I believe it is safe to say that perimeter defenders beware because Chris Lofton is back. His 7-13 3PM-3PA is a sign that the slumping senior is back to his deadly accuracy and will be a force down the stretch. This makes Tennessee an even more attractive Final Four pick as well as viable choice to win it all.
The Big East can be won: Notre Dame, Rutgers, and Georgetown's wins today show that in the Big East any team can beat anybody else on any night. Notre Dame dropped 90 in a ten point win at Villanova. Rutgers shocked the wounded Panthers with a huge second half effort as they posted a double digit win. Georgtown took a top ten ranking into a electric West Virginia gym and they needed a huge three in the waning seconds to escape with a close win.
Baylor's exciting run back into the Top 25 came to an abrupt end at the hands of the Oklahoma Sooners. Their 77-71 loss shows that maybe they weren't quite ready for the pressure of being a top team. Their wealth of talent is sure to remember that because this is not the last time we've heard from the Bears, they will be back.
Jim Calhoun relied on an old reliable in the Huskies shocking road victory over Indiana. The defense of UCONN stymied super frosh Eric Gordon into 5-16 shooting. Craig Austrie had been with the Huskies when they were successful several years ago. He had been pushed out of the rotation by younger players but had a chance today. The sudden suspension of sophomore G Jerome Dyson showed Calhoun that he needed Austrie to help lead the young Huskies. He responded with a team high 15 points and helped settle down his team on the road.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Upset Saturday
Two of the top five men's hoops teams lost this past weekend. UCLA and North Carolina both dropped home games to slightly above average opponents. UCLA was done in by Southern Cal while UNC was bested by Maryland...
North Carolina vs Maryland:
Terps coach Gary Williams came in with a game plan in mind: get back on defense and attack the rim. Maryland at times became vulnerable to the UNC break but for most of the game got back and forced the Heels to struggle with their half court offense, a major Achilles heel for this team. UNC scored 80 points in the game which is well below their home average of 98 points/game. Another successful plan was to be physical and frustrate Tyler Hansbrough early. Forward Bambale Osby gave "Psycho T" a couple fore arm shivers that would make Hulk Hogan proud. The referees also let the big men play and this frustrated Hansbrough so much because after he would missed a shot he would go after the man who got the board and try to reach in. The key to the Terps offense was Venezuelan sensation Greivis Vasquez who had 12 points, 11 assists, and more importantly outplayed his hyped counterpart Ty Lawson ( 11 points, four assists).
UCLA vs USC
Coach Tim Floyd went to his bag of tricks and pulled out the triangle and two defense that frustrated Memphis back in December at the Jimmy V Classic. He mixed this with straight man-to-man and also a zone defense to keep UCLA out of rhythm and to also limit the touches to freshman Kevin Love. Love still got his (18 points, 12 rebounds) but other key Bruins suffered like Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (two points, one concussion) as well as their bench production (ten points, six turnovers). On the offensive end for the Trojans, it was the steady ball handling and passing of Daniel Hackett and OJ Mayo. Mayo did not force shots and seemed content to give up the rock to his teammates and that not only took UCLA off guard but it also sprang freshman Davon Jefferson to his best game of the year (25 points, eight rebounds). USC was written off early because of their youth but because of the win at Pauley Pavilion, USC seems to be right back in contention to win the most competitive conference in the nation.
North Carolina vs Maryland:
Terps coach Gary Williams came in with a game plan in mind: get back on defense and attack the rim. Maryland at times became vulnerable to the UNC break but for most of the game got back and forced the Heels to struggle with their half court offense, a major Achilles heel for this team. UNC scored 80 points in the game which is well below their home average of 98 points/game. Another successful plan was to be physical and frustrate Tyler Hansbrough early. Forward Bambale Osby gave "Psycho T" a couple fore arm shivers that would make Hulk Hogan proud. The referees also let the big men play and this frustrated Hansbrough so much because after he would missed a shot he would go after the man who got the board and try to reach in. The key to the Terps offense was Venezuelan sensation Greivis Vasquez who had 12 points, 11 assists, and more importantly outplayed his hyped counterpart Ty Lawson ( 11 points, four assists).
UCLA vs USC
Coach Tim Floyd went to his bag of tricks and pulled out the triangle and two defense that frustrated Memphis back in December at the Jimmy V Classic. He mixed this with straight man-to-man and also a zone defense to keep UCLA out of rhythm and to also limit the touches to freshman Kevin Love. Love still got his (18 points, 12 rebounds) but other key Bruins suffered like Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (two points, one concussion) as well as their bench production (ten points, six turnovers). On the offensive end for the Trojans, it was the steady ball handling and passing of Daniel Hackett and OJ Mayo. Mayo did not force shots and seemed content to give up the rock to his teammates and that not only took UCLA off guard but it also sprang freshman Davon Jefferson to his best game of the year (25 points, eight rebounds). USC was written off early because of their youth but because of the win at Pauley Pavilion, USC seems to be right back in contention to win the most competitive conference in the nation.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Alley Oops
How I break it down by top seeds if the season ended today...and with awesome matchups that will generate serious buzz.
#1 Seeds- North Carolina, Kansas, Memphis, UCLA
#2 Seeds- Tennessee, Georgetown, Texas A&M, Indiana
#3 Seeds- Duke, Washington State, Michigan State, Marquette
#4 Seeds, Dayton, Pittsburgh, Vanderbilt, Texas
EAST REGION (CHARLOTTE)
1. North Carolina
2. Tennessee
3. Washington State
4. Vanderbilt
MIDWEST REGION (DETROIT)
1. Kansas
2. Georgetown
3. Duke
4. Dayton
SOUTH REGION (HOUSTON)
1. Memphis
2. Texas A&M
3. Michigan State
4. Pittsburgh
WEST REGION (PHOENIX)
1. UCLA
2. Indiana
3. Marquette
4. Texas
#1 Seeds- North Carolina, Kansas, Memphis, UCLA
#2 Seeds- Tennessee, Georgetown, Texas A&M, Indiana
#3 Seeds- Duke, Washington State, Michigan State, Marquette
#4 Seeds, Dayton, Pittsburgh, Vanderbilt, Texas
EAST REGION (CHARLOTTE)
1. North Carolina
2. Tennessee
3. Washington State
4. Vanderbilt
MIDWEST REGION (DETROIT)
1. Kansas
2. Georgetown
3. Duke
4. Dayton
SOUTH REGION (HOUSTON)
1. Memphis
2. Texas A&M
3. Michigan State
4. Pittsburgh
WEST REGION (PHOENIX)
1. UCLA
2. Indiana
3. Marquette
4. Texas
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Wayne Ellington's Game Winning 3 v. clemson
A great opening conference game, Wayne Ellington had a huge game and put the Tar Heels on his back
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