

Mrs. Thang said:


> Syracuse gets another garbage win on the back of a bunch of WTF officiating. Worst call came with 15 seconds left on a baffling play where NC State beat them deep on an inbounds, Cooney fouled TJ Warren from behind on a breakaway layup (that went in) and they not only wiped out the continuation (which was reasonable), but didn't even give him the shooting foul (which was absurd). NC State wasn't even in the bonus yet so they had to inbound and promptly turned it over.


At worst, that should have been an intentional if the continuation wasn't called.


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## Diable

I thought Warren's bucket should have counted, but it wasn't that egregious of a call. It is true that Syracuse has gotten a whole lot of love from the refs this year however. At some point you would think they run out of luck, they've used up about half a decade's worth already this year.


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## EpicFailGuy

Like the old-school UK look. I think I should be rooting for Florida, but not sure.


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## Gronehestu

You know, just because I'm totally, 100% positive that Cuse will lose by the Sweet 16, I'm sure they'll win it all

Nobody should get to be such a huge asshole as Jim Boeheim and still be_ this_ lucky. Come on


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## Kreutz35

Nebrasketball up 7 on Sparty halfway through the first half!!!!


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## Kreutz35

kreutz35 said:


> Nebrasketball up 7 on Sparty halfway through the first half!!!!


'Skers up 6 at half!


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## Gronehestu

It's incredible that Nebraska beat Michigan State in the Breslin Center, with Payne, Harris and Appling all on the floor, despite only two players in red scoring more than two baskets for the game. 

That, folks, is pretty much a satirical comic strip for the 2013-14 NCAA basketball season. Shit that never happens, is happening. 

I ask again, wouldn't it be amazing if Kaminsky and Dekker looked to drive the ball assertively into the paint and score from in close, every game? lol man, I hope the message has finally gotten through everyone's head: when the outside shots aren't falling, take it into that painted section of the floor! And how about two turnovers, on the road, against a ranked team. That's pretty damn impressive. 

I still don't trust that this team has completely ironed out its issues, but things are trending upwards again and it's a nice feeling. Don't let us down, Bucky. Everyone can now plainly see what must be done to succeed. 

I'm kinda not 100% sold on Creighton just like I'm not on my own Badgers, but those guys are sure bent on proving they're the best team in the new Big East. The key as this year has gone on has been that not just McDermott, and not just McDermott plus 5 triples from Wragge, but McDermott plus 3 or 4 of his buddies, are getting double figures each night. They still don't play the best defense but it has improved significantly and so long as a couple people are helping Doug, they are very dangerous. 

St John's also with a key win. With Xavier stubbing their toes, the Johnnies just might be #3 in the Big East.

SMU with a ghastly loss to Temple. They put everything they had into beating Cincy but then to drop this game shows they haven't completely arrived just yet. 

Louisville is showing signs of having turned it around for real, because they've won 8 of 9 and none of those 8 have really been close...the lone loss was to Cincy. But the wins have come over UConn and SMU in mid January, and a bunch of sub-.500 teams since. It'll be interesting to see how the AAC tourney shakes out, because Cincy has been awesome but I could see 4 different teams taking the league


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## Mrs. Thang

Nebraska hit about a season's worth of bad shots in that game. Michigan State was awful on offense, but it seemed like every run they were able to make was fought off by Petteway hitting some crazy shot with his eyes closed.


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## Gronehestu

Clemson got a seriously needed home win over NC State, and while T.J Warren did get 20 points, K.J McDaniels absolutely ate him alive on about 5 or 6 possessions with blocks and his physical play. I'm not the best NBA talent scout around, but a 6'6" kid who is athletic and strong enough to defend anyone from 2-guards to scoring wings to a couple of 6'8" combo forwards like Warren and Jabari Parker is a kid who should have a profitable professional career. 

Tigers probably aren't an NCAA team but I'm really hoping they can finish strong. Their final schedule: @ GT, @ Wake; then Terps, Miami and finally Pitt all at home. It's unlikely considering they just can't freakin score most of the time, but it's possible they'll finish with 10 ACC wins and 20 overall. Hope they do that, and get an upset in the ACC tourney, to boot. I'm going to tip my cap to the ACC. Even if they aren't as awesome as everyone said they'd be this year. With teams that play the way Clemson, Virginia and Pitt play, I can dig it. That league has learned about gritty ball and defense. Heck, throw FSU in there, and Miami because Larranaga coaches em up the right way. They'll be strong again next year.

WOW, did Ole Miss ever blow an opportunity tonight. That's two years in a row, they got Kentucky at home with something to prove. Last year, it was that they belonged as a ranked team. This year, they had to stop a losing skid and prove they still belong as an NCAA team. Both times, they failed completely and utterly. 

