The last remaining "official" game of the Big 12 Pac 10 Hardwood Series Challenge was played last Saturday in Dallas. There were a few more "unofficial" games in the series, but Stanford just barely won and sealed the victory for the Pac-10.
Brook Lopez is back, and that's what Stanford fans have been waiting for. As it is common with the Lopez twins, they are "friends of foul", but in the second half Brook showed his offensive skillz.
Texas Tech is really the same old story, but with a twist: Bob Knight and his prized pupil (Coach Ratcase Krapola-K) have "embraced" the zone defense. What is this world coming to? Knight wants to recruit Knight players to play the "right way" (Knight way) and there's only so much Pat Knight can do to "soften" the blow. The good news for them is that the state of Texas is loaded with talent and the Knight brand still has some appeal in Big-10 states.
Stanford's biggest issue are its guards. Anthony Goods is probably the only Pac-10 level guard in their line-up. Mitch Johnson is probably a second-string point-guard type but he has been handed the keys at Stanford. The rest of the Stanford guards are also of the second-string variety, which allows teams to focus on the Lopez twins and Lawrence Hill (if/when he plays well). With Brook Lopez back, the onus is on the guards to deliver. And if the other guards can provide some offense, Mitch Johnson is not going to be a liability. If Goods and Hill can hit outside shots and the Lopez twins dominate inside, the team can even make a Final Four run with Johnson as their point guard. In an ideal scenario that is. Most likely scenario? Sweet 16? One and done?
Friday, December 28, 2007
Stanford vs Texas Tech
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Florida at Ohio State
The best way to describe the game is this: Someone emptied two baskets of kittens on the basketball floor and let them run all over the place. The game was all over the place, both teams being loaded with very "green" but talented and promising players.
This was Florida's first game outside the state and it showed. After a hot start, the Gators cooled off and played like a young team playing its first hostile road game. You can't really blame them. You couldn't possibly expect this team to walk into Value City Arena and take over the game.
The biggest talent at Ohio State continues to be the coach, Thad Matta. With a loaded squad of talented freshmen and a few experienced players of seasons past, there is no doubt that Matta will turn this team into a steamroller by mid-February. Sure there are questions, for one who will be the backup point guard when the team needs one and will Diebler or someone else be able to be a consistent outside shooting threat?
Oh yes, this was a rematch of the 2007 NCAA Final, we almost forgot to mention that. And there's good reason we almost forgot that: Because it's a rematch in name only. Sure the coaches are there (almost), and some of the players are there, but the majority of the impact players of the 2007 NCAA final from both teams have either graduated or playing professionally.
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San Diego State at Arizona
We have fallen slightly behind schedule. Well not slightly, we are almost one week behind :) So we are now starting to catchup!
San Diego State was able to stay within arm's reach of Arizona for about three quarters of the game, but Arizona never really felt threatened by the Aztecs. The good news for the Aztecs is that they did that at McKale with their top scorer Lousville-transfer Lo(renzo) Wade in very early foul trouble.
The good news for Arizona fans was the return of Fendi Onobun, a player who is built for the Kevin O'Neill (KON) "Enforcer" approach. Infact he along with Jamelle Horne and three guards/wings could form a wild run and gun line-up. The problem? Kevin O'Neill is not a fan of run and gun. Not fun!
With KON being officially named Head Coach Designate, the uncertainty - at least for this season - should significantly subside. Going forward of course there's still going to be the Lute question, especially as other schools "approach" Brandon Jennings and other recruits and telling them of Kevin O'Neill horror stories, and tempting them to switch to their college.
Despite having a long bench, O'Neill's rotations are relatively tight, which makes Jordan Hill even more important - a game changer for Arizona. Can Hill make the leap from "promising big man with flashes" to a consistent all-conference performer? That may make or break Arizona's post-season-wise.
Steve Fisher has quietly almost completed a decade at SDSU, and has slowly but steadily improved their standing, although perhaps not as fast as some fans may have wanted things to improve.
