T1B

- If the season ended today:
Matt Painter would be my choice for coach of the year
Michael Beasley would be my choice for frosh of the year
DJ White would be my choice for player of the year (yes, I'm playing the homer card)

- I think the conference rankings would be:
Pac-10
Big East
(major drop off)
Big 12
Big 10
ACC
A-10
SEC

- If I had to pick a national championship game without knowing brackets and seedings I'd take Memphis vs UCLA right now

- Some tourney match-ups I'd love to see:
Stanford vs UConn (Lopez vs Thabeet)
Duke vs Tennessee (over/under of 174)
Washington St vs Wisconsin (Bennett history, over/under of 104)
Memphis vs Kansas (approx 10 NBA players on the combined rosters)

Shine wrote:Memphis vs Kansas (approx 10 NBA players on the combined rosters)

Substitute Iowa for one of those teams and it becomes 85.

Love Painter for Coach of the Year. That is a very fun team to watch play.

As for conference rankings, I wouldn't say that I disagree all that much except that I don't see a real big drop off from any one conference to the next. I don't see any major drop offs. Maybe it's me. I'd love to see Kansas make a run this year and think they have the horses.......but they are just so bad and lack composure down the stretch in close games that it's hard for me to see them surviving a couple of those contests. In my opinion Memphis' FT shooting will bite them in the ass and I think there is a distinct possibility that Rose shoots them out of a game. Scary thing is that I think Kansas and Memphis may be the best of the bunch this year and I think they both have some issues. Other teams that I think could win it all include Tennessee, UCLA......maybe Duke although they are WAY to reliant on three point shooting......then I do think you have a drop off to the next bunch of teams including N. Carolina (until this team shows that they can play defense I won't give them much credit for being a title contender), Stanford, Indiana, Texas, UConn, Louisville, Georgetown, Purdue. Some lesser teams (in my opinion they're lesser) that could make a FF run include Arizona, Kansas State, Washington State, Wiscy, Xavier, Gonzaga and then for a couple of big reaches BYU and Vandy. I'm sure I missed an obvious team but I would be surprised if the National Champion didn't come from Memphis, Kansas, Tennessee or UCLA.

Houston's only shot of making it to the dance was running the table from here on out with exception to beating Memphis in the C-USA tourney.

Well, they lost a heartbreaker last night to UAB 101-99 in Birmingham. I don't know about you folks, but when I look at close games like this, the first thing I point to are fouls. UAB shot 43 freethrows to the cougars 23. That is a major disparity and the foul trouble really hurt the Cougs ability to be agressive on the defensive end of the court. I have to say the refs were being homers last night.

Maybe next year.

Wisconsin consistently makes more free throws than their opponents shoot, at home and on the road. They are disciplined and they move their feet on defense rather than reaching. They also play that swing offense that tends to draw a certain amount of fouls. Don’t be so quick to blame the refs for your team not making the tournament. They didn’t belong there anyway.

That may be, but Houston seldom gets into foul trouble because of their pressing defense style. I never said they belonged 'cus their chances were slim anyways. Wisconsin plays sound half-court defense which means less posessions which means less fouls. This game was wide open and both teams drove to the basket hard. It just seems the free throw count would have a closer gap. S'all.

You’re not making sense here, Rumple, “less posessions which means less fouls” would mean less fouls for both teams. A disparity in numbers between the two teams does not necessarily translate to “homer refs”. Move your fucking feet on defense.

Another questionable statement: “Houston seldom gets into foul trouble because of their pressing defense style.” Seems to me that playing a pressing defense might lead to more fouls. The trade-off of course being more turnovers by your opponent.

I know it works both ways, Goobs. I'm just saying Houston has not been in a lot of foul trouble this season and for one team to shoot 20 more free throws than another team is suspect.

RumpleForeskin wrote:I don't know about you folks, but when I look at close games like this, the first thing I point to are fouls.

Correction: when you look at close games your team lost, YOU point to fouls as an excuse for why you lost.

UAB shot 43 freethrows to the cougars 23. That is a major disparity

Happens all the time, usually because one team doesn't have to foul as much to play good, solid defense. They're in control of the game.

Mizzou consistently gets outscored from the charity stripe by 20 for several reasons.

1. They play full court press and constantly slap at the ball.
2. They're always behind late and foul to stop the clock.
3. They're under manned and out gunned, get tired after long stretches of play, and quit moving their feet.
4. They suck.

I have to say the refs were being homers last night.

Did you actually watch the game and saw proof of that? Or is it just sour grapes because your team lost a close game?

More than likely it's the latter and the refs called more fouls on Houston because, get ready for this.... they fouled more.

