The End of January List of Disappointments

THE BIG 12 - 2

Baylor 14-6 (4-3): Brian has them in as an 11 but with an RPI of 90, they have little margin of error through the rest of conference play.

Kansas State 14-8 (2-5): Brian has them as a 12 play-in and with a decent RPI, if they can find their way in conference, that may improve but they looked terrible against Kansas. Once #3 in the land, the Wildcats were dealt another blow when Sophomore F Wally Judge left the team today.

THE B1G (*snickers*)

Michigan State 13-8 (5-4): Brian said it last week that you never bet against Izzo in March but if they stay on their projected 7-9 line, bet against them making a big run. Plenty of time to improve but they sure don't look like the National title contender many thought they'd be.

Northwestern 13-8 (3-7): Hey, they're in the also considered argument. Many thought this was the year to dance but barring some big run, NIT-bound. Not stealing a home win against one of the big boys of the B1G (*snickers*) hurts.

SEC

Mississippi State 11-9 (3-3): They were picked to win the SEC West and still could, but they'll need a dramatic finish to even sniff consideration. In fairness, the SEC West makes the Pac-10 look like juggernauts.

OTHERS

Butler 14-8 (6-4): Smack dab on the middle of the bubble (44 RPI), Butler needs to reassert itself in the Horizon League where they currently stand in 4th place. A win at Cleveland State on Saturday would help immensely.

Gonzaga 14-8 (4-3): For what it's worth, WCC foe Portland has a higher RPI and they play one another in Spokane on Thursday night. Gonzaga has much work to do or miss the dance for the first time in over a decade.

Bucky fan, remember Cornell? They stand 0-4 in the IVY and 4-14 overall. You'll dodge that bullet this March.

Monday Afternoon Bracketology

1 seed vs 16 seed
Ohio State (Big10) vs McNeese(Sland)/B-Cook (MEAC)
Kansas vs Maine(Aeast)/Jack St(SWAC)
Pittsburgh (Beast) vs Long Island (NEC)
Texas (Big 12) vs Wofford (SoCon)
2 seed vs 15 seed
Connecticut vs Fairfield (MAAC)
San Diego St (Mwest) vs Long Beach State (Bwest)
Duke (ACC) vs Florida Atlantic (Sbelt)
Kentucky vs Austin Peay (OVC)
3 seed vs 14 seed
Purdue vs Bucknell (Patriot)
Notre Dame vs Montana (Big Sky)
BYU vs Kent State (MAC)
Villanova vs Coastal Carolina (Bsouth)
4 seed vs 13 seed
Georgetown vs Belmont (Asun)
Louisville vs Alabama (SEC)
North Carolina vs Oakland (Summit)
Texas A&M vs Harvard (Ivy)
5 seed vs 12 seed
Washington (Pac10) vs VCU (Colonial)
Florida vs Georgia/Kansas State
Arizona vs Penn State/Virginia Tech
Syracuse vs George Mason
6 seed vs 11 seed
Wisconsin vs Memphis (Cusa)
Vanderbilt vs Cleveland State (Horizon)
Missouri vs Baylor
Minnesota vs Wichita State
7 seed vs 10 seed
UNLV vs Missouri State (Mvalley)
West Virginia vs Old Dominion
Tennessee vs Utah State (WAC)
Illinois vs St. John's
8 seed vs 9 seed
Michigan State vs St. Mary's (WCC)
Xavier (A10) vs Marquette
Boston College vs Florida State
Temple vs Cincinnati

Last Four Out
Butler
UAB
Gonzaga
Washington State
Next Four Out
UCLA
Duquesne
Colorado State
UTEP
Also Considered
Drexel
Northern Iowa
Valparasio
Portland
Oklahoma State
Richmond
New Mexico
James Madison
Clemson
Maryland
Miami
Dayton
Central Florida
Southern Miss
Nebraska
USC
Northwestern
Mississippi
Colorado

Yay! Marquette holds a lead!

Making Sense of the Big East

UConn loses at home to Louisville who looks good now at 6-2 in the conference. Georgetown wins at Villanova who now has 3 losses in conference.

Yeah.

If anyone wins this conference outright, they'll have certainly deserved it. I know this much, I'm looking forward to the Big East tournament as much as the Big Dance. What a dogfight in New York that will be.

The Big Ten Shows Me

Thanks Michigan State and Illinois! I write a novel about how good the Big Ten is and how I still feel Michigan State and Illinois are dangerous and what do they do? Lose to Michigan and Indiana. Bravo.