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Thursday, December 27, 2007
Work it out! Treadmill special today only: Horizon T73 Treadmill for $650
We interrupt the holiday season with a work-it-out special! Burn the holiday fat with this $650 Horizon T73 treadmill. The special price is only good for today (Thursday December 27, 2007) and offered by Amazon. Shipping is free and the treadmill ships in the original manufacturer's packaging.
You don't have to be a basketball player to take advantage of this. We could all benefit by losing some weight or improving our cardio regiment. At least that's what the doctors and the trainers say. Who am I to disagree with them? :)
There are nine customer reviews of this treadmill at Amazon and the average rating is five stars out of five. It sells for $1000+ at other retailers in the Amazon marketplace. It has a lifetime frame warranty and a 12-year motor warranty. Labor is for one year. For more details including the user manual in PDF format, please visit the Amazon product page.
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Saturday, December 22, 2007
Exposing the reality of Pittsburg's non-conference record of the last few years
While Pitt has had a solid win over the Dookies, can we please stop singing the praises of their 61-3 record in November and December? While it's not easy to win that many games, the record and the impressive RPI is a factor of "who did you play" and "where did you play them". And the historical RPI/SOS numbers don't lie. They are there for everyone to see :-)
Pitt's 2008 current out of conference SOS is 120, thanks to the Duke game giving it a big boost. This year's schedule is a little bit of an upgrade, but not by a whole lot. They barely beat a weakened Washington team in Seattle. And barely is really barely. One of the little guys of Washington had a winning basket but it was fractions of a second after the buzzer showed 0:00. So this was as close of a "W" you can get as any. The home game against Oklahoma State was another "fudging the numbers" attempt. Everyone knows that OKi State does not do well on the road. Their "road" game was a few thousand inches down the road, still in Steeltown against "powerhouse" Duquesne. Everything else was winnable games at home. So let's not forget that!
But let's look at the previous years to see how Pitt has managed to assembly this "impressive" record. The numbers are the out of conference strength of schedule:
As you can see it's a lot easier to pile up the wins if you play cupcakes at home. It's no rocket science. And while the victory over Duke at MSG was HUGE for Pitt, and they will earn my first Top 25 vote in the next BlogPoll Top 25 blogger's poll (week #7 is next), it doesn't mean that that victory "legitimizes" all the cupcakes they beat in the non-conference the last few years. Sorry Pitt fans, the numbers don't lie :-) And you can't fudge them. They SCREAM :-)
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Georgetown at Memphis
Wow! That was a nice game! And how can you watch another game today after that game? It's like having a dollar store wine after you had a $500 bottle wine! Wowie!
With Dorsey and Hibbert in foul trouble in the first half, the game was faster than most people thought it would be with both teams scoring 40+. Nice! A sea-saw battle with Georgetown taking the reigns early and the Tigers breaking free late in the first half.
Rosie O'Derrick once again started the game showcasing his perimeter offense. Perhaps the USC triangle-and-two straightjacket was what got his perimeter game rebooted. And the Tigers are now grateful for that. Georgetown played like Georgetown for the most part, but at times in the half the crowd and the relentless Memphis pressure managed to get to them. But earlier in the game they were able to punish the Tigers with run-outs and beating them at their own game.
The second half showed more side-effects of the pressure and the crowd on the Hoyas, and perhaps the most telling of all was a wild three pointer from almost half court by promising freshman Chris Wright. As you may recall Chris Wright got injured in the preseason and he was supposed to miss this season altogether - at least that's what we were told during the preseason. But obviously he didn't!
Hibbert probably lost money in this game, and while Big John (John Thompson the old Hoyas coach) was calling him "Big Stiff" in an affectionate-motivational kind of way, I am more inclined to call him Mecha-Hibbert. He is more mechanical than stiff. But he can certainly be effective in the NBA with his size and passing skills. Just don't expect him to be a Shaq or a Tim Duncan, but do expect a NBA team with Hibbert in its rotation to do well in wins and losses and have NBA playoff runs. All in my opinion of course.
