Hows everyone's team doing in basketball this year so far???

South Carolina is getting ran of Vandy's gym tonight. Shooting for us is horrible but the officiating has been nothing short of atrocious. I am not one to bring up bad officiating but this has been ridiculous. I've seen our guy get called for a foul cause he put his hand on the lower back of a player but yet our player gets mugged while dunking the ball and nothing is called. I saw a Vandy player and Devan Downey both go for a loose ball and the Vandy player run Downey over and Downey was called for the foul.

 

South Carolina lost to Vandy tongiht so USC and the winner of the UF/Tenn game tomorrow will be in a tie for 1st in the East.

 

Outlaw, at some point this season will win and someone will win the East. Right now it's hard to know who that might be but someone will back into the East.

Meanwhile LSU won their 13 straight conference game today and still can't get ranked much above 15th.

 

If Thornton plays the way he did against Florida, LSU will go far in the NCAA tourney.....knocking of some "Big Boys" along the way.

I use quotations on that because really....in the NCAAs this year just who are the big boys?

 

Irish lost to UConn yesterday, it was a road loss and we played them close up till the end. There was an interesting use of a little known (and used) rule at the end of the game. Thabeet the UConn center was fouled and went to the floor, he stayed there and eventually went to the bench, now Thabeet is a terrible foul shooter and the game was close and his foul shoots were critical. But his real or feigned injury allowed Calhoun to put in a good FT shooter who made the shots, and Thabeet was back in at the next opportunity. It's all within the rules, and given Thabeets quick return you have to wonder if he was faking it or not...but completely legal.

Irish are now in must win the last 2 games of the Reg season and win 2 games in the Big East tourney inorder to be high on the list of bublble teams for the NCAA.

This years Irish team is just way to dependent on the 3pt shot and does not play very good defense.

Longhorns lost on the road to Okla State and are also on the bubble for the NCAA's, they need a strong finish and a good run in the B12 tourney. OU, KU, and Missouri are locks for the NcAA's, the 4th spot is up for grabs and we're not likely to get that 5th team in the NCAA's.

 

I'm interested to see how the teams from the East end their seasons. I'm now convinced that someone is going to get left out of the tourney because no one has any consistency. I think Tennessee's win against Florida which bumped them to near the top 20 in RPI and gave them 6 wins, I think, against the RPI top 50, assures them a berth although closing out the reg. season with 4 in a row by beating USCe and Bama couldn't hurt. I think South Carolina has to go completely belly up to get shut out. I now see Florida and Kentucky as the two most likely to get the shaft. The Gators play Miss. St. on the road while UK gets UGa at home this week. The Cats and Gators meet on Saturday in a game that could go a long way in determining both teams' NCAA fate.

 

Buckeyes have a must win game tonight at Iowa...I think a loss will keep them out of the tourney....the game is on the BTN.

 

Stu,

We won on the road by two points, but it was up for grabs at the end.

Northwestern will not be easy at home on Saturday either.

Don

 

Big win last night Don...I thought the kids really showed alot of character being down on the road in the second half and pulling out a heartstopper. I think they have their destiny in their hands. If they beat NW at home they are in the dance for certain...if they lose who knows? They should handle NW at home......I hope Turner shows no ill effects from turning his ankle. That would be a problem.

 

I really like the play of PJ Hill, Evan Turner, and Lauderdale.

Diebler has been really disappointing of late, and Mullins can look so good but mostly is a non-factor.

 

How many B10 teams are you guys expecting to get into the tournament?

 

The consensus seems to be 6 with possibly 7.....as long as one of 'em wears scarlet and gray, I'm fine with whatever!

Stu, PJ is a great story.....Matta brought in JC Simmons to bolster a weak PG position with only a disappointing PJ and highly regarded frosh Crater. Crater bolted over playing time leaving us very thin. PJ played very sparingly over the first half of the season but always brought high energy in to the game and worked his ass off on the defensive end.....Simmons went to Matta and asked that PJ start in his place as he had earned it. PJ is constant heart and effort and has actually started to gain confidence in his offensive game and is really coming on.....

 

Buckeye Terry,

Can you believe that Northwestern upset the Boilers in West Lafayette?

I think we will have our hands full Saturday when they come to Columbus.

We had better be ready to be patient and work the ball inside.

Don

 

I agree Don. We better be ready to play because those kids will be on a mission. We need it....

 

Gators lose third straight SEC game and fall to 8 - 7 in the conference. Unless we beat Kentucky this weekend and win a couple of games in the SEC tournamnet it's no NCAA for the Gators.

Much the same as last season when the Gators finished weak in the conference and then lost the first Tourney game and ended up in the NIT.

Kind of a downer, but wow do so many fans take it so serious on Gator boards. You would think their lives depended on the Gators winning the NCAA.

 

The way things are shaking out in the SEC, I'll be surprised now if the conference ends up with more than 4 teams in the tourney. I can believe the Gators lost to Miss. St. but UK losing to Georgia??? How do you do that with everything to lose? Kinda knocks the luster off that Gators-Cats game this weekend with both probably having to make some noise in the tourney to gain entry to the Big Dance.

This promps a couple of questions. How long before Kentucky fans run Gillespie out of Lexington?? If they thought Tubby wasn't good enough, what has "the kid" done to prove he's worthy of the Blue and White?

Another question for you Gator fans, how much equity does Billy Donovan have in the Swamp? After he won the national titles back to back everyone though he was a genius. However, with a starting five like he had those two years most good college basketball coaches could have won a title. The first one was very impressive but the second was a virtual gimme. Obviously, he is still a good coach but other than Calathes (who I think is a bit overrated), this Gator teams has no players that seem capable of turning Florida into a threat in the SEC anytime soon even in a year when the SEC is quite weak at the top. If the 'Cats can Gillespie, could Donovan head for the Blue Grass while he still can??

 

Tennessee and South Carolina is looking like a true barnburner with the Vols leading 44-40 at the half.

 

SC looks to be getting frustrated. We all know that they are capable of big comebacks so no time to rest on a 16 point lead. 9:30 left

 

Glad to see that kind of complete game from our guys and seeing them HAVE FUN on the court. I have not seen that even in wins this year. On to the last game at home against Bama with the SEC East no longer in question.

 

I've read on internet boards ( which never make stuff up, right), that they have thrown stuff at Billy G and that his off the court stuff that Scott88 can verify is getting old in Lexington. He probably is on the hotseat next year and it could be 3 and out. He should've stayed at A&M.