Hello all!
I have been writing some on another blog... if you are interested in any thoughts and predictions on the NCAA Tournament, please check out Roundball Thoughts.
Midwest Region thoughts
West Region thoughts
East Region thoughts
South Region thoughts
Only a couple more days until game time!!
Monday, 15 March 2010
Friday, 12 March 2010
Friday night college basketball thoughts...
Lots and lots of games on Friday night, with conference tournaments all around going on... some thoughts from the games.
- Georgetown just always gets good looks, they move so well without the ball. They are also very good passers, and their center, Greg Monroe, is the best passer on the team. They will obviously be a very tough out come Tournament time.
- Georgia Tech did everything they could to throw the game against Maryland away in the second half, but they hang on for a 5 point win. That will officially get them off of the bubble and into the NCAA Tournament.
- Dayton looked like they were going to inject some life in their Tournament hopes, as they built up a nice lead over Xavier. But the Musketeers show they are still an A-10 power, as they advanced past Dayton with a comeback win. If Richmond beats Massachussetts it will be a very competitive end to the A-10 Tournament, with Temple, Xavier, Rhode Island, and Richmond.
- Kansas definitely got a scare from Texas A&M, but their superior talent took over in the 2nd half.
- Underrated exciting conference tournament of the night: Mountain West Conference. All eyes are on the Big conferences, but this features some very good teams. San Diego State is playing for their tournament hopes against New Mexico in what has been a highly entertaining first half. The nightcap will feature BYU and Jimmer Fredette, fresh off of his 45 point effort last night.
- Florida falls up short against Mississippi State in a game that will definitely hurt their Tourney hopes. They are likely still in, but that won't help their seeding any. For Mississippi State, one more win in the SEC Tournament and they might have an argument for an at-large berth.
- Just heard a stat that New Mexico is 7-0 against top 25 teams... wow! That Steve Alford guy can coach a little bit, huh?
- New Mexico leads San Diego St. 39-38 at the half... most entertaining game I've seen so far tonight. Two teams that are just getting after it, and both could be capable of doing some damage in the Tournament (if the Aztecs are able to make it in).
- You're killing me FSN by showing the end of a hockey game instead of the UCLA game.... go Bruins!!
- Darington Hobson is quickly becoming one of my favorite players to watch... not hard to see why he was the MWC Player of the Year. He is very athletically gifted, averaging over 9 boards a game. He has a good handle and is a good passer as well. Even though he is shooting poorly right now, he is still in control of this game and having a big impact. 50-50 midway through the 2nd half.
- Yesterday was a very bad day for bubble teams, but Friday has been very good for them. Illinois got a huge win, Rhode Island got a nice win, Georgia Tech punched their ticket, and Minnesota leads in the 2nd half against Michigan St, though there is still plenty of time left in the game there.
- The 2nd half was not kind for the Bruins... Cal's better talent simply dominated the game. They seemed to be able to get any shot they wanted in the second half, turning a competitive game into a game that was not all that close.
- In an extremely entertaining game from start to finish San Diego State appears to have punched their ticket to the Big Dance with a 72-69 victory over a top 10 team in New Mexico. Billy White was especially excellent for the Aztecs, with 28 very efficient points.
- After a pretty boring start to the 2nd half, the Notre Dame-West Virginia game has definitely picked up. The Mountaineers lead a low-scoring affair by 3 points with about 3 minutes to play.
- Minnesota hangs on to take out the Spartans in OT... once again, this has been a great day for the bubble teams.
- West Virginia hangs on for a 53-51 victory over Notre Dame... the Irish got the ball with about 10 seconds left to go to the length of the court, and Tory Jackson decided to take up a pull-up three with 5 seconds left... not sure I agree with that decision, I thought they could have gone for a better shot, but it was a pretty clear look. At the end of the day we will have West Virginia taking on Georgetown for the Big East Championship on Saturday night.
- Georgetown just always gets good looks, they move so well without the ball. They are also very good passers, and their center, Greg Monroe, is the best passer on the team. They will obviously be a very tough out come Tournament time.
- Georgia Tech did everything they could to throw the game against Maryland away in the second half, but they hang on for a 5 point win. That will officially get them off of the bubble and into the NCAA Tournament.
- Dayton looked like they were going to inject some life in their Tournament hopes, as they built up a nice lead over Xavier. But the Musketeers show they are still an A-10 power, as they advanced past Dayton with a comeback win. If Richmond beats Massachussetts it will be a very competitive end to the A-10 Tournament, with Temple, Xavier, Rhode Island, and Richmond.
- Kansas definitely got a scare from Texas A&M, but their superior talent took over in the 2nd half.
- Underrated exciting conference tournament of the night: Mountain West Conference. All eyes are on the Big conferences, but this features some very good teams. San Diego State is playing for their tournament hopes against New Mexico in what has been a highly entertaining first half. The nightcap will feature BYU and Jimmer Fredette, fresh off of his 45 point effort last night.
- Florida falls up short against Mississippi State in a game that will definitely hurt their Tourney hopes. They are likely still in, but that won't help their seeding any. For Mississippi State, one more win in the SEC Tournament and they might have an argument for an at-large berth.
- Just heard a stat that New Mexico is 7-0 against top 25 teams... wow! That Steve Alford guy can coach a little bit, huh?