Didn't tune in until the 2nd OT but that must have been a heck of a game between Nova and Providence. Friars knew they had a chance but just couldn't pull it off. 

Melvin Ejim is just awesome. He and Dwayne Evans both. Love undersized, tough, fearless, efficient guys like them. 

GW with a very good resume win at Richmond; finished strong on a 13-5 run. They really have solid balance and can score a variety of ways; it's going to be tough for whoever they meet in March to get past them. 

Texas Tech cannot seriously be on the verge of upsetting Kansas...come on...and Virginia needs to get it going @ Va Tech; they'd figured out the offensive issues for the past month but only 8 field goals in the first half against the awful Hokies? Ugh


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## 29380

Kansas stole that win.


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## Gronehestu

lol for real


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## EpicFailGuy

Gronehestu said:


> Clemson got a seriously needed home win over NC State, and while T.J Warren did get 20 points, K.J McDaniels absolutely ate him alive on about 5 or 6 possessions with blocks and his physical play. I'm not the best NBA talent scout around, but a 6'6" kid who is athletic and strong enough to defend anyone from 2-guards to scoring wings to a couple of 6'8" combo forwards like Warren and Jabari Parker is a kid who should have a profitable professional career.
> 
> Tigers probably aren't an NCAA team but I'm really hoping they can finish strong. Their final schedule: @ GT, @ Wake; then Terps, Miami and finally Pitt all at home. It's unlikely considering they just can't freakin score most of the time, but it's possible they'll finish with 10 ACC wins and 20 overall. Hope they do that, and get an upset in the ACC tourney, to boot. I'm going to tip my cap to the ACC. Even if they aren't as awesome as everyone said they'd be this year. With teams that play the way Clemson, Virginia and Pitt play, I can dig it. That league has learned about gritty ball and defense. Heck, throw FSU in there, and Miami because Larranaga coaches em up the right way. They'll be strong again next year.
> 
> WOW, did Ole Miss ever blow an opportunity tonight. That's two years in a row, they got Kentucky at home with something to prove. Last year, it was that they belonged as a ranked team. This year, they had to stop a losing skid and prove they still belong as an NCAA team. Both times, they failed completely and utterly.
> 
> Didn't tune in until the 2nd OT but that must have been a heck of a game between Nova and Providence. Friars knew they had a chance but just couldn't pull it off.
> 
> Melvin Ejim is just awesome. He and Dwayne Evans both. Love undersized, tough, fearless, efficient guys like them.
> 
> GW with a very good resume win at Richmond; finished strong on a 13-5 run. They really have solid balance and can score a variety of ways; it's going to be tough for whoever they meet in March to get past them.
> 
> Texas Tech cannot seriously be on the verge of upsetting Kansas...come on...and Virginia needs to get it going @ Va Tech; they'd figured out the offensive issues for the past month but only 8 field goals in the first half against the awful Hokies? Ugh


Love reading your recaps. A whole bunch of people nationally are pissed about SLU being ranked in the Top 10. It's funny to me. We're still getting killed for losing to Wichita State and Wisconsin, which last I checked are very good teams. I know the feeling is the A-10 is way down, but for anyone who watches games there, I don't see it.


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## Gronehestu

If people are still picking at the Billikens' resume, then it's because they've got something against Saint Louis; because that shit is rock-solid. Undefeated in a strong league, only losses are to top-15 foes, and they have a veteran core that's tournament-proven. To say they aren't a top 10 team is straight unreasonable. 

I don't understand who could pick on the A-10 as a whole, either. Show me a league that hasn't torn itself apart this year. Big 10 had 3 teams in the top 5 after the non-conference slate; now look. Big 12 likewise has been turned upside down through the conference grind. 

Know who's down? The Pac 12. They had a ton of ranked teams early, but now (and some of it due to injury, which sucks) is looking more mediocre by the week. Know who else? The Mountain West, a league I was high on but hasn't delivered. But nobody is as down as the SEC. It's _so hard_ to be as pedestrian as 12/14s of that league is, given their advantages. Those are the leagues that deserve to get smeared. And hey, in the interest of being fair, the B1G deserves to have it pointed out that is hasn't been as good as last year, either. The top teams have struggled a bit lately, and we'll see how it plays out in March but the league overall definitely has hurt its rep since conference play began. And what about the ACC, which some preseason publications were touting as the greatest conference in the history of college hoops. Not quite.

The A-10 is a league with 5, potentially 6 tournament teams. VCU was top 10 on most peoples' lists preseason; they're as dangerous as ever and proved it by nearly beating Saint Louis on the road. St Joe's and George Washington have taken huge strides forward, and they have legit, high-major talent all over the place. UMass was undefeated for a long time, and ranked in the top 15...why are they somehow way worse than any of the dozen major conference teams that had the same ranking and watched it wither against tough conference foes?

