Here Today... Gone To Hell!

Thread for college hoops lovers like myself.

Would like to start out by giving huge props to my Louisville Cardinals for taking down previously undefeated and #1 ranked Pittsburgh tonight.

I was at Freedom Hall for the game and the atmosphere was sick!

Yes, My Louisville Cardinals are playing excellent right now.

When McGee and Knowles are pressuring the opposing guards, man it is something to see. The intensity they play with is amazing to watch.

Thanks a lot for pissing Pitt off before my 'cuse play 'em tonight!   :rant:   Dammit!   :hihi:

haha.can't see Pitt losing two straight. Syracuse are tough though. Should be a great game.

Here's a fun fact for ya.  Syracuse's 3-point sharp-shooter Andy Rautins is the son of former Syracuse great Leo Rautins.  Leo was drafted in the 1st round by the Sixers back in 1983...and who was drafted later by the Sixers in the same draft out of Princeton?  4th Round pick?  Craig Robinson.  Michelle Obama's brother!  Pretty cool.   8)

Didn't see the game but heard Pitt took care of business last night.  From the score, looks like we owe you 'Cuse fans an apology.

Sorry bout that.

 :beer:

Son of a bitch, ya can't say I didn't see it comin'.  :(

Seems like we got all Big East fans here so far.  Add one more to the list.  U-C-O-N-N, UConn, UConn, UConn.

I was in Vegas this past weekend and put some money on Pitt against Louisville.  It was looking pretty good in the second half until the Cardinals took over.  I never learn.  Whenever I bet on games in Vegas or even pick games for March Madness I always seem to go against Pitino and it never works out.

Well, I hate to crash the Big East party, but I'm a Tarheel fan.  : ok:

Ditto on being a Huskies fan.  :)

I'm afraid this is going to be another one of "those" seasons.  I just never know which team is going to show up....sometimes we get high energy, motivated ball, and sometimes they just look flat.  And when they look flat, they ALL look flat.

But they're good enough to make a deep run in both the Big East AND the NCAA tourney.  We'll see...

I am also a UK Wildcat fan of course.


Let me explain how I can like both UK and UL since it is normally impossible.


I hated UL until Rick Pitino went there. I admire and respect him so much, that I have to cheer for him. So I now support UL because of Rick Pitino who I consider one of the greatest college coaches of all time and I wish so much he would've came back and saved the program he built that Tubby destroyed.


That being said. Both are my team.

My UL/UK saga has been a twisty road.

I used to be a UK fan back in the 80's (because of Rex Chapman) and 90's (because of Rick Pitino).

When Rick left UK for the Celtics I was so disgusted I boycotted basketball all-together because I completely despised the NBA back then.

When Rick came back to the state to coach Louisville in 2001, I was rejuvenated instantly.  Became a Card fan immediately.  I had no hatred for UK until Rick took the Cards to Rupp Arena his first year.  Living in this state all my life I know first-hand how hardcore some Wildcat fans can be, but the treatment Rick and his family got was over-the-top ridiculous.  The people out in Lexington should've been ashamed of themselves.  This man saved their program when it was left for dead, then turned over the reigns to a man who brought them another national title his first year.  Such short memories they have.  It gave me great pleasure when Pitino came back two years later and beat UK at Rupp when they were ranked #1.  No wonder he called it his most satisfying win ever.

My fury died down after that, slowly fizzling out year after year.  And now that I'm with a wonderful woman who happens to be a Cat fan, it's much easier to root for both teams with no regrets (as she does the same for me).  We had a blast this past Jan 4 when the Cards and Cats locked horns at Freedom Hall.

UConn handled Villanova tonight at home.  They played pretty well for the most part, though they struggled to put the Wildcats away.  The game shouldn't have gone down to the wire as long as it did, and their defense left a lot to be desired.  Price played real well.  He's had quite the inconsistent season.  He's had a couple all american type performances and quite a few where he's been non-existant.

Wake also lost their first and last game as the #1 team to Va. Tech at home.  Bad loss for a #1 team, losing to an unranked team on their home floor.  No undefeated teams left anymore.