326 days and counting....

Since little brother, Michigan State beat Michigan in basketball. Sure, it WAS over 1200 days since Big Brother beat Izzo's best paid teams and over a decade since Michigan's best paid teams won at the Breslin Center...

Bow down, little brother. Look out NIT, here comes a whiter shade of pale.

The Jimmer Part 2

I can vouch for this living out west. The east coast is normally asleep when the BYU white out takes the court. He is that good. He put in 47 against Utah a couple of weeks ago. Missed 50 because he came out with 3 minutes left.

Seth Davis is absolutely in love with The Jimmer. Check out his twitter:

www.twitter.com/sethdavishoops

Jimmer!

I watched the entire San Diego State-BYU game last night and Jimmer Fredette is as good as advertised. Remember a couple years ago when Adam Morrison and JJ Reddick were putting up 30 point games? Picture that with a killer crossover and you have Jimmer. He put two moves on DJ Gay and Billy White that were so impressive he got to the paint before they even recovered. Add that with unbelievable range and there's your Player of the Year (Kemba Walker and Jared Sullinger might disagree). BYU is still too reliant on him (43 of their 71 points last night), but if you get a chance to see him play, grab a beer and enjoy.

Hook 'em Horns

Fresh off two impressive wins over Texas A&M and Kansas, the Texas Longhorns sit on top of the Big 12-2. The question is, are they for real or are they going to repeat last year's nosedive?

The schedule thus far has the Longhorns at 14 RPI and 29 SOS. Impressive wins include a win at KU (1st ever) and road wins at Michigan State and North Carolina. It's hard to say how good UNC and MSU are right now but winning at both is pretty good. The losses include a 1-pt loss to UConn at home, a 2-pt loss to Pitt on a neutral court and a 17-pt loss to Pac-10 bottom feeder USC in LA. The last loss seems to be more of an abberation than the wins.

KenPom lists them as the best team defensively in the land and they sit at 26th in AdjO. Defensively, they're 4th in the nation in FG% and 34th in scoring. They're also 13th in rebounding. They're okay offensively, 27th in scoring and shoot 46% from the field. They are a decent shooting 3 point team but they are only 204th in makes.

The biggest bugaboo? Free throw shooting, again. They currently stand at 248th in the land, making only 66%.

The players to know include 6' 7" soph G/F Jordan Hamilton who averages 19.2 ppg and 7.2 RPG and two super froshes Cory Joseph and Tristan Thompson. Thompson provides an inside presence, blocking 2 shots per game to go along with his 13 ppg and 7.6 rpg. Thompson is the biggest liability at the line, only hitting 50% of his throws while hitting 53% from the field.

Texas lost 3 players to the NBA and was picked to be a middle of the pack Big 12-2 team. So far, Texas looks solid and with a win in hand at Kansas, they have a real chance to win the conference.

Breaking Down The Big 10 + 2

Today's bracket has 6 Big Ten teams in and an additional 2 also considered. Michigan, Indiana, and Iowa are on the outside looking in while Northwestern and Penn State need different levels of success in the next month to climb in. Penn State, with a RPI in the mid 40's has the better chance than Northwestern but they both need else. Excluding those 5 teams let's take a quick look at the remaining 6 teams.

Ohio State - One of my preseason Final Four teams OSU has looked unstoppable and is currently ranked #1. Their KenPom rating is #1, however, I have concerns about the depth of this team. They basically only go 7 deep and in March that fact that 3 of them are freshmen concerns me. I'm not ready to call them the ripest #1 for an upset but let's say they are on my radar

Wisconsin - most predictable team this side of Marquette. Will continue to win all games at home and only lose 2-3 on the road. Will come into March as a 4 or 5 seed and lose in the first or second round to a more athletic team. I'd like anybody to show logic against that breakdown

Purdue - just got crushed by Ohio State. Hasn't really missed Robbie Hummel as much as they thought but seems to be breaking down now. Efficiency rating is top 10 and although he looked weak last night JuJuan Johnson is a stud. Preseason pick to be upset in the second round by Wichita State. I'm sticking with that for now.

Illinois - Another preseason favorite of mine, I had them in my Elite Eight. Efficiency is top 15 but defense is a little suspect. Currently 14-6 but they've played a tough schedule, UNC, Texas, Wisky twice, OSU, Maryland and the Zags. They will be battle tested come March and if Demetri McCamey can harness the Dee Brown in him they still have a chance. I like them to at least get to the sweet sixteen.