Richmond and Dayton are interesting; I hope both can make it into the NCAAs. Richmond is 3 games over .500 in the A-10 and owns a win (albeit with Lindsay) over UMass when they were #13...by contrast Tennessee (in on Lunardi's bracket...derp) is 7-6 in the SEC and outside of Virginia (unranked at the time), don't own a single win over a surefire NCAA team. Really, the only reason I don't see Richmond as a lock is that we're all waiting to be sure they're truly as good as they've looked the few games since Lindsay went down. Dayton has been so inconsistent, but is trending back upwards and has serious talent up and down the roster. They need to finish strong though, cause the last 4 are against St Joe's, UMass, Saint Louis and Richmond. Ouch.

Football is irrelevant in a basketball discussion, and the A-10 is a major conference in hoops. And they'll prove it once more this year by getting more bids than some of the very haughtiest football conferences. In a lot of ways, that's all that need be said.


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## Diable

I don't know why the guys on TV are acting like it's shocking that Syracuse lost, although you'd not expect them to lose to a dreadful BC team. Still that team could have lost almost every game they've played in a month and it's not like they played anyone out of conference.


----------



## Gronehestu

We can now officially say it: worst team ever to start 25-0

It was a great run, but that game, against that team, tells you a LOT about Cuse


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## EpicFailGuy

Gronehestu said:


> We can now officially say it: worst team ever to start 25-0
> 
> It was a great run, but that game, against that team, tells you a LOT about Cuse


As much as I'd like to be happy about Boeheim going down, we just went cardiac against George Mason, again.


----------



## Gronehestu

HA! Minnesota loses at home and only puts up 49 points against freaking Illinois! The team that had lost 10 of 11! 












EpicFailGuy said:


> As much as I'd like to be happy about Boeheim going down, we just went cardiac against George Mason, again.


I was incredulously gametracking that one man, what happened? I don't see a ridiculous number of turnovers for the Bills, but they did let GM shoot almost 50%, how did it almost go so wrong?

I definitely sound like a Cuse hater. But I do enjoy the way they get after it defensively. Most teams play zone because they can't cut it any other way. Cuse plays zone like a work of art, so I can appreciate that. It's mostly the Boeheim-is-a-tool thing, and the fact that they've earned blue blood status despite hardly ever proving it away from very friendly confines and only owning one national title. The same number as Wisconsin...though they weren't exactly the same kind of national titles but I digress. My point is that soon after Cuse earned its #1 ranking, they stopped deserving it. So I'm glad they got knocked off, on principle. 

There is nothing - nothing - not to like about Cincinnati. Give me hard-nosed, senior-led teams like Cincy and Saint Louis and I'll match them against any team that ever took the floor. 

St Joes' got by Rhode Island, once again we see that no game in the A-10 is easy. Dayton takes care of business against La Salle. Things have been looking better, and if the Dayton that went to Maui shows up for the next couple weeks, things in the A-10 are going to get exceedingly interesting. 

Western Michigan winning at Ohio; Akron going down at Buffalo. I know that the MAC is a one-bid league, but there are a half dozen teams in that league who are really pretty solid. I feel like the MAC is going to show very well in the NIT. 

Flipping between Colorado/ASU now and UNLV/New Mexico. Good day of college hoops and it's not over yet. Askia Booker has really stepped up without Dinwiddie, but he is one of the worst guys in the country at dribbling his way into trouble. Dude needs to learn efficiency. Xavier Johnson is a freak though, he's going to explode at some point.


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## 29380

Pac-12 Refs are terrible.


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## Mrs. Thang

I'm happy Syracuse finally lost a game they didn't deserve to win, but the fact that they've been struggling so much against low competition is more troubling than one loss. If they have the kind of offensive showing against Duke that they've had the last 3 games they will lose by 20. I think they have an excellent team but Boeheim is running them into the ground. Fair, Ennis, and Grant sat for a combined 6 minutes in the OT game last night. Cooney logged 40 minutes and Christmas 39. They are all going to be cooked by the time the tourney starts.


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## Gronehestu

Mrs. Thang said:


> I'm happy Syracuse finally lost a game they didn't deserve to win, but the fact that they've been struggling so much against low competition is more troubling than one loss. If they have the kind of offensive showing against Duke that they've had the last 3 games they will lose by 20. I think they have an excellent team but Boeheim is running them into the ground. Fair, Ennis, and Grant sat for a combined 6 minutes in the OT game last night. Cooney logged 40 minutes and Christmas 39. They are all going to be cooked by the time the tourney starts.


It's staggering how far they've gotten on such a short bench; and only two guards. 