- New Mexico leads San Diego St. 39-38 at the half... most entertaining game I've seen so far tonight. Two teams that are just getting after it, and both could be capable of doing some damage in the Tournament (if the Aztecs are able to make it in).
- You're killing me FSN by showing the end of a hockey game instead of the UCLA game.... go Bruins!!
- Darington Hobson is quickly becoming one of my favorite players to watch... not hard to see why he was the MWC Player of the Year. He is very athletically gifted, averaging over 9 boards a game. He has a good handle and is a good passer as well. Even though he is shooting poorly right now, he is still in control of this game and having a big impact. 50-50 midway through the 2nd half.
- Yesterday was a very bad day for bubble teams, but Friday has been very good for them. Illinois got a huge win, Rhode Island got a nice win, Georgia Tech punched their ticket, and Minnesota leads in the 2nd half against Michigan St, though there is still plenty of time left in the game there.
- The 2nd half was not kind for the Bruins... Cal's better talent simply dominated the game. They seemed to be able to get any shot they wanted in the second half, turning a competitive game into a game that was not all that close.
- In an extremely entertaining game from start to finish San Diego State appears to have punched their ticket to the Big Dance with a 72-69 victory over a top 10 team in New Mexico. Billy White was especially excellent for the Aztecs, with 28 very efficient points.
- After a pretty boring start to the 2nd half, the Notre Dame-West Virginia game has definitely picked up. The Mountaineers lead a low-scoring affair by 3 points with about 3 minutes to play.
- Minnesota hangs on to take out the Spartans in OT... once again, this has been a great day for the bubble teams.
- West Virginia hangs on for a 53-51 victory over Notre Dame... the Irish got the ball with about 10 seconds left to go to the length of the court, and Tory Jackson decided to take up a pull-up three with 5 seconds left... not sure I agree with that decision, I thought they could have gone for a better shot, but it was a pretty clear look. At the end of the day we will have West Virginia taking on Georgetown for the Big East Championship on Saturday night.
Sunday, 28 February 2010
How many NCAA Tournament teams from the Big East?
As we begin to approach March Madness, the annual question begins to come up... how many teams are going to make the tournament out of the Big East? It was a conference that was expected to be down a bit at the beginning of the season, but it has been as strong as ever.
There are, of course, a few locks to make it in. Syracuse, West Virginia, and Villanova have been in the top 10 for most of the season, and they will be dancing. Pittsburgh has also been ranked for much of the season, and their ticket appears to be punched. Ditto for Georgetown.
After that, I wouldn't want to be setting any college basketball betting lines for how things will shake out.
Connecticut looked like it would have a tough time getting in as recent as a couple weeks ago, but they have made some big statement wins. They have wins over West Virginia and Villanova, but they are also only 7-9 in the Big East.
UConn will be hurt by their loss to fellow bubble contender Louiville, improving the Cardinals to 10-6 in the conference. They look like they will be in after their win over the Huskies.
Similarly, Marquette beating Seton Hall on Sunday might have been close to a play-in game, as both teams are right on the bubble. Marquette won 84-83 in OT, improving them to 10-6 in the conference, while the Pirates fell to 7-9. While Marquette has a middling RPI, their 10 conference wins (and counting) will be difficult to ignore.
Most penciled Notre Dame out of the tournament when Luke Harangody went down with injury, but they have played very well without him. They scored two big wins against Pittsburgh and Georgetown in the past week, and have a great chance of playing themselves into the tournament at the end of the regular season.
Cincinnati and South Florida have had their moments throughout the year, but I am not sure that their overall body of work will be enough to get them in.
As of now, I see 9 Big East teams in the Tournament:
Syracuce
Villanova
West Virginia
Georgetown
Pittsburgh
Connecticut
Louisville
Notre Dame
Marquette
What do you think?
There are, of course, a few locks to make it in. Syracuse, West Virginia, and Villanova have been in the top 10 for most of the season, and they will be dancing. Pittsburgh has also been ranked for much of the season, and their ticket appears to be punched. Ditto for Georgetown.
After that, I wouldn't want to be setting any college basketball betting lines for how things will shake out.
Connecticut looked like it would have a tough time getting in as recent as a couple weeks ago, but they have made some big statement wins. They have wins over West Virginia and Villanova, but they are also only 7-9 in the Big East.
UConn will be hurt by their loss to fellow bubble contender Louiville, improving the Cardinals to 10-6 in the conference. They look like they will be in after their win over the Huskies.
Similarly, Marquette beating Seton Hall on Sunday might have been close to a play-in game, as both teams are right on the bubble. Marquette won 84-83 in OT, improving them to 10-6 in the conference, while the Pirates fell to 7-9. While Marquette has a middling RPI, their 10 conference wins (and counting) will be difficult to ignore.
Most penciled Notre Dame out of the tournament when Luke Harangody went down with injury, but they have played very well without him. They scored two big wins against Pittsburgh and Georgetown in the past week, and have a great chance of playing themselves into the tournament at the end of the regular season.
Cincinnati and South Florida have had their moments throughout the year, but I am not sure that their overall body of work will be enough to get them in.
As of now, I see 9 Big East teams in the Tournament:
Syracuce
Villanova
West Virginia
Georgetown
Pittsburgh
Connecticut
Louisville
Notre Dame
Marquette
What do you think?
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