Conferences 11 through 15 are up next and this is the point in time where you start to get some real At-Large potential teams. These are still low to mid-major’s but I can see 1 or two teams from each of these conferences (except the Summit) still being in the conversation come March 1.
11. Conference USA Winner: Memphis; Potential At-large: Marshall – will they find a point guard?
12. Ohio Valley Winner: Murray State; Potential At-large: Belmont and the race will be real close
13. MAC Winner: Ohio; Potential At-large: Akron. Is the MAC making a comeback?
14. WAC Winner: Denver; Potential At-large: Utah State
15. Summit Winner: South Dakota State and they will get serious at-large consideration if they lose in their conference tournament
Monday, October 22, 2012
Where have you gone, offense?
ESPN, in partnership with the SEC, ran some fun documentaries about the conference in the past year. Topics ranged from the creation of the Conference championship game, the Auburn/Alabama rivalry and Arkansas and Nolan Richardson's 40 minutes of hell.
The latter showed clips from an Arkansas-UNLV game played in February 1991. UNLV went to Fayetville full of swagger as the defending champ while Arkansas, #2 in the nation, looked at the game as an opportunity to declare to the world they had arrived. Instead, UNLV overwhelmed them in the 2nd half, never losing a double-digit lead until a meaningless 3 at the end of the game, winning 112-105.
112-105 in a game that matched up 1 and 2. No overtime. Let that sink in for a moment. Wouldn't happen today. Can't happen today. And that's a shame.
As an aside, we know Duke beat UNLV in the national semifinals but they were a better offensive team with a healthy Bobby Hurley and explosive Grant Hill. Duke was able to run and score with UNLV in 1991.
I'm going to link a post to a story that was written by Sports Illustrated's Luke Winn that looks back at a game from February of 1990 between Loyola-Marymount and LSU. The score of that game was 134-134 at the end of regulation. It's a fascinating game and game recap recalling how the play-by-play typist couldn't keep up with the action and her typewriter literally froze from overuse.
Loyola's offense was uptempo similar to what Chip Kelly incorporates at Oregon. Paul Westhead was the coach at Loyola and he now coaches the women's team at Oregon. Westhead's offense was simply known as "The System". Westhead has been a bit of a vagabond since then but it makes one wonder why this hasn't been used since? Winn gives the answers we'd expect about coaches being afraid to be contrarians given the money involved. But all it takes is one coach at one school willing...we can dream.
Today's best teams are usually amongst not only the most efficient but most proficient offensive teams. Look at the numbers inside the story on scoring and possesions, it's remarkable the drastic differences from today's best offensive teams to those of 25 years ago or so. It's a shame, because the game isn't better today at all. Today's game is too much of a slugfest, barren of athleticism bottled up by coaches and the media's cliche ridden defense wins championshps. Today's athletes are bigger, stronger and faster. There's a real contradiction there. It isn't better defense or more "fundamentally sound" teams, it's conservative coaching. Unleash them.
Here's the link
The latter showed clips from an Arkansas-UNLV game played in February 1991. UNLV went to Fayetville full of swagger as the defending champ while Arkansas, #2 in the nation, looked at the game as an opportunity to declare to the world they had arrived. Instead, UNLV overwhelmed them in the 2nd half, never losing a double-digit lead until a meaningless 3 at the end of the game, winning 112-105.
112-105 in a game that matched up 1 and 2. No overtime. Let that sink in for a moment. Wouldn't happen today. Can't happen today. And that's a shame.
As an aside, we know Duke beat UNLV in the national semifinals but they were a better offensive team with a healthy Bobby Hurley and explosive Grant Hill. Duke was able to run and score with UNLV in 1991.
I'm going to link a post to a story that was written by Sports Illustrated's Luke Winn that looks back at a game from February of 1990 between Loyola-Marymount and LSU. The score of that game was 134-134 at the end of regulation. It's a fascinating game and game recap recalling how the play-by-play typist couldn't keep up with the action and her typewriter literally froze from overuse.
Loyola's offense was uptempo similar to what Chip Kelly incorporates at Oregon. Paul Westhead was the coach at Loyola and he now coaches the women's team at Oregon. Westhead's offense was simply known as "The System". Westhead has been a bit of a vagabond since then but it makes one wonder why this hasn't been used since? Winn gives the answers we'd expect about coaches being afraid to be contrarians given the money involved. But all it takes is one coach at one school willing...we can dream.
Today's best teams are usually amongst not only the most efficient but most proficient offensive teams. Look at the numbers inside the story on scoring and possesions, it's remarkable the drastic differences from today's best offensive teams to those of 25 years ago or so. It's a shame, because the game isn't better today at all. Today's game is too much of a slugfest, barren of athleticism bottled up by coaches and the media's cliche ridden defense wins championshps. Today's athletes are bigger, stronger and faster. There's a real contradiction there. It isn't better defense or more "fundamentally sound" teams, it's conservative coaching. Unleash them.
Here's the link
Friday, October 19, 2012
Three Week to Tip-off
And Conferences 16 through 20 on the way. We’re starting to get to possible at-large consideration. It’s a long shot but the Horizon League could surprise with both Detroit and UW-Green Bay in addition to the projected champion.