Credit to Ennis, seriously: he's a true freshman, there's no backup at the point, so he's got the ball in his hands damn near the whole game with no safety net, and he's been a model of efficiency despite it all. The kid is having one of the best years EVER for a freshman point guard. 

But you really have to start thinking that Cuse has set themselves up for a massive fail. Maybe it'll happen before the tournies begin, and they'll have time to get through it and end up in the Final Four anyways...they certainly aren't a blueprint for late-season success


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## ZachS89

Duke settling for the 3 instead of going inside obviously hurt them tonight and it looks like they're going down


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## Diable

Duke is a three point shooting team. When they don't hit them, they just aren't very good. They haven't been that good on the road all year.


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## 29380

:nonono: @ UNC rushing the court.


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## Gronehestu

Ender said:


> :nonono: @ UNC rushing the court.


Srsly


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## Diable

You're supposed to rush the court when you beat Duke, when was the last time they lost a game without it happening?


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## hobojoe

Diable said:


> You're supposed to rush the court when you beat Duke, when was the last time they lost a game without it happening?



Try the last time they lost a game, earlier this month at Syracuse.


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## Gronehestu

Diable said:


> You're supposed to rush the court when you beat Duke, when was the last time they lost a game without it happening?


I'm not a big fan of court-rushing really, in almost all cases. But I get it - you're excited, you're right there watching your team get the win, especially if the outcome is in doubt until the final seconds and all that adrenaline just floods you

So I rarely gripe about it. I don't like it, but hey, have your fun. And ok, it's a thing for those schools with the rivalry and all

To see a North Carolina, or anyone who else like them who so famously thinks their shit doesn't stink (Indiania, Duke, Kentucky, Michigan, UCLA, etc), under any circumstances rush the court, is just laughable. 

Again, I can understand what goes on for those kids who are there to see it. But sitting back watching it happen, with the way the Heels carry themselves and all that history they have, it's funny.


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## bball2223

It's college kids (presumably some/most of them are inebriated), and it was a rivalry game. As a UNC fan I'm not a huge fan of us rushing the court, but why not let the kids enjoy it? No matter who is rushing the court I really don't understand why it bothers people so much.


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## Diable

Damn Duke has stunk on the free throw line tonight, they should be well ahead in this game right now


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## Diable

That was a no call probably...Did they toss Boeheim there....yeah


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## EpicFailGuy

I guess the stripes get involved in both Duke/Syracuse games. Jim Boeheim gets ejected in the carnage.


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## Diable

No, that's not that bad of a call really. He was there and he didn't move


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## hobojoe

LMAO Boeheim, that was nuts.


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## EpicFailGuy

Diable said:


> No, that's not that bad of a call really. He was there and he didn't move


The closest call in basketball. Boeheim lost his mind. I think you may be right though.


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## Basel

Crappy finish to an otherwise great game. And I don't even like college basketball.


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## JuniorNoboa

Diable said:


> I don't know why the guys on TV are acting like it's shocking that Syracuse lost, although you'd not expect them to lose to a dreadful BC team. Still that team could have lost almost every game they've played in a month and it's not like they played anyone out of conference.


Who did Duke beat that was better than Villanova?

I realize your knowledge of college basketball was always pretty poor and placing people as ignorant as you as mods killed this board, but I would figure you would realize a top 10 team is pretty good.

I guess it was too much to ask from a douchebag like you.

BTW, your calling out the refs in favour of Syracuse is typical of how dumb and idiotic you have always been. AFTER ALL TEAMS HAVE BEEN GETTING CAMERON'D FOR YEARS, but you are too dumb to realize this.

**** off your moron. And congrats for being one that killed this board.


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## 29380




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## EpicFailGuy

I was rooting for Cuse since a Duke loss would have put SLU ahead of them.


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## Gronehestu

JuniorNoboa said:


> Who did Duke beat that was better than Villanova?
> 
> I realize your knowledge of college basketball was always pretty poor and placing people as ignorant as you as mods killed this board, but I would figure you would realize a top 10 team is pretty good.
> 
> I guess it was too much to ask from a douchebag like you.
> 
> BTW, your calling out the refs in favour of Syracuse is typical of how dumb and idiotic you have always been. AFTER ALL TEAMS HAVE BEEN GETTING CAMERON'D FOR YEARS, but you are too dumb to realize this.
> 
> **** off your moron. And congrats for being one that killed this board.


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## Diable

That's epic Junior, have another one and make it a double


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## FSH

Good game. Syracuse really need to figure out their scoring problem Cooney was crap and Gbinije played great but Boehim didnt even play him in the 2nd half that really didnt make and sense to me. Cooney cant create his own shot but Gbinije did that a few time and should have played down the stretch. Syracuse has got lucky too many times this year and it good for them to lose a couple maybe they can figure some stuff out going into the tournament. The zone is amazing this season but the offense just isnt clicking at times when the need it.