Minnesota - I'll be honest...they bore me and I don't watch them. They have Blake Hoffsburger who is known for hitting the game tying basket from his butt in a high school tournament game. RPI is average, Efficiency is average. Let's say a 7 seed by season end and a loss to 10 seeded....umm Georgia. Yeah, that sounds good.

Michigan State - probably the most disappointing team in the country they were picked by most to contend for the title. Poor offense and a lack of leadership hurts this team. Korie Lucious, representing Milwaukee well, just got kicked off the team which doesn't help. However, if you could pick one coach to win in March, outside of Coach K, you go with Izzo all day long. I think he figures this out and turns the Spartens into a very dangerous 4-6 seed team by the tourney. Would you pick against Izzo?

Forget Purdue...

What happened to Syracuse? 10 days ago they were undefeated and a 1 seed. Now, fresh off a 22 point defeat at home to Seton Hall, they are a struggling #4. How the mighty have fallen.

Game time is 9PM EST, 8CST

Someone pass that along to Purdue because Ohio State is beating the daylights out of someone.

Monday Night Bracketology

1 seed vs 16 seed
Ohio State (Big10) vs Lamar(Sland)/Tenn St (OVC)
Pittsburgh (Beast) vs Maine(Aeast)/Texas So(SWAC)
Duke (ACC) vs Long Island (NEC)
San Diego St (Mwest) vs No. Colorado (Big Sky)
2 seed vs 15 seed
Villanova vs Hampton (MEAC)
Texas (Big 12) vs Fairfield (MAAC)
Kansas vs Long Beach State (Bwest)
Connecticut vs Ball State (MAC)
3 seed vs 14 seed
BYU vs Bucknell (Patriot)
Kentucky vs Florida Atlantic (Sbelt)
Purdue vs Charleston (SoCon)
Syracuse vs Coastal Carolina (Bsouth)
4 seed vs 13 seed
Washington (Pac10) vs Belmont (Asun)
Florida (SEC) vs Oakland (Summit)
Texas A&M vs VCU (Colonial)
Wisconsin vs Harvard (Ivy)
5 seed vs 12 seed
Vanderbilt vs Old Dominion
Missouri vs Gonzaga/Dayton
Georgetown vs Cleveland State (Horizon)
Michigan State vs Baylor
6 seed vs 11 seed
Notre Dame vs Oklahoma State/Butler
Louisville vs Wichita State
West Virginia vs Virginia Tech
North Carolina vs Kansas State
7 seed vs 10 seed
Minnesota vs Georgia
UNLV vs Utah State (WAC)
Illinois vs Memphis (Cusa)
Arizona vs St. John's
8 seed vs 9 seed
Tennessee vs Boston College
Xavier (A10) vs Missouri State (Mvalley)
St. Mary's (WCC) vs Florida State
Temple vs Cincinnati

Last Four Out
Marquette
Richmond
UTEP
George Mason
Next Four Out
UAB
UCLA
Washington State
Miami
Also Considered
Princeton
Penn State
Colorado State
Northwestern
Rhode Island
Drexel
Northern Iowa
Central Florida
New Mexico
Colorado
Southern Miss
James Madison
Michigan
USC
Iowa State
Mississippi
Clemson
Maryland
NC State
Nebraska
Duquesne
Marshall

SWEET

The Bears still suck.

And then there were two

Kansas loses for the first time at home since early 2007, as Texas wins at the Phog for the first time ever. Texas physically dominated the Jayhawks in the second half and might be stamping themselves as a team to be reckoned with come March. Rock, chalk, Jayhawk streak ends at 69 straight home wins and is their first loss of the campaign.

That leaves San Diego State (Hardly a state) and Ohio State (The cesspool of the midwest) as the last two undefeateds in the nation with both facing stern tests in the upcoming week.

Most Interesting Quotes

He once found a needle in a haystack, blindfolded

He can make orange juice, out of apples.

The Loch Ness Monster thinks he is a myth.

When he looks into the mirror, his reflection gives him a thumbs up.

He's the only one who knows what Willis is talkin about

He doesn't use sun screen, when he goes outside the daylight adjusts accordingly

On Halloween the neighborhood kids bring him candy

Dogs purrrrr when he pets them

He invented the invention

Rome would have been built in a day, if they'd followed his blueprints correctly

He once lead a horse to water, and made him drink

A bird in one of his hands would be worth 3 in the bush.

You can't always get what you want....but he can

Can you, UConn?

Picked by many to finish in the middle of the pack or worse in the Big East, Uconn has jumped out to a 15-2 (4-2) record. Led by Player of the Year candidate, Kemba Walker, UConn has bounced back from an awful 2009-10 season.

