College Basketball, the REAL sport of kings.

[mindkiss69]

Another year, another set of favorites and underdogs. With the increasing parity in College basketball, evidenced by Duke's recent trouble with less than stellar teams, this year looks to be as exciting as ever.

Who are your picks, predictions, or what are your thoughts on this season.

This is the official thread for College Basketball talk.

Top 25, as of December 7th, 2005
------------------------------------------------------------------------------


1 Duke
2 Texas
3 Connecticut
4 Villanova
5 Louisville
6 Boston College
7 Memphis
8 Oklahoma
9 Gonzaga
10 Florida
11 Illinois
12 Iowa
13 Washington
14 Michigan State
15 Kentucky
16 UCLA
17 Nevada
18 Indiana
19 George Washington
20 Wake Forest
21 Maryland
22 Alabama
23 North Carolina
24 Arizona
25 North Carolina State

[bigred760]

While I don't know about it being the "REAL" sport of kings (I prefer watching college football), college basketball is still better than the NBA.

And I say this still after Duke landed a prayer when beating my boys at Virginia Tech. Still haven't gotten over that weekend. (Maybe it's because ESPN keeps showing the damn replay over, and over, and over . . .)

[leafboy]

Mark my words, Texas will take it all!

[screamer581]

Look out for Michigan people, 6-0. :)

[mindkiss69]

I agree, College Basketball is much better than the NBA.


Hey, North Carolina looks really good this year, maybe even more scrappier than last years national championship team. Look out for the Tar Heels.

[AnnoyingQuestionAsker]

Finally, I can discuss my Houston Cougars without any shame. In the span of a few days, the Tom Penders-coached Coogs upset #25 LSU on the road, followed by an upset over #13 Arizona at Hofheinz Pavilion. Luckily I was at the Zona game and for the hell of it decided to sit in the student section (despite my alumni status) and am glad I did. With about a minute or so remaining, the students started crowding the wall and when the clock hit 0:00, they rushed the court. I eventually followed, having already done it once when I was a freshman and we beat Texas in Clyde Drexler's first game as head coach. Man that was great.

Houston should be in the top-25 within the next few weeks.

Who else is looking forward to that Duke-Texas game on Saturday?? UT fans around the office are confident that they will beat Duke and beat them handily.

[mindkiss69]

Congrats. I haven't really heard much more about Houston after I heard that Clyde took over the head-coaching job.

Personally, I'm not really looking forward to the Duke Texas game. Being a die-hard Carolina fan, I've never liked the Devils, and a game with them and Texas doesn't really look intriguing to me. I don't know of one star player that Texas has.

Next year should be much better in College basketball because of the new age limit. It will be interesting to see how much it alters the game.

[Pulp_Joker]

Originally posted by screamer581
Look out for Michigan people, 6-0. :)

DAMN RIGHT, BABY!!!!
We're back, We're back!

[chasingbanky]

Adam Morrison is the man.... That shot today was riDACKalous

[brodeurnumber1]

Originally posted by screamer581
Look out for Michigan people, 6-0. :)

Michigan hasn't faced the greatest competition so far, but next saturday they face UCLA, so that shall prove if they are for real. I have my faith in them.

[screamer581]

Originally posted by brodeurnumber1
Michigan hasn't faced the greatest competition so far, but next saturday they face UCLA, so that shall prove if they are for real. I have my faith in them.

Yeah, UCLA is their first big test, but beating Notre Dame on the road was nice. As long as they stay healthy I think will be a quality team this year. Oh yeah, they are 7-0 now. :)

[mindkiss69]

Originally posted by chasingbanky
Adam Morrison is the man.... That shot today was riDACKalous

I agree. Morrison is dope as hell. I saw the game last week when the Zags played Washington and it was one of the most exciting games I've ever seen. Morrison is an exciting player, no doubt, but he does have his flaws. He needs to work on his 3 point shooting, and if he wants to be a star in the next level, he'll have to get quicker.

Who saw the Duke game yesterday? ouch, talk about a blowout, Texas showed they are nowhere near Duke or even deserving of a top ten ranking.