Yea, Wake blew it tonight.  First time in the team's history that they've played an ACC game ranked #1 on their home floor and they lose to a team they were favored to beat by 13.

Goes to show you what the game of college hoops is about these days.  Any team can be beaten on any night, by anyone.

The loss inevitably paves the way for Duke to snag the #1 spot.

I hate Duke....I think every Huskies fan does.  Even though we've pretty much owned them in recent years, that shot by Christian Laetner still stings.

Don't talk about Christian Laettner to UK fans................ I just got depressed all over again

What bothers me about Duke is how the media is always on their nuts.  Dukie V and just about any sports writer always puts them over big time.

They're usually ranked in the top 10 all year, then get blasted out of the NCAA tourney 2nd round by an unsuspecting team.

I understand they were ranked #8 preseason and everyone ahead of them has now lost, but Duke also suffered a loss against Michigan.  They weren't deserving of a #2 ranking that had them in a position to snag the top spot in the event Wake choked.

Ah well.

They are the "Rich" prep university and they symbolize everything right with college basketball so they are promoted


I FUCKING HATE DUKE but, Coach K is one of the classiest coaches ever, the players are usually from well off families and they probably have a huge graduation rate with no scandals.

Sportswriters are a majority of white guys, Duke is a White school

so we can throw some race in there also! HAHA why not?

Louisville's goin' down tomorrow D!  Just had to let ya know ahead of time.  Go Orange!  :beer:

should be an awesome game!


Bet u 2k dollars they show the picture of Rick Pitino when he got hired by Jim Boeheim.

Rick cut his honey moon short to join his staff.

guarantee they mention that and show the photo!

I won't bet you because I agree!   :hihi:  I'm looking forward to seeing Earl Clark...form what I've read he's a Lottery pick after this season.  May the best team win.  :beer:

If u haven't seen Louisville, u are in for a treat

Our Defense is tenacious. Wait till u see Andre McGee *number 33* and Preston Knowles *2* play man to man defense. they are absolutely inside the other players shorts. it is crazy

Earl Clark is phenomenal, hopefully he stays for his senior season. Samardo Samuels is a freshman sensation in the middle and next year with a little more experience finishing, will be tough.

and then mr everything T-Will Terrance Williams. This guy flat out does it all. u will see him have like 18pts 12 rebounds 6 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks

he fills up the stat sheet.

Big win for UConn tonight, breaking Notre Dame's lengthy home winning streak.  I wasn't really expecting a victory tonight, but I'll certainly take it.  ND is on a bit of a slide of late.  They need to correct things soon before it gets out of control.  The Big East takes no pity.  Harangody was a beast for them AGAIN tonight but McAlarney was cold as ice after hitting his first three 3's.  My only complaint for UConn was they were real stagnant on offense in the first half, settling for 3's against the ND zone.  And Thabeet could have the worst hands in college basketball on offense.  He was getting stripped, fumbling passes, he was just awful.  He got a little better in the 2nd half though, the offense got a lot better, and the defense was awesome.  Great win for the Huskies.  They should get consideration for #1, not saying they're the best team in the nation, there's still a long way to go.  But Duke will probably get it by default.  Duke has been overrated for years and this year is no different.  I hope Wake bounces back and beats them next week.

The thing with ND is, as good as their shooters are, they give up points cause they can't really guard anybody either.

My Kentucky team are quietly 16-4 with a good win over Alabama tonight.

should get a top 25 nod Monday

Yeah Notre Dame lacks athletes.  They have a real good 1-2 inside/outside punch but neither are very athletic.  UConn took full advantage of that tonight.  SEC is seriously down this year, no ranked teams last time I checked.  Kentucky the last few years though has seemed to amp it down the stretch.  Still plenty of time to spare.

UCLA doesn't look like they will be back in the Final Four this year.  :-\

(http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k2/lordkayoss/LouisvilleLogo.jpg)

 :peace:

Louisville...the better team today was definitely Louisville.  Rautins going down with an injury hurt a lot.  Why on earth Jonny Flynn stopped penetrating as much late in the game had me confused.  After Devendorf's 3 with about 6 minutes left to put us up, I thought we were on our way.  Louisville hit some big 3's and had a lot of easy shots down low...lots of 2nd chances off of offensive boards.

