All-purpose college basketball thread

Second that, not to mention Miami (Ohio) hanging in there late at Rupp Arena.

 

Oral Roberts 39-34, late first half. Egad ...

 

Oral Roberts 78, Kansas 71 in Lawrence. I blame the SI jinx.

 

Never, ever mess with a Mid-Continent Conference team.

 

Did Ken "King" Tutt go off tonight?

 

I missed the UNC-Winthrop game but I DVR'd it and just got done watching it. It was certainly ugly, but that's what I expect from the team this early in the year. I think it's going to take until at least ACC season for there to be any semblance of a set rotation with so many new players. Players just can't be fully comfortable with each other when they are playing with different people all the time. I expect UNC to lose some early games because of growing pains and a lack of a set rotation, but come time for the first Duke game in early February they should be looking good. Having said that, Winthrop was very impressive in defeat.

 

12 points for the King, including a big 3 and two free throws in the final seconds.

 

VMI beat an NAIA school 156-96 tonight. 156 points... that's some scoring. And impressed with the NAIA school scoring 96 on a D-I school.

 

Give up 96 points and still win by 60 ... did VMI (or the school from the National Association of Ineligible Athletes) play ANY defense?

 

The Winthrop comment was interesting. Gregg Marshall's been doing good work in Rock Hill for years. Granted, Winthrop doesn't have the type of talent that should derail Chapel Hill, but still ...

 

Actually I think early this year, Winthrop is exactly the kind of team that could derail UNC. They have most of the team back and are very experienced and poised. Against a Freshmen and Sophomore laden team like the Heels, those type of teams can play under control and cause the turnovers that plagued UNC tonight. The key for UNC all year will be how their plethora of guards meshes together, especially since none of them will be getting the playing time they really want.

 

Chapel Hill and Duke are both very young and will need more time than usual to get in synch with teammates, particularly in game situations. But both still have talent to burn. I suspect both Roy and Mike are digging in with more enthusiasm than usual, if that's possible.

Winthrop will probably grab a scalp or two as usual. It will be interesting to see because Marshall was heading to CofC, then backed out to stay. The moment something goes wrong, that topic will be revisited by the media and perhaps a player or two will offer more details.