NCAA Hoops 2008-8009!!!!!!!

[tower]

Well my Spartans were certainly humbled last night...ugh.  Combination of having a starter out, having another starter in foul trouble all game and having a bunch of youngsters.  Terrible from the FT line, 12/27...ouch!  No defense, not enough offense...well there ya go.  Izzo has his work cut out for him.

That being said, I'm still looking forward to the UNC game if we're at full strength.  We may struggle mightily partyly due to our youth and inexperience but should be interesting to watch.  I would say our guys will be up for that game, didn't look like they were last night...Maryland definitely was.  Plus they were ridiculous from the threes, 9/19 I think.

I think Louisville will go as far as T-will will allow them to go.  I think it's an understatement to note that he's not the most cerebral player.  He can shoot them right out of a game but he's obviously crazy athletic.  They'll miss David Padgett badly just from a leadership and bball IQ perspective!

[bowl of soup]

No, I know. I was trying to crack wise on your boy Hansbrough.  Nevermind.  I agree that UofL probably will be in the Final Four so maybe the preseason ranking makes sense, they just get on my nerves.

EDIT: Imagine if Derrick Caracter hadn't jumped ship!

Ah, gotcha.  Sorry for confusion.

I have trouble seeing that you guys have even a chance of losing a game this year.  Typical Maryland, beat MSU, get rolled by Gonzaga and Georgetown.  Gonzaga won that tourney, but I think Tenn. is a final four team by the end of the year.

[aMillionDreams]

Well, UofL won't be number three again...


until the end of the season.



I called them going down early but I didn't think WKU was going to do it.

[primushead]

No, I know. I was trying to crack wise on your boy Hansbrough.  Nevermind.  I agree that UofL probably will be in the Final Four so maybe the preseason ranking makes sense, they just get on my nerves.

EDIT: Imagine if Derrick Caracter hadn't jumped ship!

Ah, gotcha.  Sorry for confusion.

I have trouble seeing that you guys have even a chance of losing a game this year.  Typical Maryland, beat MSU, get rolled by Gonzaga and Georgetown.  Gonzaga won that tourney, but I think Tenn. is a final four team by the end of the year.

Now you know how I felt when Maryland beat us last year and then went on to lose by like 20 points to Virginia Tech 2 days later.

[tower]

GGG,
Tomorrow's our big day in Detroit...any predictions?  Not sure if our senior center, Suton, is going to play (sprained knee).

Should be an entertaining game as both teams want to run!  We've been so up and down already this year but I truly think we have the tools to play with UNC...just a question of which MSU team shows up.  We don't seem to have any middle ground, we either look fantastic or just utterly ridiculous.

If they call the fouls tight on Hansbrough we're in trouble...AND we're going to have to shoot better from the foul line than we have.  We were something like 12/27 in the Maryland game, that's just silly.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to it. MSU has a really young group that is still trying to find an identity.  I won't be overly concerned with a loss at this point, March is when it counts and when Izzo gets his teams peaking, but I wouldn't be surprised at all to see a close game either way.

[ycartrob]

loving these early season match-ups ACC vs. Big 10

Purdue hosts Duke tonight

Michigan St hosts the Tar Heels tomorrow night

[bowl of soup]

loving these early season match-ups ACC vs. Big 10

Purdue hosts Duke tonight

Michigan St hosts the Tar Heels tomorrow night

The ACC is 9 - 0 overall in these challenges and 56 - 31 in total.  Can we finally end this thing and get some real competition like the ACC / Sun Belt Challenge?

[aMillionDreams]

loving these early season match-ups ACC vs. Big 10

Purdue hosts Duke tonight

Michigan St hosts the Tar Heels tomorrow night

The ACC is 9 - 0 overall in these challenges and 56 - 31 in total.  Can we finally end this thing and get some real competition like the ACC / Sun Belt Challenge?

Go Big TEN!!!  I like Duke but I like my boilermakers better.  Purdue's got a good team this year, should be a good game.

btw, I would also like to do away with this tournament so I can at least pretend like the big ten is better than the ACC rather than removing all doubt at the beginning of the season.

[primushead]

GGG,
Tomorrow's our big day in Detroit...any predictions?  Not sure if our senior center, Suton, is going to play (sprained knee).

Should be an entertaining game as both teams want to run!  We've been so up and down already this year but I truly think we have the tools to play with UNC...just a question of which MSU team shows up.  We don't seem to have any middle ground, we either look fantastic or just utterly ridiculous.