SU needs Rautins healthy to have a shot.  He had a bad shooting day, but he's normally amazing.  Oh well.  :(

Great effort on both sides of the ball.

This is what the Big East is all about.  I'm so stoked Louisville finally got out of C-USA in 2005-06.  These are the types of battles we like to see.

Props to the Orange for a great game.  Maybe we'll see you again in the conference tournament.

Lord Kayoss, props for your class!  With you and D behind them, I'll root them on now...as long as they aren't playing SU!

I'm kinda glad you guys got to see SU play.  Devendord's a bad-ass...yeah, he apparently smacked a chick with an open hand, that's not cool, but on the court he's a "wtf was that?" or a "holy shit, that took some balls!"  We need Rautins as a consistent 3-point shooter healthy, and Onuaku needs to shoot better than 20% from the free throw line in the Big East.  :(

The great thing about that win was it was AT Syracuse. Big win on the road for UL.

I do like Jim Boeheim and always have. I was really rooting for him when he got his Championship.


What I admire about Rick Pitino is how he really cares about his players. He had a player for 2 years named Derrick Caracter who had all the talent but NO character. Rick tried everything in the world to get him on track and finally washed his hands of him this year.

He had him on a diet and weekly weigh ins, he had a curfew.

He broke the rules and Rick sent him home. On his way though, Rick handed him a piece of paper... It was a Subway application. That was his way of telling him to shape up or prepare to work minimum wage the rest of your life.

it worked for a little while but he was just a bust.

I was thrilled when Rick Pitino took over the Celtics in 1998.  I thought he would turn the franchise around and lead them back to greatness.  Boy was I wrong.  He was an AWFUL pro talent evaluator and couldn't build a winner to save his life.  He handed out a huge contract to Travis Knight of all people while cutting capable players such as David Wesley and Rick Fox along the way.  In his defense he took over the team after they won like 15 games the year before and they lost the draft lottery which would've netted them Tim Duncan.  Instead they drafted Chauncey Billups and Ron Mercer, the supposed backcourt of the future.  Neither lasted very long, both traded prematurely, especially Billups.  Trader Rick was god awful running an NBA team.  Some guys are just better off in the college game.  Maybe that's why I've picked against Louisville for so many years come tourney time.  I hold a grudge against the guy.  I tend to forget though, the guy's a damn good college coach.

With Duke losing tonight the table is set for UofL to get the opportunity to beat another #1 when UConn comes here this Monday, assuming the Cards get by West Virginia this weekend and UConn handles Providence.  Neither games are gimmies, but both are winnable.

Big East back in the #1 spot!


Axl4Prez2004,

Thanks Bro.  I love the game of college basketball.  I respect all it's teams, and all fans who are respectful to me.

Thank you for your class as well.

 :beer:

You guys make me sick.  ;D

UCONN STEAMROLLED Depaul last night.  2nd half defense was just crazy.

The big game, as you mentioned, for UCONN will be Monday night.  If they get past Louisville (and that's a BIG "IF"...UofL is playing some good ball right now) they have a very "winnable" schedule til they hit Pitt. 

Here's hoping we see the Huskies at the top of the rankings, winning vs Providence.  And then I hope they can hang on to it for a couple weeks, at least.  :)

Another dominant performance by the Huskies today.  They're playing real well of late and will be fully put to the test on Monday vs. Louisville, who's on a hot streak themselves.  UConn will no doubt be #1 when they tip off, we'll see if they can fare better than the last 2 #1 teams who lost in their inaugural games as the top team.  Although, rankings really don't mean that much at this time.  As long as they continue to play well.  Hopefully they're not peaking too soon. 

Another dominant performance by the Huskies today.  They're playing real well of late and will be fully put to the test on Monday vs. Louisville, who's on a hot streak themselves.  UConn will no doubt be #1 when they tip off, we'll see if they can fare better than the last 2 #1 teams who lost in their inaugural games as the top team.  Although, rankings really don't mean that much at this time.  As long as they continue to play well.  Hopefully they're not peaking too soon. 
[/quote]

TONIGHT is the big one.....here's hoping the Huskies handle UofL and hold on to the #1 spot for more than a couple hours.

