College basketball 2009-10 running thread No. 1

Saw that. It's one of the reasons I'm not sure whether I should be pissed about the no-call on the drive. Might have been one of those I'm-not-calling-anything-either-way situations.

 

Arkansas certainly doesn't care the way Kentucky does. But of the other 11 schools, I'd say Arkansas has the most passionate basketball fan base. Hogs fans really want a winner on the court because it hasn't been that long since that team was a perennial contender both in the league and in the nation. At least in Fayetteville, basketball is more than something to pass the time.

The Kentucky-Arkansas rivalry in the mid-90s was as good as a rivalry on the court as any in-conference rivalry in the country. They played great games every year.

 

Great shot of Larry Nance in the crowd at the Clemson.

Fucking sweet.

 

Good things are possible when you hold onto the ball. I don't know what the turnover split was for UConn by half, but I think it might have been 16/3 or thereabouts.

 

UAB still flying under the radar a bit. That's a great win in Huntington against a Marshall team that's been sneaky good.

 

The Arkansas fanbase is pretty passionate about hoops, but seems to have been really worn down with several years of mediocrity, which is now dipping into being downright shitty. Last year, with the team finishing sub .500, Arkansas was still #11 in the nation in home attendance, averaging a little bit over 16,000 fans per game.

After defeating Oklahoma and Texas in back-to-back home games last season, John Pelphrey's Arkansas Razorbacks entered SEC play 12-1. Arkansas finished SEC play 2-14. Since the Texas win, Arkansas has ten victories. Arkansas has defeated Alabama (twice), Georgia, Appalachian State, Alcorn State, Mississippi Valley State, Delaware State, Alabama State, Stephen F. Austin, and Missouri State.

John Pelphrey's last road win as coach of the Razorbacks occurred when his team defeated South Alabama by two points on November 26, 2008.

 

Another Big East team (Seton Hall) steps up and makes a name for itself.

 

Actually, CUSA could be more than just Memphis and the 11 Dwarfs for a change. Besides the aforementioned UAB and Marshall, Tulsa has very quietly put together a pretty solid season.

 

Tulsa's been on my voting radar all year. I had them on my ballot early but the loss to Missouri State knocked them off.

Looking at today's AP poll, a couple of things caught my eye:

* Seth Davis has BYU ranked 23rd? Way too low.
* Coastal Carolina gets one vote -- from John Feinstein. Interesting.

 

His usual mid-to-low major No. 25?

 

Hmmm. One computer ranking has CC at No. 112 with a strength of schedule that is almost the weakest of all 340-whatever teams.

 

Coastal's best win probably came in the opener against College of Charleston. Nothing interesting to see after that.