[AnnoyingQuestionAsker]

Watching that UT-Duke game on Saturday showed that Coach K is still the greatest basketball coach of the current generation. As far as talent goes, Texas is not that far behind Duke. Texas generally runs a 2-3 zone, but for some reason Rick Barnes had them playing man-to-man which allowed Reddick to score at will. This is why Duke is a perennial top-10 program and Texas sniffs the top-10 every so often.

Take a look at the early season schedules of both teams. Duke was already battle-tested by the time they stepped foot on the court on Saturday. Texas played the likes of Texas Pan-American and Rice. Texas will be a better team come tournament time and may even be able to beat Duke if Barnes can learn to play his own game rather than falling into the hands of Coach K.

[mindkiss69]

Well, as witnessed through the last couple decades, playing zone against Duke is a suicide move. Duke usually has great outside shooters and this year is no difference. Maybe that is why Coach Barnes decided to go with the man on man defense. And, you may be right about the experience. That game may have been good for Texas, because it showed them what they'll have to do next time when they face a team the caliber of Duke.

It's been a pretty interesting season so far. Watching players like Adam Morrison and Tyler Hansobrough play just show that even though there are alot of early entrees into the NBA, College Basketball still has stars in the game.

Go Tar Heels!!

Top 25, in the opinion of the Associated Press as of Monday, December 12
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1 Duke
2 Connecticut
3 Villanova
4 Louisville
5 Memphis
6 Texas
7 Florida
8 Oklahoma
9 Illinois
10 Gonzaga
11 Washington
12 Michigan State
13 Boston College
14 UCLA
15 George Washington
16 Wake Forest
17 Maryland
18 Indiana
19 North Carolina
20 Nevada
21 North Carolina State
22 Iowa
23 Kentucky
24 Arizona
25 Houston

[AnnoyingQuestionAsker]

My COOGS are ranked #25!!!!!!!!!! First time we are ranked in something like 13 years.

The Show has returned.

[AngelDust06]

lol LETS GO

http://www.collegefanstuff.com/virginiatech/virginiatech.jpg

COME ON TECH!!!! :D

[bigred760]

Originally posted by AngelDust06
lol LETS GO

http://www.collegefanstuff.com/virginiatech/virginiatech.jpg

COME ON TECH!!!! :D


Amen to that!!

[AnnoyingQuestionAsker]

I hate to say it, but VaTech basketball will never be anymore than a slightly above or below .500 team, simply because Seth Greenberg sucks as a coach. I watched him turn a potential NCAA tournament South Florida team into a 14-16 team a few years back. I have to admit that Greenberg is one of the best NIT .500 coaches you will find. You guys are off to a fantastic start (especially that close one against Duke). I hope you guys keep up the strong play, but Greenberg has a way of allowing his teams play way down to their opponents level, which may cost you some games against the weaker ACC teams.

[bigred760]

Originally posted by AnnoyingQuestionAsker
I hate to say it, but VaTech basketball will never be anymore than a slightly above or below .500 team, simply because Seth Greenberg sucks as a coach.


Yeah - that's why he was the ACC Coach of the Year last year. Virginia Tech had one of its best seasons last year in his first year there. We're definitely not great, I know that, but don't put it all on him. The recruiting has sucked.

[AnnoyingQuestionAsker]

Greenberg won coach of the year last year because he far exceeded expectations. There was no way that team last year should have finished 8-8 in ACC play. I was at their game at Georgia Tech when they beat them in a very hostile environment. But what I was saying is that regardless of talent he will forever be around a .500 coach. Last year he got the most out of those players and it looks like he is doing the same this year. The challenge will come when he gets his recruits in (which the man is a great recruiter). You will be more often than not, about a .500 team depending on OOC schedule. The problem with Greenberg is that he doesn't understand how to coach as a favorite.

Trust me, during some of those years at South Florida, I wished he was the coach at Houston so that would have been able to get more than 10 wins a season.

Good luck the rest of the year and kick the crap out of them ACC teams. I hope to see both VaTech and Houston in the tourney in the years to come.