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## Mrs. Thang

Boeheim is a sniveling cry-baby and world-class prick and a sizeable portion of the fan base takes on his personality (as seen above). It can be insufferable.

I was happy to see the players were pissed about his tirade since the game was definitely not over and they've been able to pull a few rabbits out of a hat this year. In his post-game, in typical fashion, Boeheim refused to take responsibility and insisted the game was over.


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## bball2223

If there is a better guard in the country than Stauskas this year I haven't sen him. Michigan sweeps MSU in the regular season, and takes control of the Big Ten.


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## Gronehestu

bball2223 said:


> If there is a better guard in the country than Stauskas this year I haven't sen him. Michigan sweeps MSU in the regular season, and takes control of the Big Ten.


That kid can make shots, eh? Damn. He's had 2 or 3 games when they wouldn't go down, but by and large he's been money. Last year he was facing the third best perimeter defender for most teams they played; this year he's gotten pounded on by the best B1G guards there are, and he's improved by leaps and bounds. How about his assist numbers, too? I realise I'm no NBA talent scout but that kid seems like a starting 2 guard on most pro teams. 

The B1G as a whole just continues to be a wounded grizzly bear thrashing in the underbrush, just everyone doing damaged to everyone else they can get within arm's reach of. But lookie thar; we have no more ties in the top half of the league. There's now a clear #1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 team.

Not to take anything away from Michigan, but I do not believe they are the best team in the league. Derp...they've beaten Sparty twice. But I feel like, when they're playing their best, Michigan St is the best. Will they be playing their best at any point this season? Remains to be seen.

If you could tell me who will win the Big 10 tournament this year, I'll give you a cookie, cause I could imagine 7 different teams pulling it off


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## 29380

Gronehestu said:


> I'm no NBA talent scout but that kid seems like a starting 2 guard on most pro teams.


Some think he might even be able to play some point, can not guard though.


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## Gronehestu

No he can't lol

Interesting, he's definitely big enough to play the 2 but has those point skills. If you played him at the point you'd damn sure have to have a strong defensive 2 guard who could keep in front of the other team's 1 on defense cause as great as Stauskas is he can't stay in front of NBA point guards.


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## Kreutz35

A lot of the Big Ten teams (those not named Sparty) are peaking right now too. Wiscy and Michigan are both looking great, and don't look now but Nebraska's won 8 of their last 10 including wins over OSU and Sparty.


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## Gronehestu

Look at Brasky! lol two alley-oops in a minute-long span, running all over, dunking on people, draining 3's

who are these Huskers  I'm tipping my cap, Kreutz, because I seriously did not think that Nebraska had this in them. I mean you knew they'd make strides this year, but I think most of us expected it to be little strides. They're taking some big ass, 10-yard-at-a-time strides this year. Myles is a little yappy but the man is doing one hell of a job. 

Sucks to see Carter go down like that for Purdue though, looked nasty.


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## Kreutz35

Gronehestu said:


> Look at Brasky! lol two alley-oops in a minute-long span, running all over, dunking on people, draining 3's
> 
> who are these Huskers  I'm tipping my cap, Kreutz, because I seriously did not think that Nebraska had this in them. I mean you knew they'd make strides this year, but I think most of us expected it to be little strides. They're taking some big ass, 10-yard-at-a-time strides this year. Myles is a little yappy but the man is doing one hell of a job.
> 
> Sucks to see Carter go down like that for Purdue though, looked nasty.


I was expecting strides, but what this team has done in this last month has surprised everyone in the state (except for the guys in that locker room, of course). Petteway has put himself in the discussion for Big Ten player of the year, and with the defense they've been playing lately, they could legitimately beat anyone. 

And the best thing is, this next recruiting class is supposed to be one of the best in school history!


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## bball2223

kreutz35 said:


> A lot of the Big Ten teams (those not named Sparty) are peaking right now too. Wiscy and Michigan are both looking great, and don't look now but Nebraska's won 8 of their last 10 including wins over OSU and Sparty.



NEBRASKETBAWLLLL



Gronehestu said:


> That kid can make shots, eh? Damn. He's had 2 or 3 games when they wouldn't go down, but by and large he's been money. Last year he was facing the third best perimeter defender for most teams they played; this year he's gotten pounded on by the best B1G guards there are, and he's improved by leaps and bounds. How about his assist numbers, too? I realise I'm no NBA talent scout but that kid seems like a starting 2 guard on most pro teams.
> 
> The B1G as a whole just continues to be a wounded grizzly bear thrashing in the underbrush, just everyone doing damaged to everyone else they can get within arm's reach of. But lookie thar; we have no more ties in the top half of the league. There's now a clear #1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 team.
> 
> Not to take anything away from Michigan, but I do not believe they are the best team in the league. Derp...they've beaten Sparty twice. But I feel like, when they're playing their best, Michigan St is the best. Will they be playing their best at any point this season? Remains to be seen.
> 
> If you could tell me who will win the Big 10 tournament this year, I'll give you a cookie, cause I could imagine 7 different teams pulling it off


Sparty is still so beat up. Appling is nowhere near 100%, Dawson still out, they need those guys back in a hurry if they are to make a run.


