2012-2013 College Basketball

[YimYodd]

Early season OT thriller in Indy as Butler prevails over Indiana. I told my mom on the phone last night that Butler would win; call her if you don't believe me.

Good 'call' Tracy.
Congrats to Coach Stevens & the Bulldogs. They all played tough and hard for 45minutes.
I'll take it as a good 'warm-up' for the upcoming Conference season.
Refs seemed to 'let em play' ( except last 5-6 seconds of 1st half) & that's definitely gonna happen later. Better for the Hoosiers to learn this lesson( and not getting off to slow starts and mediocre FT shooting -  seasonlong  problems) now than in Iowa City on NYE, or Minneapolis or Columbus or Champaigne or Ann Arbor or........!
Although I didn't like Coach Crean dodging a post-game question about Zeller not being on the floor for the tie-game Butler last possession - and I do understand the earlier offense-defense sub pressing strategy- I did like this statement: " I'm excited about getting back to practice. I'm excited about the rebounding drills we are going to do even though I'm not sure there are many people who are going to share my excitement about that because right now that's an area that we really need to prove ourselves."
Hope for improvement here, getting 3 big men back for the conference should help.

[Ruckus]

It looks like I am in the minority here, but I live for and love The University of Kentucky Men's Basketball Team!

I also love The University of Louisville Men's Basketball Team!

I am from Kentucky and love all of our state's teams! It makes no difference to me who coaches my teams. I will back them until the day I die!

I sure hope Louisville can win it all this year! (It looks like UK will be a little weaker than expected. However, they will still win several quality games later in the season.)

Always stay true to your team!

Aren't Louisville and Kentucky HUGE rivals?  I can't comprehend how you could be a fan of both?  That would be like me (a Michigan fan) saying I also like Ohio State or an Alabama fan saying they will root for Auburn.  Ain't never gonna happen!!!   

As a lifelong IU fan(and alum) It's always been "SCREW PURDUE".

I always watched the Hoosiers rivals play - Michigan, OSU, Illinois, etc, -  to hopefully  see them lose.
No offense, you other BIG10 guys.....just agreeing that I can't see rooting for a rival -  unless it helps IU in the conference standings.
Obviously I really hate UK too

I always found conference pride/regional pride to be a unique phenomenon in college sports.  Whereas I would never root for a fellow AL East team to win the World Series if the Orioles weren't competing, I have no problem rooting on most of my hated rivals in the NCAA tournament so long as the Illini aren't playing them.  I guess some of that has to do with the sheer number of teams in college sports that no everyone plays each other so it's more difficult to gauge each team.  Therefore the success of one's conference in the tournament and bowl games validates the accomplishments of our teams throughout the season by proving a more difficult schedule.

[iLikeBeer]

I always found conference pride/regional pride to be a unique phenomenon in college sports.  Whereas I would never root for a fellow AL East team to win the World Series if the Orioles weren't competing, I have no problem rooting on most of my hated rivals in the NCAA tournament so long as the Illini aren't playing them.  I guess some of that has to do with the sheer number of teams in college sports that no everyone plays each other so it's more difficult to gauge each team.  Therefore the success of one's conference in the tournament and bowl games validates the accomplishments of our teams throughout the season by proving a more difficult schedule.

I get the whole conference pride thing and for the most part, I will pull for a B1G team making a deep tournament run in hoops or in a bowl game as long as that B1G team isn't OSU or MSU!  Sorry, I can't put conference pride ahead of bringing myself to root for those two schools and I know the feeling is mutual from most OSU and MooU fans as well!

[Ruckus]

Congrats BH.  You guys have been owning us of late and rightfully so.  That was a pretty ugly game for both teams.  We couldn't make anything and we knew rebounding would be a problem against you guys.  That's a lot of lenth and athleticism you have down low.  Even though Pressey was a travesty from the floor, I'm not sure how well you guys would create offense in the halfcourt without him.  He's a penetrating machine.  The one thing that bothers me is how little Brandon Paul has improved as a passer.  He can break down a D at will and has the height and length to dish once the D collapses and yet he doesn't seem to do enough of it. 