UConn currently has a RPI of 6 and SOS of 22. Good wins include a win at Texas and neutral court wins over Kentucky and Michigan State. Both losses were on the road to Top 25 teams, Notre Dame & Pitt. The numbers should stay gaudy from the grueling Big East schedule. They have a big win at Villanova from this past Monday. KenPom has them outside the Top 20 in both AdjD (33) and AdjO (25). History shows unless those numbers improve, this isn't a Final Four caliber team.

Defensively, UConn is good. They're 86th in scoring but an impressive 12th in FG% and lead the nation in blocked shots. 3 guys average 1.5 blocks + per game, led by Alex Oriahki, 2.4 blocks per game. Oriahki is the second best player on the team after Walker. He averages a double-double or near-to-it. (11.1 & 9.4 RPG) to go along with his blocked shots. The Huskies are a very good rebounding team, 33rd in the nation.

As you might suspect, Walker is the offensive star, as he is 2nd in the nation in scoring. They're ranked 41st in scoring but are just an okay shooting team, 165th. They're also an avergae 3-point shooting team, fallinbg in the middle of the pack. They do make their throws, 14th in the nation. I wonder if Walker struggles how this team will respond offensively, but despite a 6-18 performance against 'Nova, the Huskies played good d in holding 'Nova to 59 and though everyone knew who would take the last shot, Walker still managed to hit the game winner after a sluggish night.

UConn has rebounded nicely from a terrible 2009-10 season and appear headed back to the NCAA's barring a meltdown. They have the ability to make a Sweet 16 run and a special college player in Walker who looks capable of carrying a team for a magical ride. Just a solid team up to this point.

And It Begins...Mustache Madness

This will be the last time I shave until March Madness.

Kyrie Irving - sigh

“He’s probably not coming back,’’ Krzyzewski said to ESPN.com on Wednesday.

BERT!

Games of the Day

Memphis @ Southern Miss
Memphis is no longer the toast of Conference USA and they really need this one to stay in the bracket. Southern Miss, led by former Iowa State coach Larry Eustacy currently has the auto-bid in the conference and looks to hang on. The original Golden Eagles were a pre-season pick of mine and like them to pull this one out as well. S. Miss 74, Memphis 68

James Madison @ Old Dominion
Both teams are currently in the bracket but James Madison needs the auto bid more. Winner stays in, loser is out. Old Dominion 61, James Madison 54

Drexel @ George Mason
Gotta love the Colonial! Both teams had solid starts to the season but have fallen on hard times. Loser of this game is probably out unless they win out. Winner keeps their at large hopes alive. George Mason 68, Drexel 67

Texas A&M @ Texas
As noted in a previous Kurly post Texas A&M had surprised a lot of people this year. A bug win at home over the weekend over Missouri has the Aggies riding high. In my mind they need this game as a big road win. Texas on the other hand has a solid but not spectacular resume. The key in conference play is to defend the home court. Texas pulls this one out in the last 10 minutes. Texas 73, Texas A&M 69

Motivational

So True

Not Bad Last Night

Prediction: Illinois 71, Michigan State 57
Actual: Illinois 71, Michigan State 62

Tuesday Game of the Night

Tonight we are looking at Big Ten action as the Michigan State Spartans travel to Champaign to take on the Illinois Fighting Illinois. Over the past couple games Michigan State had been flirting with danger, almost losing at home to Wisconsin and then the same with Northwestern. Illinois on the other hand has been going the opposite way with losses to Wisconsin and Penn State. There's nothing like a little home court advantage to help swing things back into your favor. I like Illinois big in this spot. Michigan State is coming off two grueling victories and they run out of gas early. Illinois 71, Michigan State 57