I'm looking forward to a great game.  Heading to Freedom Hall in a couple hours to get settled in and fired up.

Louisville is actually favored by 2 tonight.  I expected to be slight underdogs even at home against these guys.

This has the makings of a classic.

Go Cards!

I absolutely cannot wait for this game!

Lets go Cards!!!!!!!!!


should be tough!

A beatdown of the Cardinals administered by the Huskies tonight.  Yet another impressive victory for UConn.  They are playing their best basketball of the season for sure.  I hope it's not a case of peaking too early, like they did last season.  But I don't think that'll be a problem.  They're a veteran team and they've learned a lot over the years.  They're deep, versatile, athletic, well balanced.  They've got all the makings.  Louisville just did not shoot the ball well tonight at all and they didn't even bother trying to go inside, the Thabeet factor.  UConn just had their way with them.  The 3 guard offense really helped against that pressure defense too.  Just too many capable ball handlers out there, made the press easy to break.  Can't be more proud of my Huskies at this moment.  BUT, it is still only February.  Plenty of games to be played.  Not many people remember who the #1 team was on Ground Hog Day.

Credit to UConn for executing their game and defending their #1 ranking.

Bad night for Cards fans, but we knew it was coming.  We've had a grueling schedule and not much time to rest or prepare.  Our guys have 6 days before the next game and just in time.

I'm proud of our boys.  To come out of the recent stretch with only one loss is still quite an accomplishment.  Marquette hasn't even gotten into the meat of the Big East yet.  Hope they enjoy sitting at the top of the conference while it lasts!

Again, credit to UConn.  Great game tonight.

A VERY nice win for Uconn, and a pretty inconsequential loss for Louisville.  It never "hurts" as much in the rankings to lose to the #1 team.

And Louisville's defense was pretty damn impressive.  That press is going to cause many teams FITS.

Yeah, when I saw UL stretch of schedule and saw Kentucky, Notre Dame, number 1 pitt, Syracuse, West Virginia, UConn, if u told me we'd only lose 1 game out of that, I would've been shocked.

I wouldve been ok with 500 out of that

That's the nature of playing in the Big East.  The schedules are unforgiving.  Hopefully the selection committee takes that into effect come tournament time.  Just look at Georgetown and Notre Dame, both teams have lost 5 in a row in the grueling Big East.  Prior to that both were top 10 teams.

I don't care WHAT anyone says, I think the Big East has the toughest conference in College B-Ball this season.  EVERYBODY is so good...even the teams at the bottom of the barrel are "gamers", capable of beating you on any given night, and giving the top teams close games.  Everybody plays SICK defense.  And you look at the teams toward the bottome....G-Town, ND....those teams are MUCH better than their conference record shows.  I'm not sure it'll help THEM come tourney time....I think if they have a losing record in the confernece, they'll probably not make it...but playing against teams LIKE that are going to help those that DO get selected perform better in the field of 64, IMHO.

The ACC isn't bad, either...but it's a VERY different league.  Some think it's a lot more exciting, because...lets face it...they score a LOT more points in that league.  But I just don't see the defense from most of them.  The game's just nowhere near as physical between 2 ACC teams.  I like watching the Big East games, personally.  It's like watching a fucking WAR out there.  Not that it's gorilla ball....it's not.  But the bumping, banging, defense.....I think that's exciting shit to watch.

Let's Go Orange!!!!!  Let's Go Orange!!!!!  Watch out #1 UConn!  (Onuaku and Rautins are still nursing injuries...SU's in trouble, but I'm keeping the faith!)  7pm Wednesday at UConn.   :peace:

UConn looked much more human against Michigan this weekend.  They were on quite a roll going into that game but the Wolverines gave them all they could handle.  Syracuse plays that 2-3 zone and that should work to their advantage.  UConn is NOT a very good 3 point shooting team and sometimes look lost in the half court against a zone.  That being said, their defense has been solid pretty much all season long so even if their offense is a little stagnant, their D has made up for that and helped create offense.  I'd expect the Huskies to be a little more on top of their game on Wednesday, which wouldn't be good news for the Orange.

