2012-13 College Basketball Running Cordial Discussion

Vandy has good looking cheerleaders

 

I have to crow a bit about my Wahoos, who have quietly won four straight after a couple of discouraging losses. This one was 58-55 over NC State at home. (Where you at, Sam?) I would have referred to the Wake and Clemson losses as "very bad," except that it's looking more and more like there are no "very bad" road losses in the ACC this year.

Still an uphill climb to make the tournament, even at 5-2 in the league. The Hoos have one of the strangest resumes I've ever seen: 5-0 against the RPI top 100, 3-0 vs. the top 50, five losses outside the top 100, including one against sub-300 Old Dominion. That one appears to be worth about 30 spots in RPI on its own.

 

And away we go.

 

Nice win, and thankfully the committee won't look and say, "Lorenzo Brown only played 10 minutes before wrenching his ankle," because the Hoos don't win that game if Brown is playing. They were horrendous offensively when he was in the game and Brown was able to get State in transition. That was a total game-changer. And UVa still almost lost because it couldn't score in the final few minutes. I'll say this ... can't wait to see how good Tobey can be when he grows into his body.

 

What is it that Ohio State and Wisconsin do in practice every day? Looking at those offenses last night, the clear answer appears to be, "Not much." I can't wait to send both of those teams home early on my brackets.

 

People say this shit about Wisconsin every year, and nearly every year they get proven wrong. Low scoring doesn't necessarily mean bad basketball, lot of people don't seem to get that. And they seem to think it just coincidence that Wiscy's opponents always seem to play their ugliest game against the Badgers.

Bo Ryan ball ain't the prettiest to watch, but it works. His teams outperform their talent level every year.

 

Ohio State is 16th in adjusted offensive rating, Wisconsin 31st. Thad Matta and Bo Ryan each have lost once in the first round of the NCAA tournament and made five of the past 10 Sweet 16s.

But yeah, let's pretend DePaul is an offensive juggernaut because they run a lot.

 

Well then Ryan needs to recruit some better athletes because that shit he runs is garbage. Every time I watch Wisconsin basketball, it sets me back 50 years. How hard is it get the games in the 60s, really?
Jesus, Wisconsin hoops is awful.

 

Coaches are expected to win, not produce shiny objects for attention-deficient non-fans.

 

Not sure how Wisconsin basketball would "set you back 50 years", considering that games were higher scoring and more run and gun-nish back then. Hell, 50 years ago, NBA teams were all averaging around 120 pts or more per game, and you know what? The quality of play absolutely SUCKED compared to today's lower scoring game, simply atrocious by comparison.

Again, this notion that quality of play is measured by how high scores are is such simple minded nonsense. Bo Ryan's goal isn't "to get the games into the 60s", instead it's to win the damn thing. Something his teams have consistently done at quite an impressive rate in relation to their talent level.

Have you considered that quality defense might have something to with why his teams have low scoring games? After all, it is something they're kinda known for.

 

Often find myself at odds with Bob Knight's schtick, but tonight he was funny to listen to as he wondered out loud for a few straight minutes about what exactly "Fab" was. The TV was pointing out what was going on in the world the last time Michigan was No. 1, and Bob said he never saw the Fab Ones play championship basketball.
Knight went on and on lambasting the Fabbers, who deserve every bit of roasting until the day they all five of them die.
Fair game.
Good for you, Bobby.

 

BC and Cosmo, UVa might have won that game with or without Lorenzo Brown on the other side.

NCSU has a serious mental issue. Beat Duke, lose to Wake Forest in Winston-Salem a few days later. Beat Chapel Hill, lose to UVa in Charlottesville a few days later.

That's a problem. Playing up and down to the level of competition is a big problem. No offense to either school that beat NCSU, but the talent level still swung in the Wolfpack's favor in both. Losing to Wake Forest should not happen - period. The style that Tony Bennett employs doesn't make a classic, play-making point guard as important as a tempo which employs more transition. Losing Brown sucks, sure, but anyone who would even claim that Tyler Lewis or Rodney Purvis was the reason NCSU lost is kidding himself.

(Congrats, BC ... was not ducking you, believe it or not ... )