If they call the fouls tight on Hansbrough we're in trouble...AND we're going to have to shoot better from the foul line than we have.  We were something like 12/27 in the Maryland game, that's just silly.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to it. MSU has a really young group that is still trying to find an identity.  I won't be overly concerned with a loss at this point, March is when it counts and when Izzo gets his teams peaking, but I wouldn't be surprised at all to see a close game either way.

It appears Suton WILL be out, but Hansbrough is questionable as well...

I remember talking about this with you when it was announced months ago, and I'm psyched the day is finally here.  Ford Field.  70,000 people.  #1 vs. #11.  

The Spartans have been playing way better since the Maryland loss and I think this will be a tough game for the Heels, especially since it will be in a hostile environment.

Final Score:

UNC 85
MSU 78

[aMillionDreams]

well, purdue went down but OSU represented and the conferences are actually even at 3-3 right now.

[capt. scotty]

This just in, the North Carolina Foot Clan is good

[tower]

GGG,
Tomorrow's our big day in Detroit...any predictions?  Not sure if our senior center, Suton, is going to play (sprained knee).

Should be an entertaining game as both teams want to run!  We've been so up and down already this year but I truly think we have the tools to play with UNC...just a question of which MSU team shows up.  We don't seem to have any middle ground, we either look fantastic or just utterly ridiculous.

If they call the fouls tight on Hansbrough we're in trouble...AND we're going to have to shoot better from the foul line than we have.  We were something like 12/27 in the Maryland game, that's just silly.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to it. MSU has a really young group that is still trying to find an identity.  I won't be overly concerned with a loss at this point, March is when it counts and when Izzo gets his teams peaking, but I wouldn't be surprised at all to see a close game either way.

It appears Suton WILL be out, but Hansbrough is questionable as well...

I remember talking about this with you when it was announced months ago, and I'm psyched the day is finally here.  Ford Field.  70,000 people.  #1 vs. #11.  

The Spartans have been playing way better since the Maryland loss and I think this will be a tough game for the Heels, especially since it will be in a hostile environment.

Final Score:

UNC 85
MSU 78

Well that was ugly...whew.  UNC played great basketball, at least offensively.  I still don't think they play defense well enough to win the National Championship but they can definitely score and proved that tonight.  Still I saw a lot of things to build on and look forward to March with this Spartan team.  

As for the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, I don't really care one way or another but the ACC is always better at this time of the year.  Duke especially is as good as they will be at the beginning of the year, they don't get much better.  The Big Ten teams tend to improve drastically over the season and its a matter of catching up for some reason.  If this Challenge were played in February I suspect we'd see a much different result.  But frankly I don't give a damn.

[aMillionDreams]

I think that UNC should rest their starters for the remainder of the season.  I don't know if anyone's going to be able to compete with these guys.  

[lasvegas]

Let's Go Orange!

yes, this.

everyone else can suck it.  :P

[primushead]

I think that UNC should rest their starters for the remainder of the season.  I don't know if anyone's going to be able to compete with these guys.  

:)

I loved what I saw.  Granted, MSU looked tired, but I don't think they would've won even if they were at 200%.  

I'm enjoying this season thus far...

[tower]

I actually think UNC is somewhat beatable.  It'll take a great game from a very good team but they're out there.  

In the first half it was a statistical tie except for the score and turnovers.  UNC had 5 turnovers, MSU 11.  If you take the 6 turnovers off for MSU and convert them into 2 pts each, the halftime score is 53-51.  I know that's a big if but UNC will get beat by someone who shoots very well while they're not, which is going to happen.  They're not going to shoot 51% every game, they were unconscious last night, hitting some deeeeeep threes.  Impressive stuff.

We laid a huge egg in the second half...7/35 from the field.  Couldn't beat a high school team with those numbers.

As for Vitale's claim, they couldn't beat an NBA team on their best night.  He's just ridiculous and I dislike him more every time I hear him.

[capt. scotty]

quit being a diaper dandy and show Dickie V some love, bayyyyby!!

[primushead]

I agree that we won't go undefeated because, well, it's just too hard in this day and age.  Someone will take advantage of a few mistakes or have a lights out shooting night and we will lose.  HOPEFULLY it won't happen during March/April Madness, but you never know.

As for beating an NBA team, that wouldn't happen.  Dickie V is delusional.

[bowl of soup]

I actually think UNC is somewhat beatable.  It'll take a great game from a very good team but they're out there.  

In the first half it was a statistical tie except for the score and turnovers.  UNC had 5 turnovers, MSU 11.  If you take the 6 turnovers off for MSU and convert them into 2 pts each, the halftime score is 53-51.  I know that's a big if but UNC will get beat by someone who shoots very well while they're not, which is going to happen.  They're not going to shoot 51% every game, they were unconscious last night, hitting some deeeeeep threes.  Impressive stuff.