UK/Florida was a great one to watch tonight.  Entertaining all the way with a heroic finish.  Meeks hitting that contested 3 was awesome.

Meeks is just amazing

hopefully he and Patterson will stay one more year and we will have a shot next season

Other than the part about not being a good 3 point shooting team, you've just describe UCONN pretty much over the past 20 years. :)

Solid defense, who's offense can look very sloppy at times, and who look their best in transition basketball, usually after forcing turnovers, rebounding, or inbounding (one of the few teams who push the ball after a made basket by the other team).

I agree, though, the threat from 3 point range isn't there this year.  I think that might be the one piece of the puzzle they had in their "great" years where they won championships over this year.  We'll see if they can bang their way to a championship or not THIS year.

Michigan took VERY good care of the basketball and I suspect that's what made the Huskies look so "mortal".  They've also had a tough run of games, not just in quality of opponents, but in terms of number of games in the preceeding week and travel.  To me...they looked TIRED, which I don't think helped things.

We'll see how they look against the 'Cuse, tonight.  They've had a decent break between games, so you'd think fatigue wouldn't be a factor any more.

I can't believe the Big East schedule regular season is almost done.  3 weeks left....well, really only 2 for Uconn + Pitt.  I HATE that one week break in Feb between ND and Pitt. 

Marquette went down to 'Nova last night.  'Nova seems to be heating up fast.

UConn has lacked a true 3 point threat since their last championship run with Rashad Anderson.  They have guys that can hit 3's, Price, Dyson,  Austrie, and Walker.  But none of those guys can be counted on every night like Ray Allen, Rip Hamilton, Ben Gordon, and Anderson.  A.J. comes the closest. He hit that big 3 to force OT at Gonzaga, but he's been up and down all year.  People tend to forget he's coming off a pretty bad season ending injury from last year when he seemed to be coming into his own.  I don't think he's fully recovered so that could be reason for the inconsistency.  Freshmen Scottie Harrelson was supposed to be a legit 3 point threat but he's barely played all year, and I think he's made 1 three.

They handled the 'cuse last night.  First half looked very  much like their last game vs Michigan.  I didn't see much of the 2nd half, but from the stats it looks like it might have gotten a bit better...certainly less sloppy.  Did it?

And Duke lost, which I think always makes any UCONN player smile.....

Yeah I went to the game last night and that was one sloppy first half.  They really played poorly on offense.  So many stupid passes and turnovers.  I was amazed they ended the half actually leading by 3.  They settled down a bit in the second half and played better on offense, but obviously defense was the name of the game.  Holding Syracuse to 49 points is quite impressive, heck holding any team to 49 points is impressive but the Orange were one of the top scoring teams in the conference.  Thabeet is such a force in the middle.  He's a great shot blocker, but it's really his mere presence that makes the biggest difference.  Teams don't even try to go inside, and if they do they often get denied.  Hasheem still has a load of work to do on the offensive end, I swear he has among the worst hands in college basketball history, but he's an A+ on defense.  He rarely gets into foul trouble too.  He fouled out of one game this year, the OT game against Gonzaga, and that was a bunch of crap.  He got called for a technical for his 5th foul in OT for taunting, which was one of the worst calls I've ever seen, especially to foul a guy out on.  Other than that, he stays out of foul trouble for the most part.

One big negative from last night though is we lost Jerome Dyson for the season with a knee injury.  He's Calhoun's favorite player and he brings a definite spark to the team.  He can score, shoot, defend.  That's a big loss.  They do have depth at the guard position with Price, Austrie, and Walker but that depth will be put to the test now.  Austrie and Walker will have to step up their games.  I think we've established though, IF the Huskies are gonna march deep into the tournament it's gonna be because of their defense and as long as Hasheem is out there, they still are tough to score against.

I agree...losing Dyson is going to hurt.

From what I read though...he could be out for the season, or he could be back in time for the Big East Tourney.  They weren't sure.

Given the injury he has, it depends on the size and severity of the tear.  We'll probably find out more over the next couple of days....here's hoping he's back, and healthy, before the end of the season....