[BH]

Congrats BH.  You guys have been owning us of late and rightfully so.  That was a pretty ugly game for both teams.  We couldn't make anything and we knew rebounding would be a problem against you guys.  That's a lot of lenth and athleticism you have down low.  Even though Pressey was a travesty from the floor, I'm not sure how well you guys would create offense in the halfcourt without him.  He's a penetrating machine.  The one thing that bothers me is how little Brandon Paul has improved as a passer.  He can break down a D at will and has the height and length to dish once the D collapses and yet he doesn't seem to do enough of it.

Yeah, we would be a disaster without Pressy running the show.   We have a freshman with potential but as you saw, he gets eaten alive when he has to take the ball down the court.   Paul definately should have taken it to the hole more if only to get Pressy in foul trouble.   What a great event that is.   Of course it's better when we win  but it may be my favorite "regular season" sporting event of the year!   Your still up quite a few in the overall record.

[YimYodd]

This thread 's been quiet recently w/ the holidays & the PC shows, so let's get it going again!
We are all here due to our common luv for MMJ, but things may get heated after New Years. I'm always up for some good-natured trash-talkin'.
1st things 1st- with apologies to Mr. White, most of us have made known our feelings for UK (congrats UL & Mr. White ).
Secondly, I'm an equal opportunity trashtalker. IU needs to get serious. In an earlier post I opined that they were outplayed by a tuff,talented, well-coached Butler team. The slow starts, bad shot selection, mediocre FT shooting(although I believe they lead conference in % and makes) can't continue in conference play.
Their depth is awesome, but the 'bigs' need to step it up. Elston coming back from injury, Perea from a dubious suspension,foot injury and inexperience. Watford seems uninspired and Zeller - although I admire his unselfish play and calm demeanor- needs to be the man. He may not be MVP of his own team, let alone the B1G or nationally.
Next, Purdue. It always warms my heart to see them struggling, but "throw out the records" whenever IU-PU play. Sure it will be tough @ W Laf in a game sandwiched btw MSU & UM coming to Bton.
Ahhh, Michigan - w/ an unblemished record and gaudy stats. As a fan of the last undefeated NCAA champions, the '76 Hoosiers- 3 wins vs. UM- I've always celebrated( like the '72 Miami Dolphins) when there are no more unbeaten teams left in a season. Hoping I  won't have to wait long to mark UM off the list! A bit inexperienced, Hardaways' "heart" & Burkes' size heighten my hopes. Man, Burke has been tuff though.
Illinois' new coach is impressive, compared to his predecessor. Paul is a player, but is he a point guard? Lack of rebounding showd against a tuff MIZZU team.
OSU may lack the bigs to win the B1G but has been good against 2nd level teams in pre-conference.
Gophers & Sparty still lookin tough. Iowa young and up-coming..... they get 1st shot at IU on NYE at Iowa City.
Well, that should be enough for now to stir things up.
Looking forward to an exciting B1G season.

[iLikeBeer]

Ahhh, Michigan - w/ an unblemished record and gaudy stats. As a fan of the last undefeated NCAA champions, the '76 Hoosiers- 3 wins vs. UM- I've always celebrated( like the '72 Miami Dolphins) when there are no more unbeaten teams left in a season. Hoping I  won't have to wait long to mark UM off the list! A bit inexperienced, Hardaways' "heart" & Burkes' size heighten my hopes. Man, Burke has been tuff though.

Not sure what you mean by Hardaway's heart?  And Burke's size hardly limits his effectiveness.  He's a pg so he doesn't really need height.  All I know is he's one of the fastest players in the country and good luck to any defender trying to stay in front of him.

And I also won't trade our inexperience either.  That inexperience includes two starters in GRIII averaging 12 ppg so far as well as the Super Canuck, Nick Stauskus who is averaging 14 ppg while stroking it at 57% from beyond the arc!!!      Kid can flat out shoot it and that is a SICK percentage!

As for UofM still being undefeated when they roll into Bloomington, if they are I will be a VERY happy fan.  That would mean Michigan would have won @ OSU, @ Minny and @ Illinois.  While its possible for Michigan to win all those games, I'm not counting on them being undefeated when they make the trip to Bloomington. 

I just want Michigan to avoid the upsets, hold serve at home and maybe steal a game or two on the road.  IU narrowly won last night @ Iowa, but, at this point of the season, a win is a win, and road wins are even nicer.  Michigan gets their B1G lid lifter Thursday @ Northwestern.

GO BLUE!!!   