It's Definately Sucking

Monday Night Bracketology

1 seed vs 16 seed
Ohio State (Big10) vs Maine(Aeast)/Texas So (SWAC)
Kansas (Big 12) vs McNeese St(Sland)/Hampton(MEAC)
Syracuse (Beast) vs Northern Colorado (Big Sky)
Duke (ACC) vs Long Island (NEC)
2 seed vs 15 seed
Pittsburgh vs Iona (MAAC)
San Diego St (Mwest) vs Florida Atlantic (Sbelt)
Kentucky (SEC) vs Bucknell (Patriot)
Villanova vs Austin Peay (OVC)
3 seed vs 14 seed
BYU vs Coastal Carolina (Bsouth)
Connecticut vs Belmont (Asun)
Purdue vs Ball State (MAC)
Texas A&M vs Long Beach State (Bwest)
4 seed vs 13 seed
West Virginia vs Charleston (SoCon)
Texas vs Oakland (Summit)
Washington (Pac10) vs Valparasio (Horizon)
Florida vs Harvard (Ivy)
5 seed vs 12 seed
Michigan State vs Cincinnati
Missouri vs Florida State/Memphis
St. John's vs James Madison (Colonial)
Vanderbilt vs Virginia Tech
6 seed vs 11 seed
Gonzaga vs Georgia/Central Florida
Wisconsin vs Southern Miss (Cusa)
Louisville vs Tennessee
Notre Dame vs Utah State (WAC)
7 seed vs 10 seed
UNLV vs Xavier (A10)
Temple vs Wichita State
Georgetown vs Oklahoma State
North Carolina vs Old Dominion
8 seed vs 9 seed
Boston College vs St. Mary's (WCC)
Illinois vs Missouri State (Mvalley)
Arizona vs Butler
Minnesota vs Kansas State

Last Four Out
USC
Marquette
Baylor
Washington State
Next Four Out
Cleveland State
Miami
UAB
Dayton
Also Considered
Portland
Princeton
New Mexico
California
UCLA
George Mason
Arkansas
Northwestern
Colorado State
Mississippi
Penn State
VCU
Michigan
Rhode Island
Seton Hall
UTEP
Northern Iowa
Iowa State
Murray State
NC State
Colorado
Nebraska
Clemson
Maryland
Richmond
Drexel

My WR ran a lot of good routes

The Packers are winning in spite of him, really. The ol' dongslinger woulda won the Super Bowl already.

Texas A&M

One of the early season surprises has been the Texas A&m Aggies who have a home date today against the Missouri Tigers. The Aggies have won 12 straight games. They were projected as a middle of the pack Big 12 team but now sit #14 in the AP.

The Aggies have a RPI of 20 with a middling 97 SOS. Non-conference wins of note include a neutral court win over Temple and a home win against Washington. Their only loss to date was a neutral court loss to BC (#30 RPI, 13-4).

Am's forte is defense. They are 5th in scoring defense and 11th in FG% defense. And they rebound. They're 3rd in the nation in rebound margin. The Aggies are 103rd in the nation in scoring but that's somewhat misleading as they average 73 PPg while only giving up 55, a healthy margin. They are deficient from behind the arc, ranking 213 in makes and 142nd in % made. They're adequate from the charity stripe making 72.5%, good for 62nd in the nation.

KenPom likes the defense, 17th AjdD while offensively, they're outside the magical top 20, sitting at 37th in AdjO.

This will be an interesting game as we know Missouri likes to push tempo. This'll probably give a better gauge of just how good A&M is. They should remain a Big 12 contender with their defense and rebounding ability but let's see if they have enough offense to win games against dynamic offensive teams like Missouri and Kansas.

EDIT: Yes, the offense was dynamic enough at home today

Just remember.....

Non Basketball Thought #2

Non Basketball Thoughts

More Big East Ramblings

There were a couple solid Big East games last night that helped solidify the pecking order. Villanova, Syracuse, and Pittsburgh all won games going away, leaving Louisville, Georgetown, and St. John's to lick their wounds. I think what you are looking at for the winning teams is the top tier in the Big East. The real question is trying to weed out the pretenders from the next large group of 7-8 teams. Currently Marquette, Cincinnati, Louisville, and Notre Dame are the second tier but 2 of those teams will drop down as the year goes on. If I had to guess now I would figure Notre Dame and Marquette are the two teams to hang on although I want to see how Marquette responds at Louisville on Saturday after beating Notre Dame last Monday. Win there and count me on the bandwagon.


I also heard there might have been some sort of ACC upset but I went to bed early and haven't been on the internet yet to confirm such a thing.

Blue Devil Destructor

At least this gets 2 ACC teams dancing, maybe.

Big 11 FAIL of the Week

First up, a video from Indiana. For some reason, this seems awfully close to home.

And congratulations to Minnesota for returning to big time basketball. Lucky for you. women of Milwaukee!

Game of the Day

I'm looking to the SEC for tonight's game of the day. Tennessee, already 0-1 in the SEC and without Bruce Pearl, hosts the Florida Gators. Tennessee looked lost over the weekend against Arkansas and needs to defend the home court to keep themselves on the right side of the bubble. A loss here and they are skating on thin ice. I see a close battle but Tennessee continues its Jeckyl and Hyde year by pulling off the win. Tennesee 67, Florida 64.