Yeah, that's what I'm hoping too.  They did play their best basketball last season though after Dyson and Wiggins were suspended.  They went on long win streak without those 2, then kind of fizzled when they came back.  Not saying Dyson made them a worse team, there were probably a lot of other factors, but they can still play at a high level without him.  But I do hope he returns, because he brings a lot to the table.

Orange beat the Hoyas in O.T.!  Sweeet.  31,000+ in attendance at the Dome.  Beautiful stuff man, beautiful stuff.   :love:

How about Thabeet's line from yesterday?  Career high 25 points, career high 20 rebounds, and 9 blocks.  Not a bad day at the office.  Huskies looked pretty much the same in their first full game without Jerome Dyson, big game on Monday against Pitt.  We'll see how they stack up against a legit final four type team without Dyson.  I think as long as Hasheem is out there, healthy, on the court, not in foul trouble, they'll always be a force.  He is just such a factor right now.  I didn't think I'd see more of a force than Okafor when he left but I think Hasheem has topped him recently.  At least on defense, he still leaves a lot to be desired on offense but he pretty much eliminates penetration into the lane and shuts down the opposing big men.  He does have 5 inches on Okafor, so maybe that's enough to make up the difference.

Also, good to see highly overrated Duke struggle lately.  Nice to see that supposedly great defense get blitzed by UNC.  If Duke doesn't hit 3's they're quite pedestrian.  If they weren't Duke they'd be nowhere near the top 10 right now.  And what happened with Louisville recently, getting crushed by a struggling Notre Dame?  That came out of nowhere.  I mean I guess ND was bound to snap out of it at sometime, I just didn't expect it to be at the expense of a solid Louisville squad.  Oklahoma's quietly having a fantastic season.  Blake Griffin went off for 40 points yesterday.

Notre Dame have a fantastic shooting team. If u saw that game, ND just did not miss. It happens every once in awhile where a team gets so hot, they would've beat anybody that day by 10pts.

UL had an off day shooting and harangody or however u spell his name was just on fire as was the other guys.

UofL rebounded with a 46 point thrashing of DePaul.  Preston Knowles was hot from 3.

Providence is next before our guys head to Cincinnati & Georgetown.

I hope we're getting back on track.  Cincy, GT, and then hosting Marquette won't be easy.

Duke lost again........ :hihi:  If they're not out of the top 10 this week, we've got serious problems.  #1 UConn vs. #4 Pitt tomorrow night.  Let's do it!

Agreed!  Duke is the Hulk Hogan of college basketball.  Media hype, lame propaganda hoping to generate interest.

But all the crap can only take a team so far.  Duke is not a top 10 team, and never should've been there to begin with.


Good luck with Pitt.

Well, all the praise I've been heaping on Thabeet came back to bite me in the ass last night.  He was in foul trouble the whole game and completely neutralized and outplayed by DaJuan Blair.  That man is a beast.  BUT, I must say.  Hasheem picked up his first foul by getting tangled up with Blair and was slammed to the floor by a accidental arm bar.  He nearly broke his arm.  Then he came back into the game and picked up another foul, and Calhoun sticks to his guns and sits any player for the remainder of the half once they pick up 2 fouls.  Then he picked up a 3rd foul early in the 2nd half and once again took to the bench.  Then he got called for a phantom 4th foul and once again sat the bench until the 4 minute mark or so.  So he never was able to get into the flow of the game, yet when he was out there Blair had his way with him.  Not sure if things would've been different if he was allowed to stay on the floor or if Blair would've continued to dominate.  We'll see what happens when they meet again in Pittsburgh.

As for the rest of the game, their first big test without Dyson.  Their perimeter D was great until the last 5 minutes of the game or so.  They had no answer for Blair or Young, but they held the guards to like 1 field goal to that point.  But then Dixon hit a 3 with Stanley Robinson trying to guard 2 guys on the perimeter thanks to the lack of help defense from Kemba Walker.  And again Kemba played poor defense on Lavance Fields on the 2 killer 3's he made to ice the game.  So I thought for the most part they did pretty well for the most part without Dyson, but they certainly could've used him down the stretch.  Walker made some great plays on both sides of the ball, but he also made some real bad ones on D especially.  Dyson is more solid and has the experience.  Walker is gonna be great, but he's not there yet.  I think it's tough to get a read on how this team is without Dyson just yet, because last night they were basically without Thabeet.  I've said all along, as long as he's playing they're fine.  But he barely played last night and they were still in position to win.