[YimYodd]

iLB,
I def agree w/ you about successful teams needing to hold serve at home and maybe steal a game or two on the road. Glad IU was able to get the W @ Iowa - 1st W there in 5 yrs, 4th in 16. They ended a long L streak @ Minn last season and hopefully can end an even longer one @MSU. Man, UM's road schedule in Jan (+Feb2) looks as tough as IU's  Feb road trips. Stealing a couple during those stretches will go a long way in determining who comes out on top in the B1G.
Concerning Hardaway, maybe I should have wrote head instead - probably a combo of both. I feel he was over-hyped coming to UM bc of his daddy. Not a great scorer, FG% not impressive, tends to not "show up" in big games ( NCAA tournament & B1G tourney last season, 3 of 4 vs. IU), not much improvement thruout career.

Burke is def tuff....size was about all I could come up with . My point was he will have to guard someone and if any team can contain him I like IUs' chances. Ferrell is same size and probably as fast and w/ their depth and size they can also go w/ Olidipo, Abell, Sheehey and even Watford.
Robinson(his daddy was def a baller, D*%&$#@ him ) & the Canuck have not scored a point in B1G play. Let's revisit that 3pt.% stat in March. OBTW, IU's Jay Edwards set the B1G freshman 3pt.% record 25 yrs ago, almost 54%.
Gonna be a lot of great BB coming, that March 10 match up in Ann Arbor may be epic!
GO BIG RED!

[Ruckus]

First off, congrats to Louisville on dispatching Kentucky in a close game.  We watched it at Q Barbeque in Port Chester.  It's kinda scary to think how good that Kentucky team can be by the end of the season.  For now, Louisville owns KY.

As for the Illini...   They looked like an unorganized second rate team against Purdue.  Again trouble shooting but the disappearance of Paul for half the game was most disturbing.  Huge game against the Buckeyes on Saturday.  An 0-2 start would not be good.

[iLikeBeer]

As for the Illini...   They looked like an unorganized second rate team against Purdue.  Again trouble shooting but the disappearance of Paul for half the game was most disturbing.  Huge game against the Buckeyes on Saturday.   An 0-2 start would not be good.

Definitely a must win since the game is in Champaign.  I'll be rooting for your Illini for sure!   

Did anyone see the hose job the officials pulled off in the Arizona/Colorado game?  First of all, they called a pretty sketchy blocking foul with Zona down 2 and 10 seconds left to go that allowed the Cats to tie the game at the line.  And then came this:



Dude clearly got the shot off as the image shows that would have won the game for Colorado, but the refs waived it off after looking at video replay and Arizona went on to win on OT?!  Sometimes you have to wonder what these officials think they are looking at???   

[Ruckus]

As for the Illini...   They looked like an unorganized second rate team against Purdue.  Again trouble shooting but the disappearance of Paul for half the game was most disturbing.  Huge game against the Buckeyes on Saturday.   An 0-2 start would not be good.

Definitely a must win since the game is in Champaign.  I'll be rooting for your Illini for sure!   

Did anyone see the hose job the officials pulled off in the Arizona/Colorado game?  First of all, they called a pretty sketchy blocking foul with Zona down 2 and 10 seconds left to go that allowed the Cats to tie the game at the line.  And then came this:



Dude clearly got the shot off as the image shows that would have won the game for Colorado, but the refs waived it off after looking at video replay and Arizona went on to win on OT?!  Sometimes you have to wonder what these officials think they are looking at???   

The fix was on Beer, the fix was on.

Yeah the Illini again showed what they can be and I expect this year to be a roller coaster throughout.  We throttle Butler, Gonzaga, and Ohio State but drop a deuce in Purdue.  Hopefully this momentum carries into the Gophers game next Wedneday.  Nnanna Egwu is really developing down low and Tracy Abrams is growing up as a point guard.  Ohio State didn't play well but the Illini didn't shoot well either and still won by 20.  I don't know what to expect from them on a game to game basis.

[iLikeBeer]

I'm not sold on OSU being all that great.  Personally, I think they are a bit overrated.  They've played 3 ranked teams so far this year and lost all 3 of them and one of them was at home to KU.

Iowa came out firing today against Michigan jumping out to a 7-0 lead and I don't think Michigan took their first lead until halfway through the 1st half, but they strung together an 18-2 run at the end of the 1st half and into the 2nd half to win going away. 