Calipari was wild during the game, and I'm not talking about the technical foul. He used a 12-man rotation in the first half, and a 6-man rotation in the second half. Wow! But that may have been a blessing in disguise as the first half foul trouble on Dozier and Dorsey kept them fresh and ready for the second half. The second half was where CDR woke up and started scoring, and his performance prompted Calipari to take him out of the game at the end, so the crowd would give him some deserved props.
And it was the six starters that won the game for Memphis, and after their very solid performance in the second half, perhaps we may see more tightening of the rotation during close or big games by Calipari.
We even saw space-eaters Hashim Bailey and Pierre Niles for a few minutes in the first half. Well okay, that was Pierre Niles. Hashim Bailey made a mini-brief guest appearance when someone busted Pierre Niles's nose.
This was a good game for Georgetown as it showed them that they are not invincible and showed some areas where they need to work and improve. Obviously if this was an NCAA game it would have probably been played at a neutral court, and without the crowd's influence we may have had a different outcome.
Nevertheless it showed that their freshmen are freshmen (Chris Wright in particular), but Georgetown has a very solid and versatile rotation that can punish and grind teams but also beat them at their own game. Can they do that for 40 minutes? That may be what decides how far Georgetown goes this season. Despite their second half performance, this game has improved the value of Georgetown's basketball stock in my eyes.
This four-game series has the additional benefit that Georgetown and Memphis will likely avoid each other until either the Final Four or the Championship game. The NCAA selection committee and its computers prefer not to have re-runs during the tourney, but don't be surprised if this game ends up being played again in April under much brighter lights!
This was obviously a solid game of the year nominee and if you have it on DVR, be sure to save it on VHS or DVD if you are a basketball junkie! It was awesoem with capital A! It would have been even nicer if the score was closer and more like the first half, but we can't expect perfection :)
Opinions on the game around the internet
Now let's see what other websites and blogs are saying out this game, starting with College Hoops Journal who thinks that Memphis may be cutting down the nets in April. FanIQ has a live thread, while Hoopskills thinks this was the game of the year.
Hoya Hoops has the boxscore of the game, while the Examiner recaps the game. Fox Sports has a recap as well. More on this at Yet another basketball blog (that's the name of the blog, not an editorial comment by the way).
The Big Lead sings the praises of Jay Bilas in taking over for Dookie Vitale, and I would like to strongly agree with that. Infact this game was much more fun to watch without Vitale screaming and yelling at the wrong point in the game, or engaged in tireless self-promotion, and the like. But as you may have noticed, Bilas was trying to "spice it up" a bit by closing the TV timeout breaks with something "loud", including the obligatory "Rafterism".
CSTV's Hang Time says CDR gives CPR, while WMCTV covers the game as well. Sports from Two Burns thins Georgetown falls short.
And if you missed our preview of the game, be sure to take a look.
And before we go, a reminder: Check the college basketball TV schedule of December 2007 be sure to visit and bookmark this blog!
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Labels: game critic, game of the year nominee, georgetown, memphis
The dream of going undefeated (Sunday's Outside the Lines)
The Sunday edition of Outside the Lines examines the dreams of having an undefeated season. They examine all sports, both professional and collegiate. They do mention of course the 1972 Miami SeaTurtles, John Wooden's 88 game winning streak with the UCLA Bruins, Bob Knight's perfect season, and this season's New England Chowders in the NFL.
And by Bob Knight's perfect season we don't mean hunting season, where each one of his shots hit something or ...someone ;-)
And a last minute gift idea for the rock and roll fan: Led Zeppelin Complete Studio Recordings CD Box Set for $65 and free shipping at Amazon. This special price is only good today (Saturday), so get yours now!
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Friday, December 21, 2007
Preview: Georgetown at Memphis, tomorrow's big game
A big game tomorrow on ESPN and ESPN-HD, perhaps a preview of the Final Four or an Elite 8 matchup, the Georgetown Hoyas travel to the FedEx Forum in Memphis to square off with the Calipari Tigers.
Of course we all know it's just a game, and unlike football, winning or losing won't make or break the season of either one of the teams. But nevertheless it's certainly fun and a nice notch to have on their NCAA selection committee bedpost.