Good game by Pitt though, I'll take the high road and not blame it on the questionable officiating like Calhoun did.  Despite the bad calls, they still had a chance to win in the end.  The refs didn't help Fields hit those crushing 3's or make the Huskies miss some key FT's.  I said a couple weeks ago that I hoped the Huskies weren't peaking too early.  I know it's only one game, you can't win them all, but lately they haven't played nearly as well as they did at Louisville and home against Providence.  They've taken a few steps backward.  I hope they can correct things and move forward from here, but one thing's for sure, Jerome Dyson is not walking through that door.  Thanks for that quote Rick Pitino.

Thabeet looked very weak and bad last night and every college coach in America is gonna see that all u have to do is get super physical with him.


Love that Rick Pitino quote! Damn Ping Pong Balls.

If he gets Tim Duncan, He would be considered one of the greatest coaches of all time cause he'd have the final fours and NCAA title plus about 3 rings or so.

I'm not so sure it's such a big surprise that to be successful against Thabeet you have to be physical with him.  The thing is, very few teams have a guy like DeJuan Blair on their team.  The guy is a mountain of a man.  He's not as tall as Hasheem, who is?  But he's certainly got him in bulk and he threw his weight around.  The Huskies haven't faced anyone like him yet this year and I'm not sure there are many like him.  Blake Griffin and Tyler Hansbrough are good big men, but they don't have the body type of a Blair.  I think Hasheem would actually do better against those guys.

Louisville and UConn both, they didn't get a taste of a healthy Onuaku from Syracuse.  When healthy, he's an imposing guy.  He's been battling patellar tendonitis, and if he can heal up before the tournaments, watch out Big East! 

I got some inside info that Hasheem Thabeet was seen out Sunday night celebrating his 22nd birthday in Springfield, MA.  Maybe he partied a little too hard, and thus his sluggish play on Monday night.  Probably not, but it's possible.  I remember back in high school I went to a party the night before a baseball game and I got quite drunk.  I was scheduled to pitch the next day, and I thought I felt fine, but I didn't make it out of the first inning.  I retired the first batter and that was it for me.  I walked like 6 guys in the inning, gave up a few hits, and many runs.  I just couldn't find the strike zone to save my life.  I never blamed it on the alcohol, but the evidence surely is there.  So my advice to Hasheem is to behave the rest of the season for heavens sake.  There's plenty of time to drink and party in the spring, and the weather's much nicer.

Huge Oklahoma vs Texas game tonight at 9pm

I cannot wait for this one!

Oklahoma put up a good fight against Texas without Blake Griffin.  They were close to getting blown out at the start of the second half, down 11, but they rallied back and were in it till the end.  Not sure when he'll be back.  Since 1, 2, and 3 lost I'd assume Pitt will be #1 next week with the other teams moving down 1 spot respectively.  UConn beat a bad South Florida team yesterday but looked quite unimpressive in doing so.  It wasn't the bounceback effort I had hoped for after losing to Pitt earlier in the week.  Things don't get any easier as they head to Marquette this Wednesday.  If they play anywhere near what they did yesterday they'll lose that game.

That UMD-UNC game was FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANTASTIC, and I was there to rush the court!

Sweet!  I was pulling for MD.  That should help the resume for the tournament selection committee.

Boomer Esiason has floor seats to all MD games, and as we rushed the court I ran past him, yelled BOOMER, and he turned around and gave me a very enthusiastic high five.

As a huge fan of UNC, and having watched nearly every one of their games this season, I'm not very confident that they'll win the NCAA tournament. They were the favorites going into the season, but they just don't play good enough defense, nor do they seem to have enough mental toughness. They had no business losing that game against MD. They were up by like 15 or 16 points at one point. And even up by six or more with less than a minute to go. But then they start turning the ball over, Hansbrough commits an offensive foul, they allow MD to take way too much time off the clock before fouling. I don't know. I just don't get the sense when watching them that they're a National Champion kind of team. They're definitely a Final Four team, but I think guys like Thabeet and Blake Griffin will be able to make Hansbrough kind of a non-factor. I hope I'm wrong, though. We'll see in a month or so.