16. Southern – Davidson Wildcats
17. Colonial – Drexel Dragons
18. Horizon – Valparasio Crusaders
19. Sun Belt – North Texas Mean Green
20. Patriot – Lehigh Mountain Hawks
16. Southern – Davidson Wildcats
17. Colonial – Drexel Dragons
18. Horizon – Valparasio Crusaders
19. Sun Belt – North Texas Mean Green
20. Patriot – Lehigh Mountain Hawks
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
In Honor of Marshall Plumlee’s stress fracture today’s post features conferences 21 through 25 and their auto-bid qualifiers.
21. Big West – Long Beach State 49ers
22. MAAC – Loyola Greyhounds
23. Southland – Oral Roberts Original Golden Eagles
24. Atlantic Sun – Mercer Bears
25. NorthEast – Long Island Blackbirds
21. Big West – Long Beach State 49ers
22. MAAC – Loyola Greyhounds
23. Southland – Oral Roberts Original Golden Eagles
24. Atlantic Sun – Mercer Bears
25. NorthEast – Long Island Blackbirds
Monday, October 15, 2012
Coaches on the Hot Seat
ACC:
Jeff Bzdelik, Wake Forest - Good class coming in but his team has been dreadful. Thought it was an odd hire and with NC State on the upswing, Wake will need a significant improvement this year.
Big 12:
Maybe Travis Ford but his team would have to bomb this year. Seem like a good bet to dance.
Big East:
Jay Wright will hear whispers but given the state of the conference, you'd think they'll be contenders sooner than later. Oliver Purnell left Clemson for DePaul and so far, that seems like an iffy career move, again, given the flux of the conference, who knows what DePaul is thinking.
Big 10:
Bill Carmody, Northwestern - Couldn't make it with John Shurna, one wonders if Northwestern will ever dance prior to tourney expansion. Vanderbilt can find success and talent, it seems Northwestern should, too
Tubby Smith, Minnesota - He's had some bad luck with injuries and transfers but even with all his players, they've been a middle of the road B1G team. Trevor Mbawke is back and anything less than a trip to the tourney and Tubby may be TV bound.
Pac 12:
Craig Robinson, Oregon State - Who knew Oregon State had a basketball team?
Herb Sendek, Arizona State - ASU has fallen quite a bit the last two years and Arizona is ascending again. There's some talent there but with a new AD, anything short of some real improvement could result in moving in a new direction.
SEC:
Andy Kennedy, Ole Miss - Consistently average, sniffing the dance and always coming up short. It's far from an easy gig but remaining mired in mediocrity alone will likely merit a change.
Mark Fox, Georgia - Where have you gone, Domonique Wilkins? Doubt anything happens in 2013 but the seats getting warm. It's a football conference anyway except for you dirty bastards in Kentucky.
Jeff Bzdelik, Wake Forest - Good class coming in but his team has been dreadful. Thought it was an odd hire and with NC State on the upswing, Wake will need a significant improvement this year.
Big 12:
Maybe Travis Ford but his team would have to bomb this year. Seem like a good bet to dance.
Big East:
Jay Wright will hear whispers but given the state of the conference, you'd think they'll be contenders sooner than later. Oliver Purnell left Clemson for DePaul and so far, that seems like an iffy career move, again, given the flux of the conference, who knows what DePaul is thinking.
Big 10:
Bill Carmody, Northwestern - Couldn't make it with John Shurna, one wonders if Northwestern will ever dance prior to tourney expansion. Vanderbilt can find success and talent, it seems Northwestern should, too
Tubby Smith, Minnesota - He's had some bad luck with injuries and transfers but even with all his players, they've been a middle of the road B1G team. Trevor Mbawke is back and anything less than a trip to the tourney and Tubby may be TV bound.
Pac 12:
Craig Robinson, Oregon State - Who knew Oregon State had a basketball team?
Herb Sendek, Arizona State - ASU has fallen quite a bit the last two years and Arizona is ascending again. There's some talent there but with a new AD, anything short of some real improvement could result in moving in a new direction.
SEC:
Andy Kennedy, Ole Miss - Consistently average, sniffing the dance and always coming up short. It's far from an easy gig but remaining mired in mediocrity alone will likely merit a change.
Mark Fox, Georgia - Where have you gone, Domonique Wilkins? Doubt anything happens in 2013 but the seats getting warm. It's a football conference anyway except for you dirty bastards in Kentucky.
Friday, October 12, 2012
Let The Countdown Begin....
In honor of Midnight Madness and the fact that we are exactly 4 weeks to the first games of the year I present to you the bottom 6 conferences and their projected League Champion:
26. Ivy – Princeton Tigers
27. Big South – Charleston Southern Buccaneers
28. America East – Vermont Catamounts
29. Big Sky – Montana Grizzlies
30. MEAC - Savannah State Tigers
31. SWAC – Prairie View A&M Panthers
26. Ivy – Princeton Tigers
27. Big South – Charleston Southern Buccaneers
28. America East – Vermont Catamounts
29. Big Sky – Montana Grizzlies
30. MEAC - Savannah State Tigers
31. SWAC – Prairie View A&M Panthers
Monday, October 8, 2012
CBS Top 100 Players is Out
Otto Porter of Georgetown is on the list and in his bio, it says he didn't play AAU ball. You can kill your liver this season by drinking everytime that is mentioned.
The season is just around the corner and Midnight Madness kicks off the season across the country this Friday.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)