Amazing concept, eh? Sure, I know that in your world both teams would always be called for the same amount of fouls and shoot the same number of free throws. Hell, you probably think both teams should make the same percentage, and if not, the refs were being "homers" on that score as well.

Nice blast, Wags. There's something about a blind squirrel and a nut in here somewhere.

I also like calling the refs "homers". Dude, it's not fucking high school where the refs live in the home town of the home team. College refs travel.

actually SEC refs live in the schools towns...they hate to travel...

Mook wrote: As for conference rankings, I wouldn't say that I disagree all that much except that I don't see a real big drop off from any one conference to the next. I don't see any major drop offs.

If you take every conference's top 3-4 teams I'd agree, not much seperation. But the Pac 10 and the Big East are the only two where you could pick their 6-7 teams and still be talking about a legit squad. The 6-7 teams in those two are bona fide NCAA contenders, everyone else is NIT or worse by that point. To me that constitutes a major drop off.

Please take back what I said about Kansas being a title contender......they simply do not play composed basketball at the end of close games thus eliminating them from winning 6 games in March. Pitiful.

"Coach" Self strikes again.........ugh.

Mook, you're being too hard on your team and coach over a 1 point loss. I watched most all of that game today. Lots of sloppy play and turnovers from both squads, but Kansas made a great effort in coming back from 9 points down in the last 8 minutes and had a real shot at winning that game at the end. Brandon Rush is a hell of a player once he wakes up.

Besides that, Gallagher-Iba arena ain't exactly an easy place to play.

KU has lost 3 tough Big XII road games and you're ready to throw in the towell? C'mon man, show some faith in your team. Personally, I still think they've got a great shot of at least making it to the Final Four, if not cutting down the nets.

WW - I appreciate where you are coming from about KU and Self. There is no question this team is talented enough to make a FF/Championship run. However my complaints about "Coach" Self go back several years. Even earlier in this thread, before the OSU game I mentioned that KU lacks poise and composure coming down the stretch of close games. They have lacked this composure for several years now. Winning or losing doesn't change my opinion. Kansas has had a half-dozen "close" games. They were Southern Cal, Arizona, Ga Tech......all victories and all games where KU pissed themselves at the end of the game and were VERY fortunate to win. The others were UT and Ok State...losses. KU easily could have won both games but they didn't. What is alarming to me is how many times Kansas calls a timeout to draw up a play and the play results in a turnover. I'm not talking once in a blue moon.......I'm talking so often that I called for the turnover as soon as the timeout was called. I'm talking struggling to get off shots when the clock winds down at the end of the half or game.....and I'm not talking about rushed situations. A big part of the problem is the continuing regression of Russ Robinson who inexpicably is getting worse as the year goes by. Chalmers has also regressed a bit this year and Collins is constantly battling injury. Basically KU's backcourt has been below average the last month or so and that won't get it done.

Look, KU could conceivably right the ship, get hot and win the title. I understand they aren't the only team with problems out there. What concerns me is their very, very poor play down the stretch of close games. Personally I think it will bite the in the ass in March. I think they get through rounds 1 and 2 without much problem......but after that it's a crapshoot, and that's too bad because this team is good enough to make a very deep run. Let's just say I won't be surprised when they get beat. I hope I'm wrong. Nobody would be happier if Kansas were to win than me.

file under assorted thoughts:

i'm not a Big East hater. I credit the early BE of the turn of the 80's on ESPN (along with my Dad being a big OU hoops guy LONG before it was fashionable adn then back out of fashion) for my love for college hoops. watching the midweek BE conference games alongside the Sun Belt was watching college hoops as know it as a TV event come into it's own. Except for the fact that the BE screws up the Big Monday Big XII game every week (when they'd surely cut away from KSU shooting FT's up 12 with 40 seconds left over Texas Tech and apparently if it's Nova and Pitt that's high drama that deserves coverage when two ranked team in the Big XII are tipping off).....and all the Boeheim love from ESPN wonks is annoying and typical, i like to watch the games.

HOWEVER, will some network analyst (anyone!) qualify his gushing praise for the 7 or 8 or 9 teams the BE is gonna get in the tournament (this year, or any year since the expansion) by noting that the BE has 16 teams. MORE than the OTHER power conferences. if the BE pulls 8 is that more impressive than, say, the old Big 8 pulling 5--over half the conference? than the BIg 10 with 6? someday the BE is gonna get 9 and all the hand-lotion dispensers at ESPN are gonna run dry.

For all the Big East teams destined to make the tournament, there still isn't even one that's really getting any serious title-contending love. Georgetown, maybe? I think Notre Dame is the most dangerous team in the league, but I can't see them making it further than the Elite 8.