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## Gronehestu

For real they are. It seems like they get less sympathy than most teams dealing with major injuries, but they've had half the team go down with serious stuff at one point or another this year. What's the timetable on Dawson? He really does a lot for them, and Valentine is playing a ton of minutes right now trying to fill that void, but they compliment one another so well when they're both healthy. 

I can't believe as I'm looking at all these bubble teams Nebraska is right there lol. They're 6-7 vs the top 100, which is better than a few of the major-conference bubble teams, and have 2 legit top 25 wins, one coming over a top 10 opponent on the road, which is better than almost every bubble team in the country. They aren't a lock yet but they have a nice road ahead to finish the year, including a matchup with my Badgers in the final game, at Lincoln. Beat Bucky, and they're in. They say the selection committee lends a bunch of weight to teams that finish strong, and if that's the case Brasky is looking good. Wow lol

The Pac 12 is in an all-out sprint to make giving them bubble bids as hard as possible. Oregon shit all over itself for almost a month; Stanford has alternated between violent dysentery and perfect health, and just when it seems that somebody else is putting a run together, they implode. Arizona St got its marquee win, but since then have been absolutely smacked around by Colorado and Utah. Speaking of Colorado, it got a big win over Arizona St to add support to the theory that they've righted the ship without Dinwiddie, and maybe they'd be able to add a truly signature win when struggling-but-top 5 Arizona came to Boulder...but holy shit did they get dominated. Then Utah slaughters ASU, too, and are closing in on 20 wins, and will start wanting bubble consideration. Oh and by the way, even when they sucked last year, they made a run in the Pac 12 tourney. Krystowiak must be kicking himself right now because he set up an embarrassingly soft non-conference schedule for his team and it's very likely that in this season, when about 50 teams have a decent argument that they should get an at-large spot, that non-conference slate is probably going to keep his team in the NIT.


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## Kreutz35

Gronehestu said:


> For real they are. It seems like they get less sympathy than most teams dealing with major injuries, but they've had half the team go down with serious stuff at one point or another this year. What's the timetable on Dawson? He really does a lot for them, and Valentine is playing a ton of minutes right now trying to fill that void, but they compliment one another so well when they're both healthy.
> 
> I can't believe as I'm looking at all these bubble teams Nebraska is right there lol. They're 6-7 vs the top 100, which is better than a few of the major-conference bubble teams, and have 2 legit top 25 wins, one coming over a top 10 opponent on the road, which is better than almost every bubble team in the country. They aren't a lock yet but they have a nice road ahead to finish the year, including a matchup with my Badgers in the final game, at Lincoln. Beat Bucky, and they're in. They say the selection committee lends a bunch of weight to teams that finish strong, and if that's the case Brasky is looking good. Wow lol
> 
> The Pac 12 is in an all-out sprint to make giving them bubble bids as hard as possible. Oregon shit all over itself for almost a month; Stanford has alternated between violent dysentery and perfect health, and just when it seems that somebody else is putting a run together, they implode. Arizona St got its marquee win, but since then have been absolutely smacked around by Colorado and Utah. Speaking of Colorado, it got a big win over Arizona St to add support to the theory that they've righted the ship without Dinwiddie, and maybe they'd be able to add a truly signature win when struggling-but-top 5 Arizona came to Boulder...but holy shit did they get dominated. Then Utah slaughters ASU, too, and are closing in on 20 wins, and will start wanting bubble consideration. Oh and by the way, even when they sucked last year, they made a run in the Pac 12 tourney. Krystowiak must be kicking himself right now because he set up an embarrassingly soft non-conference schedule for his team and it's very likely that in this season, when about 50 teams have a decent argument that they should get an at-large spot, that non-conference slate is probably going to keep his team in the NIT.


I feel like Nebraska needs to win the rest of their should-win games and either beat Wiscy at the end of the regular season or make a run in the Big Ten tourney. If they can make one of those things happen, they are a very strong candidate as a bubble team.


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## Diable

Syracuse looked like they might actually have an easy game, but it looks like they just aren't capable of winning handily.


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## Gronehestu

Diable said:


> Syracuse looked like they might actually have an easy game, but it looks like they just aren't capable of winning handily.