UofM is off to their 2nd best start in school history.  Also, their game @ Northwestern the other night was their first time they scored over 90 in a B1G game since 2004.  Now they've done it in back to back B1G games!   

[Ruckus]

I'm not sold on OSU being all that great.  Personally, I think they are a bit overrated.  They've played 3 ranked teams so far this year and lost all 3 of them and one of them was at home to KU.

Iowa came out firing today against Michigan jumping out to a 7-0 lead and I don't think Michigan took their first lead until halfway through the 1st half, but they strung together an 18-2 run at the end of the 1st half and into the 2nd half to win going away. 

UofM is off to their 2nd best start in school history.  Also, their game @ Northwestern the other night was their first time they scored over 90 in a B1G game since 2004.  Now they've done it in back to back B1G games!   

Props to you guys for sure!  I hope you don't blow your load too early because this is the best Michigan team I've seen since the Fab 5.  If we beat Minnesota on Wednesday, I'll have a little confidence to think we have a chance against you guys.

[iLikeBeer]

Props to you guys for sure!  I hope you don't blow your load too early because this is the best Michigan team I've seen since the Fab 5.  If we beat Minnesota on Wednesday, I'll have a little confidence to think we have a chance against you guys.

BY FAR the best team Michigan has had since the days of the Fab 5.  Some are even arguing that this might be a better 'team' overall than the Fab 5 teams.  I wouldn't go that far...  yet.  But I do think they have the potential to be better.

I probably should have held off on my comments regarding OSU being overrated IMO until after this weekend.  Watch the Buckeyes knock us off down in C'bus on Sunday... 

[iLikeBeer]

Well, Minnesota made a pretty big statement last night in Champaign that they are worthy of their top 10 ranking.  Illinois just seems way too inconsistent for me.  They lay an egg at Purdue, then come back to wax OSU at home and then come back the next game and get waxed on their home floor to Minnesota.  I think this is a result of a team that relies far too much on their perimeter game and if they aren't knocking down shots, they will have a hard time winning games and likewise, if they are on, they are tough to beat.

[Ruckus]

Well, Minnesota made a pretty big statement last night in Champaign that they are worthy of their top 10 ranking.  Illinois just seems way too inconsistent for me.  They lay an egg at Purdue, then come back to wax OSU at home and then come back the next game and get waxed on their home floor to Minnesota.  I think this is a result of a team that relies far too much on their perimeter game and if they aren't knocking down shots, they will have a hard time winning games and likewise, if they are on, they are tough to beat.

Yeah you don't know what you're gonna get with this team.  They played great D last night and got the shots they wanted but couldn't make anything.  Minnesota is a good team for sure.  They took our best shot midway through the 2nd half and punched right back.  I'll take anything over 500 in this conference.  Hopefully get this game at Wisky to pull back even.

[Tracy 2112]

BH, the Mizzou Tigers are coming to Oxford this Saturday to play the red hot Ole Miss Rebels.

The usual bet? If the Rebels when you have to show me something and if the Tigers win I have to be nice to you.

[BH]

BH, the Mizzou Tigers are coming to Oxford this Saturday to play the red hot Ole Miss Rebels.

The usual bet? If the Rebels when you have to show me something and if the Tigers win I have to be nice to you.

Sounds good to me!    I'm worried.   I wouldn't be shocked to see your Rebels finish 4th in the conference this year and we just lost our best player for two games.    Any conference road game is tough.

Wait, what do I have to show you?   

[YimYodd]

WOW!       Intensity level in Bloomington today......11!

Gophers were relentless. Poor FT shooting and BS call  that fouled out Oladipo had me sweating it out.
Entertaining broadcast commentary from BTNs' Gus Johnson & Jim Jackson:
On IUs' early suffocating D - " Indianas' defense , like a turtleneck sweater -  in the summertime!"
On Yogi Ferrell - " Not your average bear"
On Zeller D - "Zeller, block!... big man movin' & groovin'"
On Oladipo - " Oladipo....ubiquitous!"

At the same time, Duke goes down! Tough break for Kelly, but all teams must deal w injuries.
Only 1 team left w/o a L, so I gotta root for the Buckeyes tomorrow.

On another happy note, I saw a young IU coed on campus yesterday wearing a black t-shirt w gold letters that read PURDOUCHE. I'm gonna steal that one for future posts about PU.

[Tracy 2112]

We real!