We laid a huge egg in the second half...7/35 from the field.  Couldn't beat a high school team with those numbers.

As for Vitale's claim, they couldn't beat an NBA team on their best night.  He's just ridiculous and I dislike him more every time I hear him.

Well if they would have made ten less lay-ups they would have scored 20 less points and MSU would be 20 points closer.  And if the UNC bench wasn't 12 deep and the MSU bench was 12 deeper, the MSU bench would have 12 better players than they do now.  And if UNC had made 3 less three-pointers and MSU had made 3 more three-pointers, the net result would have been 18 in favor of MSU....

That was a rout - UNC was cruising 10 minutes into the game.  MSU has now lost to a great ACC team and a mid to low-end ACC team (my Terps).  They are an elite Big Ten team - if they played in the ACC, they would finish in the middle.  And spare me this Big Ten improves as the season goes on thing.  They use this justification to get more teams in the tourney than the ACC almost every year.  (The numbers bear this out; please don't make me hunt them down again - I had this argument with AMD last year and the numbers will surprise you).

So congrats on coming close.  Ten years.  Ten losses.

And UNC will not go undefeated; it's just too damn hard.  Maryland beat them on a hot night last year and someone in the ACC will do it again this year.  But I bet they get really close though.  They ain't Worthy, Perkins, Jordan - but I don't know that I've ever seen a deeper ACC team in my 30 plus years of watching ACC basketball.

[tower]

I actually think UNC is somewhat beatable.  It'll take a great game from a very good team but they're out there.  

In the first half it was a statistical tie except for the score and turnovers.  UNC had 5 turnovers, MSU 11.  If you take the 6 turnovers off for MSU and convert them into 2 pts each, the halftime score is 53-51.  I know that's a big if but UNC will get beat by someone who shoots very well while they're not, which is going to happen.  They're not going to shoot 51% every game, they were unconscious last night, hitting some deeeeeep threes.  Impressive stuff.

We laid a huge egg in the second half...7/35 from the field.  Couldn't beat a high school team with those numbers.

As for Vitale's claim, they couldn't beat an NBA team on their best night.  He's just ridiculous and I dislike him more every time I hear him.

Well if they would have made ten less lay-ups they would have scored 20 less points and MSU would be 20 points closer.  And if the UNC bench wasn't 12 deep and the MSU bench was 12 deeper, the MSU bench would have 12 better players than they do now.  And if UNC had made 3 less three-pointers and MSU had made 3 more three-pointers, the net result would have been 18 in favor of MSU....

That was a rout - UNC was cruising 10 minutes into the game.  MSU has now lost to a great ACC team and a mid to low-end ACC team (my Terps).  They are an elite Big Ten team - if they played in the ACC, they would finish in the middle.  And spare me this Big Ten improves as the season goes on thing.  They use this justification to get more teams in the tourney than the ACC almost every year.  (The numbers bear this out; please don't make me hunt them down again - I had this argument with AMD last year and the numbers will surprise you).

So congrats on coming close.  Ten years.  Ten losses.

And UNC will not go undefeated; it's just too damn hard.  Maryland beat them on a hot night last year and someone in the ACC will do it again this year.  But I bet they get really close though.  They ain't Worthy, Perkins, Jordan - but I don't know that I've ever seen a deeper ACC team in my 30 plus years of watching ACC basketball.

Oh, it was a rout, no doubt.  Not 10 mins into it but 2nd half for sure.  I was throwing those turnover numbers out there not to say that we were going to win the game but to show that UNC is beatable.  Had MSU not turned the ball over so many times in the first half its a close game at half, if a team puts two of those halves together it's a ballgame.

MSU definitely improves as the year progresses.  Not all Big Ten teams do but MSU absolutely does.  I'd say Purdue will as well.  Wisconsin probably...

It's not about wining in December, it's about winning in March and Izzo's team do that and I think this MSU team has a very good chance to do that.  I really could care less about the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.  I was actually pulling for Wisconsin to get beat, damn weasels.  We might finish in the middle of the ACC, might even finish 3 or 4 in the Big Ten but when the NCAA tournament starts that's when we tend to play our best ball.

UNC is a great team and the odds on favorite, no doubt.  I've always like Gary Williams and what he gets out of his kids, I think he's a great coach, one of the best in the ACC, just not the best recruiter.  I still don't think Duke gets much better over the year and honestly, UNC can't get much better.