Big surprise eh? I hope they use up all their close wins prior to March because they are just not that impressive. You give credit to a team that finds a way to win when they don't look great, and they've gotten that credit in the rankings all year. The fact is that they are very vulnerable, despite the rankings. 

Oklahoma giving Kansas all it can handle in Phog. Jamari Traylor and Frank Mason can give them something nice off the bench, and they're making a difference in this close game. Tharpe has been efficient, he really has that pull up jumper in the lane down. 

Seldon sure has done a nice job of picking up Wiggins when I've watched KU play. He's a solid player, and fills up a stat sheet. Wiggins does a nice job of getting to the line when his shots aren't falling, though. Ellis too. KU's young guys get it in a way I desperately wish Dekker and Kaminsky would.


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## Gronehestu

In analyzing tonight's Wisconsin win over Indiana, I will start with the bad. Because Dekker continues to be absolutely infuriating. Twice tonight, he got Yogi Ferrell defending him on a switch. Twice tonight, he had plenty of room to operate, and a good path to the paint, with Ferrell defending him. Dekker is 6'8", 220. Ferrell is 6'0", 178. Both times, Dekker did not attempt to score the ball despite his outrageous size advantage. 

Without wasting 5 paragraphs worth of theoretical psychology between Bo and Sam here, I'll just say that no matter what Bo wants from his star player, if Dekker doesn't develop the kind of killer instinct that you must have to be a star player like, ****ing immediately, we're going nowhere in March. For all the improvements we've made the last half-dozen games, going absolutely nowhere. And what's more, without that killer instinct, he's going to be a certified lotto bust when he decides to enter the NBA. 

Then came the 2nd half, and Sam showed - hallelujah - the aggressive, assertive, nose-for-the-paint mindset Badger fans keep begging to see from him. And Frank the (world's softest) Tank did it some, too. And oh, look at that, we put up 50 points in the 2nd half and ran away with the game. 

Badgers, this is not rocket science. This is really simple stuff. Yet fans are left saying the same shit after almost ever game. Got it this time?
......................................................................................................

For the rest of the country, this was a massive night on the bubble

Minnesota got a huge win over Iowa. Iowa is joining Sparty as the latest B1G teams to take their turn in the outhouse. I'm sure they'll play one another in the title game in Indy. The rodents can beat good teams, they ****ed up Wisconsin at home, now they got Iowa at home, and they have a very nice road win against Richmond. But will they compete hard in each game from here on out? Minnesota's effort at home vs a ranked opponent and Minnesota's effort in all other situations are two very different things

Xavier romps on St John's. What a bad time for a bad night by D'Angelo Harrison. That should, barring anything big for either team, mean that Xavier keeps its tourney invite and St John's does not get one. Johnnies losing that one at home isn't indicative of them being a tourney squad. 

Clemson lost to Wake on the road, despite a good halftime lead. That's it for the Tigers, if they don't make the ACC title game they aren't dancing. Really a shame. McDaniels would have made his name in the NCAAs but it looks like the lack of his buddies helping has sealed their fate. 

Kansas State escapes Lubbock with a win they had to get to keep their ticket safe in hand. 

St Joe's is all 










Missouri, that's it, if I hear one person say that they're even in discussion for a bid, I slap that person. They shouldn't get a bid even if they win the SEC tourney. What a shameful year for that conference. 

I'll say something nice though - Georgia is a great story this year. Yeah, it's against the WAC-like competition that is the SEC, but they've just kept winning after a rocky start and they're a young team. Good on them.

I feel so bad for Wyoming and Larry Nance Jr. They were really coming together; maybe they still wouldn't have danced, but what a snake-bit team. They're in ever game no matter the personnel, but this is two years in a row that the best player on the team has been lost for the season, and it's too bad. 

UW-Milwaukee has really fallen apart the 2nd half of conference play. Lame.


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## EpicFailGuy

Good W for the Badgers. Would love to see a Cancun rematch late in March. 

Jordair Jett should lock up POY honors in the A-10. Pretty good for a kid without a jump shot.


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## Gronehestu

EpicFailGuy said:


> Good W for the Badgers. Would love to see a Cancun rematch late in March.
> 
> Jordair Jett should lock up POY honors in the A-10. Pretty good for a kid without a jump shot.


I don't wanna see a team like Saint Louis anymore this year...I want teams that want to run, because we'll always be in our element slowing the game down. This year (hilarious jinx) we might have the consistency from our shooters and the scoring depth to win a slowed-down game. Having to play the kind of physical slugfest the Bills would involve us in isn't a recipe for success; trying to stop Jett's penetration would be an overwhelming task for this bunch. And that's despite Josh Gasser, who will step to any player in the country. I think the only chance you have of stopping Jett is to have a wing who's got enough strength to prevent him pounding his way into the lane, and the quickness to stay in front of him, and who is big/bouncy enough to bother his shot attempts. 