Auburn

They've got TCU next week, right?

Pick Time

When in doubt, I'll pick the SEC.

Auburn 45 Oregon 44

All full scale dorkitude straight ahead.

Monday Night Bracketology

1 seed vs 16 seed
Duke - (ACC) vs Hartford (Aeast)/Jackson St (SWAC)
Ohio State - (Big10) vs McNeese St (Sland)/Fairfield (MAAC)
Kansas (Big 12) vs Northern Colorado (Big Sky)
Syracuse (Beast) vs Wagner (NEC
2 seed vs 15 seed
Pittsburgh vs Belmont (Asun)
Notre Dame vs Florida Atlantic (Sbelt)
San Diego State (Mwest) vs American (Patriot)
Kentucky vs Coastal Carolina (Bsouth)
3 seed vs 14 seed
BYU vs Austin Peay (OVC)
Connecticut vs Hampton (MEAC)
Purdue vs Charleston (SoCon)
Villanova vs Oakland (Summit)
4 seed vs 13 seed
West Virginia vs Long Beach State (Bwest)
Missouri vs Hofstra (Colonial)
Vanderbilt vs Harvard (Ivy)
Georgetown vs Akron (MAC)
5 seed vs 12 seed
Texas A&M vs Tennessee/Marquette
Florida vs Washington State/Virginia Tech
Temple (A10) vs Baylor
Illinois vs Utah State (WAC)
6 seed vs 11 seed
North Carolina vs USC
St. John's vs Missouri State (Mvalley)
Texas vs St. Mary's (WCC)
Michigan State vs Cincinnati
7 seed vs 10 seed
Kansas State vs Xavier
Boston College vs Central Florida
UNLV vs Oklahoma State
Washington (Pac10) vs Old Dominion
8 seed vs 9 seed
Wisconsin vs Georgia (SEC)
Louisville vs Memphis (Cusa)
Butler (Horizon) vs Arizona
Minnesota vs Gonzaga

Last Four Out
Miami
Wichita State
UAB
Richmond
Next Four Out
Cleveland State
Dayton
James Madison
New Mexico
Also Considered
Portland
Florida State
Princeton
California
UCLA
George Mason
Drexel
Valparasio
Northwestern
Colorado State
Mississippi
Penn State
VCU
Michigan
Rhode Island
Southern Miss
UTEP
Northern Iowa
Providence
Iowa State
Murray State
North Carolina State
Colorado
Nebraska
Rutgers
Clemson
Maryland

My Big East Thoughts

The Big East is the best conference in the land, hands down. Currently I am projecting 11 Big East teams in with an additional 2 being watched. The only teams with no chance in this league are Seton Hall, South Florida, and DePaul. Now, the key over the next two months will be who defends their home court the best. No team is going undefeated and I believe 3-4 loses will still be enough to win the league. When all is said and done I'm predicting 10 bids for the Big East (yes that means Marquette is probably in). A quick rundown on who's over and under rated so far this year:

Underrated
Georgetown - 1-3 in the conference but has played a tough schedule. JT3 will have them rounding into shape come March and he won't let them forget last year's early exit to Ohio

Villanova - currently being bashed by the "experts" as being a fraud amongst the top Big East team the 'Cats are 19th in adjusted Offensive Efficiency and 21st in Defensive Efficiency. Keep on eye on them.

Notre Dame - Two loses have come at Kentucky and at Syracuse. Have played a whopping 9 games against teams in the bracket currently and are 7-2 in those games. I'm not waving on my preseason bracket that had them in my Elite Eight.

Overrated

Cincinnati - Their efficiency numbers are solid, 53rd and 16th but this is biased on the poor scheduling they had at the top of the year. They close out at Georgetown, vs UConn, at Marquette, and vs Georgetown. They need at least two of those to stay on the right side of the bubble.

St. John's - everybody loves Steve Lavin. OK, maybe not but at 10-4 they are big news so far. An RPI in the top 10 looks good as well but there are some bad losses out there. Fordham, St. Bonaventure, and St. Mary's are not Big East schools. The new shiny object fades away and I predict this team is on the wrong side of the bubble when all is said and done.

Syracuse - Sure, they are 16-0 and a top 5 team but only 2 of their wins have come against teams currently in the bracket. I'm curious to see how they handle the grind of the Big East. I'm calling it now...they won't see the second weekend of the tournament.