So the big questions, can the Calipari bigs handle Roy Hibbert? Will Calipari go to his two beef-eaters, Pierre Niles and Hashim Bailey to bruise Hibbert? Will Georgetown run? Will they try some of the Tim Floyd junk offenses? Can Memphis win in a half-court game against a tough solid well-coached team? How much impact will the home court advantage play? What impact will the early start of the game have?
The game tips off at 3pm eastern (12pm pacific) on ESPN and ESPN-HD. For more of the many many exciting games on TV, be sure to visit and bookmark our December 2007 college hoops tv schedule.
Long list of game previews on the net
If you really want to get into the game, be sure to check all these previews of the big game! Let's get started: Hoops Skills blog, Rivals, SEC Talk blog, and even social bookmarking site digg has sniffed up the game.
More previews: Go Tigers Go!, CSTV, Hoya Hoops, CSTV's Hangtime slog. A slog is not a slug. A slog is a sports blog, a term CSTV seems to love to use despite its silly sound :)
And some more previews, The Van Buren Boys, The Bracket Board, WKRN, Rutland Herald, Yahoo Sports, and the Washington Post.
Did you read all the previews above and want some more? Okay, fine, have it your way! Here's some more: ESPN, Yahoo News, Ball Hype, and U of M Tigers.
Okay, I think this is a good sampling of the many previews this game is getting! There's plenty more, and I just couldn't include every single one of them. Be sure to read them all, because there will be a pop-up quiz tomorrow before tip-off ;-)
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2007-2008 College Hoops TV Guide December 2007
Welcome to another edition of the College Basketball TV schedule! This is the December 2007 schedule. For the previous month, check the November 2007 TV schedule. Also be sure to check our January 2008 College Hoops TV schedule.
Check your local listings for availability and air times
Listings can be changed by the channels at the last minute, so always double-check with your local provider
Sat December 1, 2007
Sun December 2, 2007 (aka Big10 vs Pac10 Hardwood Series Challenge)
Don't miss a game with TiVo!
Mon December 3, 2007
Tue December 4, 2007
Wedn December 5, 2007
Thur December 6, 2007
Fri December 7, 2007
Sat December 8, 2007
Sunday December 9, 2007
Monday December 10, 2007
Tuesday December 11, 2007
Wedn December 12, 2007
Thur December 13, 2007
Fri December 14, 2007
Relive your favorite 2007 NCAA Tournament games
Sat December 15, 2007
Sun December 16, 2007
Mon December 17, 2007
Tue December 18, 2007
Wedn December 19, 2007
Thur December 20, 2007
Fri December 21, 2007
Don't miss a game with TiVo!
Sat December 22, 2007
Sun December 23, 2007
Mon December 24, 2007
Tue December 25, 2007 - Merry XMas!
Wedn December 26, 2007
Thur December 27, 2007
Fri December 28, 2007
Sat December 29, 2007
Sun December 30, 2007
Mon December 31, 2007
Direct from the Source
Time-shift your favorite games with...
The Philips DVDR3575H/37 DVD Recorder with Hard Drive. Read more on this topic.
High School Basketball TV Schedule
The ESPN family of networks will bring us 15 high school hoops games this season. Details in this printer-friendly edition of ESPN High School. Some of the upcoming stars that will be spotlighted include Tyreke Evans, Samardo Samuels, J'Rue Holiday, Delvon Roe, Brandon Jennings, Lance Stephenson, Dexter Strickland, and lots more!
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Gonzaga vs Oklahoma
NBA scouts, meet, Longer Longer. Bob Cousy pre-season selection committee, meet Jeremy Pargo. A game that was offensively-challenged in the first half became an entertaining see-saw battle in the second half. Infact the game had a soccer score at the first TV timeout (2-2). Four plus minutes of hoops and just 2 points for each team! Ouch!
The Sooners showed a lot of promise with the way they were able to push back after a run by the Zags, and earlier in the game the Zags did the same when the Sooners made a run.