There's gotta be what, like 4 or 5 guys in the whole country who could pull that off? lol 

Jett is the kind of guy every basketball fan should appreciate. 4 years of dedication man. He doesn't thrive because of his skill level. He thrives because he wants it and he takes it.


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## Diable

Wow this is an absolute barn burner of a game in Raleigh. The refs really hosed NC State by not calling that blatant foul when CJ Warren went to the basket, but somehow it ended up tied again and we're in OT. State desperately needs some wins


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## EpicFailGuy

Nobody on the bubble wants to win.


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## Gronehestu

EpicFailGuy said:


> Nobody on the bubble wants to win.


I came here to literally post this sentence

Richmond, awful loss. Nebraska, bad loss. Boise State, bad loss. Toledo, awful loss. Indiana St, horrible, awful, no-good very-bad loss

Wow. I mean, wow. Michigan tried to **** up in West Lafayette. UNC was ****ing up at NS St; UConn had a serious case of the runs for much of their game with USF, and Pitt struggled most of the night against BC. UMass had a tough time with Rhode Island. Boston U almost lost again too, they were starting to get some talk for an at-large but that's gone now also. 








(awww yiss I got to use NBA Jam last night and Bubs tonight. Decent)

But hey guys - Stanford plays Arizona State tonight, so one of 'em has to win! 

Quietly, Western Michigan and Buffalo are making a move to the front of the MAC race and with Toledo stubbing their toes things are going to be very interesting; their tourney this year might rival the epic Arch Madness and WCC clashes we've seen the last few years. 

In this night of carnage, though, look who took care of business in a big way: Texas, Iowa St, Nova, Virginia. The teams that will really go far are starting to hit their stride now, and those are teams that definitely could go past the Sweet 16


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## 29380

*Fight during court storm mars end to New Mexico State-Utah Valley
*


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## Gronehestu

Gronehestu said:


>


Tonight has been...interesting...also

I can't believe Saint Louis lost at home to Duquesne. I mean yeah the Dukes went to Temple and won late last season, so this isn't completely unprecedented, but wow. Last time I checked that game Bills were up like 49-42 on a little run where Jett had a couple baskets, and I thought they had it in hand. 

Marquette beats G'Town to sweep the season series. So that means Marquette must have moved onto the bubble now right, ESPN? No. Derp. It means that Georgetown has been swept by every team in the Big East and shouldn't count as a good win. Neither of them are tourney teams. 

Indiana, you suck. The entire B1G wants to wait until you're asleep, and then fill a bunch of pillow cases with bars of soap, and beat the shit out of you. 

But on an atta boy note, the SEC is going to get three teams after all! Congrats, Arkansas










Ohio St hates Penn State's basketball team as much as Wisconsin hates Penn State's football team. Always gotta be messin up our good runs, Lions. But that's a great win for them on senior night, and Tim Frazier deserves that moment. Most underrated point guard in the country. 

Iowa is on dangerous ground. Taken as just a 3-game skid, it's nothing unprecedented for a B1G tourney team this year. But coming this late in the year might become a very serious problem. It's awesome how McCaffery is just another one of these in-your-face, all bark no bite recruiting-type coaches. This is a team that should be better than they are by now. Maybe Fran will get coffee with Tom Crean in the offseason and discuss how much better they had it before they'd gotten things 'back on track' at their respective schools

Oregon ended up squeaking out a solid win, but I still don't see them as 'safe' yet. With SLU going down, VCU's blowout of Fordham is that much more important; they're licking their chops at the rest of SLU's schedule and thinking they might take the league after all. Memphis with an extremely wat loss, every bit as much as Temple taking down SMU the other day. The American doesn't have very good teams at the bottom, so you wonder about those kinds of losses, especially for a team as deep as Memphis.

Vermont leaves very little doubt as to who's in charge out east. 

And then out west, that NMSU/Utah Valley shit is ridiculous. I don't know what happened leading up to that clip of the NMSU kid chucking the ball at the buzzer, but if that was as cheap a shot as it seemed then he's a world-class buffoon. Because this is the kind of incident that causes epidemic knee-jerking all over the country and it might be the another step towards people changing rules about how fans can participate in the games. The Marcus Smart thing got people riled up, this will get people riled up again. 

I'm not a big fan of court-storming, but whatever, kids are always going to want to have fun. It's a shame that everything like this ends up ruined someday because of a couple idiots.

...not to take away from the seriousness of what went wrong, but ah...lol it was Utah Valley/NMSU, I know the Aggies have been atop the WAC lots recently but this was Utah Valley's first year in the WAC and it's not like NMSU was ranked or even close to it. What a strange matchup to end up getting this cray cray


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