The Big East is crazy good/fun/fascinating

I'm not saying the Big East is the best conference in the land but it'll be one of the wilder ones. After two weeks, Georgetown is 1-3 in conference and tied for 12th place and I'd argue they're better than last year's outfit.

I doubt Cincinnati is 16-0 good (and they're losing at Villanova as I type) and I wonder about St. John's staying power but with the addittion of the 4 teams to the tournament, they're getting a minimum of 8 teams and has a long shot of getting 10 (Again, say you, Brian?).

Whatever the case, there are going to be some very good teams from the Big East that will be staying home in March. And the teams that survive the grind will be battle tested for March.

Whassup?!?!?!

So, the question everyone has been asking.....where's Poochie? I know, I've been absent to this point, but its a new year, and since I have nothing better to do while my wife is off gallavanting drinking wine while I could be playing in a poker tournament.....

Anyhoo, every so often either me or Ben has to post something of randomness, just to keep this blog from dorking itself into oblivion. Ben, I appreciated the underneath beer tapper. Very cool. I want to know how much those cups cost with the flapper thing in the bottom. Anyways, I now offer various thoughts.

1. Obviously, the picture. For the love of God. These guys got D-1 scholarships, and you're looking at that picture thinking, "man, I wouldnt invite those dorks to March Madness." And they're getting more 'tang than you too. Of course most of us are married, so it goes without saying....I'm just saying....

2. Best I can tell, Kyrie Irving has turf toe. How the hell did Kyrie Irving get turf toe? It aint no turf on the court....

3. OK, I agree with an earlier post by Kurly, I was a doubter, but I will now admit Buzz Williams is a good coach. But he still looks like a tele-tubby in that dumb ass sweater vest. Why would you do that? Its like a fat chick in skinny jeans...you just cant understand why it happens....

4. I realize the guy is going to be a undeserved millionaire, but the homeless Ted Williams guy does have a pretty smooth voice....for a guy who looks like he's wearing a halloween mask.

5. Speaking of which, doesnt he kind of look like unfrozen caveman lawyer? I'll work on a pic of that....maybe I'll pull out my Tom Crean-Unfrozen Caveman and throw him in the mix....

6. Vote on the best job of an organizational coverup:
A. NCAA - Suspend Ohio State player for 5 games.....NEXT YEAR!!!
B. NCAA - Cam Newton didnt know nothin about no money his dad wanted. He aint not know nothin', dammit!!
C. NFL - Inconclusive evidence on Brett Favre. Really?!?!

7. Just to clarify for everyone, for X-Mas I did not receive the Lexus with the giant red bow like in the commercials. There's always next year.....

8. Brian, I know we discussed this on New Year's, but listening to Homer call a Marquette game is brutal. You can root for a home team and be professional about it.....or you can be Homer.....

9. In case you were wondering, Andrew Luck is a moron for coming back. Concensus #1 and doesnt want any of that. Have fun......

I cant think of anything else right now. Go Pack Go!!

In Response: Mountain West

I think the Mountain West only gets 3 bids this year. San Diego State, BYU, and UNLV all look strong with solid computer numbers. Right now SDst and BYU both look like 3-4 seeds and UNLV is at worst a 8-9 seed. New Mexico has fallen off without Darrington Hobson and aren't currently in the bracket. They need to get some solid wins over the previously mentioned teams. I think the only way they get 4 teams is if a surprise team wins the conference tournament. At this point I'd pick Colorado State over New Mexico if I needed to select a 4th team though.

San Diego State

Led by "Michigan Man" - I HATE THAT PHRASE -, Steve Fisher, San Diego State has risen to #6 in both the AP and the coaches poll. Undefeated at 16-0, SDSU has a current RPI at a healthy 10 with a SOS of 73.

"Big" wins include a road win at Gonzaga (But who didn't beat Gonzaga in the early season? Marquette, that's who!), a home win against a solid St. Mary's squad, a home win against pre-season mid-major darling Wichita State and a road win at Pac-10 lightweight, Cal.

The names to know are Kawhi Leonard, F, Soph and Malcolm Thomas, F, SR. Leonard, a Wooden nominee is averaging 15.6 PPG shooting 48% and grabs almost 10 boards a game. Thomas is an inside presence averaging 2 blocks per game along with 12 & 7.

KenPom has them 19th in AdjO and 37th on AdjD. San Diego State plays solid defense, 16th in scoring and an okay 78th in FG %. They don't foul, 11th and rebound well, 37th. Offensively, they're shaky behind the arc, 159th % and 199th in makes and middle of the road at the chairty stripe, 140th. They do protect the ball, 21st in TOs. All in all, SDSU is a "solid" team.

