College basketball thread...

Atlantic Sun does it again:

Mercer 96, #18 Southern Cal 81

O.J. Mayo goes for 32 in his college debut and the Trojans still lose.

Congrats to Mark Slonaker, one of the nicest guys in the coaching business.

 

I saw Beasley play as a sophomore in high school, when he was committed to Charlotte and played on the same team with Nolan Smith, and he was amazing. I saw Mayo play once as a senior, and he was no Michael Beasley.

 

Rap on Beasley, if I recall correctly, is that he's a monster ... when he decides he wants to play that day.

 

USC is so vastly overrated. O.J. Mayo could score 40 ppg and still not make up for the team's graduation losses and that's not even considering that all three of the guys who are gone were ballsy as hell. They will do damn well to finish sixth in the Pac-10 and could be ninth.

 

Mercer could easily make it two scalps in a row. They host (very shaky) Alabama on Tuesday.

In other games of note, Belmont toppled Cincinnati.

A-Sun basketball. You know you want it, bitch.

 

Michael Beasley with another 30 and 14.

Granted, it was against the Pittsburg State Gorillas (yes, Gorillas), but still...he's putting up some sick numbers early.

 

He'll be doing it all year. He's a match-up nightmare. I'll admit to having no clue as to what K-State has around him (other than Bill Walker), but if it has anything to put around him, K-State will be a factor in the Big XII, somehow.

 

I don't think there's any question KState is a factor there. Kansas is the clear frontrunner, with Texas and TAMU plenty tough, but it's a thin circuit otherwise. Wouldn't be a shock if KState won it ... Kansas struggles at all and the thing is wide open.

And what the hell is Alabama doing going to Mercer? What, Texas-Pan Am couldn't fit them in?

 

Oh yeah, I agree. They've got a guy named Hoskins, too, who's a pretty good player.

Two factors that could work against them in the long term:

Coach Frank Martin, who's not exactly battle-tested or proven;

and the chemistry question -- can Beasley and Walker carry that team without alienating the rest of the team? And will they be coachable?

Should be interesting to watch.

 

Wish I was in an area where I could see K-State play. Like I said, I saw Beasley when he was a sophomore at some school in Maryland, and I saw Mayo play last year. Beasley was the better player.

 

Most coaches would take Beasley, Love, Rose and perhaps Singler before Mayo.

 

I don't doubt it. But since I haven't seen Love, Rose or Singler play in person (or on TV, for that matter), the Beasley-Mayo match-up was all I had.

I missed the Memphis game the other night but I'm looking forward to seeing them battle Oklahoma Thursday.