Jeremy Pargo had an impressive run in the second half when he scored 11 consecutive points, but this may have damned his team's chances of a win as he continued shooting but not making the shots. But you can't complain about Pargo, he scored a career high 28 points, and a lot of them were critical buckets when the rest of the Zags were not able to make plays or score.
And to think that the preseason Bob Cousy selection committee did not have Jeremy Pargo as one of the 40 nominees! Really, there are 40 point guards better than Pargo? Where? In the NBA? Maybe, but certainly not in the NCAA!
This was a transitional game for the Zags. Josh "shroom" Heytvelt made his return to the court after ShroomGate and an injury, true freshman Stephen Gray played his second game, and tough cookie Matt Bouldin was coming back after an injury. With so many comings and goings there was expected to be some tumblings. But this is the short term. In the long term, this gives Few a 10+ man rotation, with a lot of versatility. The only weak point is backup point guard - if Pargo ever leaves the game - and there a combination of Bouldin and Gray will probably do for the few milliseconds Pargo is off the floor.
The first half the Zags played good defense as neither Ammo nor lil kiddie Raivio was on the court. But in the second half the defense was ...GoneZaga. This team certainly has a toughness boost as Pargo, Bouldin and do-it-all Pendo are definitely of the tough cookie variety. The only member of the "Moody Blues" appears to be "lowered expectations" Micah Downs.
If you had any questions whether Jeff Capel was a Dookie, just look at his hair. It looks like a blend between Coach K's head and the Duke logo! A total Dookie!
But the Sooners look very promising as of that game, with a four-pack of solid forwards, the Griffin Bros, Longar "I got offensive moves NBA scouts" Longar and Keith "Moose" Clark. The guards may be an issue but as long as Austin Johnson keeps making threes, things will be good.
But we learned more from this game, for instance, Fran Frachilla has an iPod, and he has Toby Keith songs on his iPod - according to Fran of course. The iPod was not made available for an independent entity to verify whether Frannie was just trying to please the home crowd. Toby Keith was right there watching the game :-)
More on this game at La Rev, Zagaholic, Ball Hype, News Channel 8, and AOL fan house.
For more TV games, be sure to check the December 2007 college hoops tv sked here at NCAA Hoops Today. Not to be confused with our beer blog, NCAA Hops Today ;-)
One funny thing we forgot to mention: At one point the TV cameras caught Mark Few looking miserable and sleepy on the bench. As soon as Few noticed he was on camera, he jumped up and started making (or faking) hand signals and hollering at his players down the court. I think he was faking it to save face :-)
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Pitt vs Duke
Move over over-rated Pitt big men (yes, you Aaron Gray and Levon Kendall), here comes a really effective big man, the new Big Baby, DeJuan Blair, or DJ Blair. And he sure was mixing it up on the court last night, getting close to a 20-20 in points and rebounds. And a big thank you to DJ Blair for being instrumental in defeating the Dookies! Thank you DJ Blair!
As I had predicted in my game preview earlier (master of the obvious prediction), Duke "won the zebra game", as they got the majority of the calls, but perhaps not as many as they usually do. But that did not phase the Pitt Panthers who made a comeback after they got punched in the mouth by the Dookies.
The game was supposed to be a high scoring affair because both teams are allegedly playing fast this season, but instead it was a high-stakes wrestling match, interrupted by basketball moments. Mike Cook can attest to that as he had what looked like a serious knee injury.
LaVance Fields won the game in overtime with a step-back three in the face of the Dookies, and that couldn't make fans of Pitt and anti-fans of Duke any happier! Thank you LaVance Fields!
More on this game from Pitt Blather, Pitt Rivals, CSTV's Slogville (CSTV uses the term "slogs" to describe "sports blogs").
Even more coverage by 850 the Buzz (a blog that uses a radio format?), the News Leader, Pitt Live, College Hoops Journal, and Sportsocracy.
Be sure to plan your weekend of college hoops using our December TV Guide!
Speaking of TV, the game was called by Jay Bilas, standing in for Dick Vitale. It looks like Bilas will also do the Georgetown at Memphis game as well. More on this in the random college hoops thoughts post.
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Labels: duke, duke loses a game, game critic, game of the year nominee, pitt