Playing in the Mountain West, they are very unlikely to remain undefeated. I think it's a lock for 4 teams, with an outside shot at 5 (Say you, Brian?). But playing in the Mountain West will keep the RPI and SOS up and a top 4 finish in conference should get them dancing easily. Being undefeated this late into the season makes them a trendy "team to watch" but they actually are as is the Mountain West. I'll say it isn't a stretch to see a Mountain West team make a deep run in March. I'm just not sure it's the Aztecs even at 16-0.

Ansu Sesay

That is all.

Today's Duke Highlight

The second greatest Duke "highlight" outside the Laettner shot. Worth the 7 minute video. The Elmore and Patrick are worth it and Jason Williams scoring, stealing, and then draining 2 threes' in a 19 second period is amazing.

Teams In Trouble Already

Baylor 9-3, RPI 147, SOS 273

Early season troubles and shoddy scheduling have left Baylor in a precarious situation. 9-3 isn't bad but with the Big 12 schedule not started yet there isn't much behind the record. In games that matter, Baylor has lost to Gonzaga, Washington State, and Florida State. They are further damaged by Washington State's 0-2 Pac-10 start and FSU's upset loss to dismal Auburn last night. The only win of note so far is a win against Arizona State. Baylor needs to go at least 10-6 in the Big 12 to make the dance and a split with Missouri and Kansas is almost a must at this point.



Marquette 10-4 RPI 128, SOS 201

Another victim of scheduling Marquette actually had a couple solid games on the docket to start the season. The problem has been winning these games...Wisconsin, lost 69-64, Duke, lost 82-77, Gonzaga, lost 66--63, Vanderbilt, lost 77-76. Outside of the Big East their most recognizable win is either UWGB or UWM. Now, being in the Big East will give Marquette plenty of opportunities to improve their numbers but they'll have to do more then just beating the DePauls and Seton Hall's of the conference. 2 or 3 signature wins and no bad losses are mandatory at this point. Team Bubble Watch it is!

Monday Afternoon Bracketology

1 seed vs 16 seed
Duke - (ACC) vs Chatt (SoCon)/St.Francis (NEC)
Ohio State - (Big10) vs McNeese St (Sland)/Fairfield (MAAC)
Kansas (Big 12) vs Liberty (Bsouth)
Pittsburgh (Beast) vs Jackson St (SWAC)
2 seed vs 15 seed
Kentucky (SEC) vs Belmont (Asun)
Syracuse vs Austin Peay (OVC)
Connecticut vs American (Patriot)
San Diego State (Mwest) vs Montana (Big Sky)
3 seed vs 14 seed
Georgetown vs North Texas (Sbelt)
BYU vs Hampton (MEAC)
Missouri vs Vermont (Aeast)
Notre Dame vs Oakland (Summit)
4 seed vs 13 seed
Kansas State vs Long Beach State (Bwest)
Purdue vs Drexel (Colonial)
Vanderbilt vs Princeton (Ivy)
Villanova vs Kent State (MAC)
5 seed vs 12 seed
Boston College vs Miami/Memphis
UNLV vs Washington State/Virginia Tech
Temple (A10) vs St. Mary's (WCC)
West Virginia vs Utah State (WAC)
6 seed vs 11 seed
Texas vs Northwestern
Texas A&M vs Wichita State (Mvalley)
North Carolina vs Georgia
Michigan State vs Old Dominion
7 seed vs 10 seed
Florida vs Cleveland State (Horizon)
Louisville vs Cincinnati
Illinois vs St. John's
Central Florida (Cusa) vs Richmond
8 seed vs 9 seed
Washington (Pac10) vs Gonzaga
Wisconsin vs Tennessee
Minnesota vs Xavier
Butler vs Arizona

Last Four Out
Baylor
New Mexico
Florida State
USC
Next Four Out
UCLA
Rhode Island
Marquette
Oklahoma State
Also Considered
Providence
Portland
Dayton
James Madison
Missouri State
George Mason
California
Davidson
UAB
Michigan
Penn State
Mississippi
Valparasio
Colorado State
VCU
Murray State
Northern Iowa
Southern Miss
Charleston
UTEP
Iowa State
Rutgers
Arizona State
Nebraska
North Carolina State
Maryland
Colorado
Arkansas
Tennessee

There's been a ton of RPI changes as Conference play begins.

Time To Unpimp Za Auto

SWEET

Eat it, Cowherd