[thedudeman69]

WATCH THE FUCK OUT FOR DUKE, 13-0!!


http://www.law.duke.edu/student/act/selaw/duke_logo.jpg

[AnnoyingQuestionAsker]

I was checking out what the experts on espn.com were predicting as to who would be in the final 4 and the consensus seems to include Duke, UConn, Villanova (all 3 of those were on all but 1 list), and the others that included Illinois, Michigan State, Arizona, Indiana.

As conference play begins, who does everyone think will be the final 4?

[Buck Turgidson]

Piss on Greenberg all you want, but Tech's been in the douldrums since Bill Foster left (and his tenure was an island in a sea of mediocrity that stretces from the departure of Dell Curry after the '85-'86 season) and they look better and more competetive than they have in all that time.

I have always felt that being in a top flight conference is a boon to your recruiting and your prestige. The more you're seen, even if you get squashed, the more you're known as "an ACC team", and thus a potential destination for people looking to be in the big time.

This move will pay off big in the long term. The football program has proven that in the last dozen years: when you play big time teams, you become big time, even if it takes a while.

[bigred760]

Originally posted by AnnoyingQuestionAsker
Good luck the rest of the year and kick the crap out of them ACC teams. I hope to see both VaTech and Houston in the tourney in the years to come.

You and me both - well, not so much Houston, but you know what I mean. :D

And Buck, love the enthusiasm man. Don't forget VT won the NIT tourney back in '95 (I think) - the year before I got there.. It wouldn't be that big a deal, if it weren't Virginia Tech. I think we're on the right path.

[mindkiss69]

Adam Morrison a star in the NBA? lol, hmmm- not too sure about that one.


This season has been pretty much vanilla, it will be interesting to see if the age limit will bring back the excitment that we used to feel with college basketball. It's been so diluted.

[Buck Turgidson]

Originally posted by bigred760
And Buck, love the enthusiasm man. Don't forget VT won the NIT tourney back in '95 (I think) - the year before I got there.. It wouldn't be that big a deal, if it weren't Virginia Tech. I think we're on the right path.

Beat Marquette in the final. That was magic. They went (IIRC) 23-6 the next year, with Ace Custis. That was all during Foster's solidly successful era there. They've been through a couple of coaches since then before settiling on Seth. I really think they're on the right path.

[mindkiss69]

First of all, wow at North Carolina's new ranking. That's a pretty big jump. And, I'm kind of suprised that Texas is even in the top ten considering how they've been blown out in their losses.


Top 25 as of January 9th,2005


1 Duke
2 Florida
3 Connecticut
4 UCLA
5 Villanova
6 Texas
7 Memphis
8 Illinois
9 Gonzaga
10 North Carolina
11 Syracuse .
12 Louisville
13 Washington
14 Pittsburgh
15 Indiana
16 West Virginia
17 Oklahoma
18 George Washington
19 Wisconsin
20 Michigan State
21 Ohio State
22 Tennessee
23 Cincinnati
24 Maryland
25 North Carolina State

[PackBacker]

mindkiss-- what in the hell poll are you using? unc-ch is 20 in both AP/Coaches poll

[PackBacker]

amazing that all the unbeatens lost yesterday.....

[screamer581]

Originally posted by PackBacker
amazing that all the unbeatens lost yesterday.....


Yeah it was, but I kinda saw it coming for some reason. Especially Pitt.


And mindkiss...that is a very odd poll, even for a week or two ago.

[AnnoyingQuestionAsker]

Hey, Hokie Fans,

What are they putting in the Gatorade bucket in Blacksburg?

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2308446

[bigred760]

Originally posted by AnnoyingQuestionAsker
Hey, Hokie Fans,

What are they putting in the Gatorade bucket in Blacksburg?

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2308446

I know, you'd think we'd have a kickass soccer team (no pun intended)with all the kicking we've been doing.

But I think this time it had more to do with frustration than anything else. Duke beat 'em with a 40-foot buzzer beater the last time, and VT is now 0-6 in the ACC. The guy did apologize afterwards, to the player and Coack K.

[mindkiss69]

Fuck, the North Carolina vs Duke womens game this weekend was one of the most exciting games I've seen all year in womens or mens games.