The thing that will hurt them, if it doesn't change, is there defense.  They are a great offensive team who look either lazy or confused on defense much of the time.  Maybe I feel that way because I watch so much more Big East ball than ACC ball.....

I think they're all capable defensive players, and they show flashes of it at times...but unless they can play at least 5 NCAA (because the first will likely be a blowout) tourney games of solid D..they're going to have  a tough go.

Yeah, I've got Big East bias as well, so my views may indeed be skewed.  But I don't see UNC winning it all because of their lack of defense.  The ACC is an offensived league.  Duke scored over 100 points and beat Wake last night.  That just doesn't happen very often in the Big East.  Not that you can't win that way, but you need some sort of a balance.  That being said, I'm a UConn fan, and I'm now having doubts about them in the tourney myself.  A few weeks ago things were looking great.  Now Dyson's out, and it's unclear whether they can recover from that or not.  That's yet to be determined.  They've got a big week this week, Wed. at Marquette and at home Saturday against a hungry Notre Dame team.  Although, ND is one of those teams that doesn't play much defense, so as long as they're not shooting the lights out UConn should be able to take care of business there.  Marquette can jump ahead of UConn and into 1st place with a win on Wednesday so that's the big test.  Then next Saturday there's the rematch at Pitt.  But we'll take it one step at a time.

One thing is clear, there's no clear cut favorite right now.  Maybe one will emerge when the dust settles and the brackets are set.  But right now there's a dozen or so teams that have legit final four aspirations.

Pitt must not like being #1.  They just fell to Providence.

Louisville should get a chance to wear the number 1 crown

hell, everybody else has had it

Uconn Play marquette tomorrow in what will be a HUGE game.

Man...they can't stay at #1 for more than the time it takes to drink a cup of coffee.

That's 2 number one rankings...and 2 losses RIGHT after getting there.

Now, lets see if Uconn can handle Marquette and ND.

Then they get about a week off til their last game....the BIG one AT Pitt.


It's looking like the Big East might get 9 (and potentially 10, if someone in the bottom half of the league wins the tourney...which is doubtful, but possible with teams like Georgetown and ND in that 1/2 of the league) teams into the tourney. 

CT, Louisville, Marquette, Pitt, Villanova, West Virginia, Providence, Syracuse and maybe Cincy (depending on their last 2 games..they gotta finish at least .500 in the league with 18 wins, I think, to get in). 

Granted that's best case scenario.  I think Providence (to a lesser extent) and Syracuse can potentially play their way OUT of the tourney.  Cincy has a good shot of playing themselves IN, if they beat ND and the Hall.

Yeah I think the Big East has 7 teams for sure right now with Providence, ND, and Cincy on the proverbial bubble.  Big win for PC last night that will obviously help the resume.  Plus they're assured of finishing at least .500 in conference play, possibly 10-8 if they can't win at Rutgers.  But really they only have 2 wins over quality teams all year, Pitt and Syracuse.  Most of their wins in the Big East came against the bottom half of the league and their overall record isn't all that impressive at 17-11.  I think they still have some work to do.  Wins at Rutgers AND Nova would probably be enough, but that won't be easy.  If they split those 2 they'd need to win at least one game in the Big East tourney to have a shot. 

Cincy could use another quality win against West Virginia or at the Cuse, then they need to win @ South Florida and at home against the Hall.  If ND can win its 3 remaining home games including a win over Nova they'd help themselves a great deal.  They'd finish 9-9 in league play and they'd be playing well at the right time.

Good win for UConn tonight, Jim Calhoun's 800th by the way.  A.J. Price was a man on a mission.  Stanley Robinson was posessed.  Jeff Adrien, the model of consistency all season, had a down game.  But it didn't matter.  They survived a feisty Marquette team.  Unfortunately for them, their starting senior PG Dominic James broke a bone in his foot in the first 5 minutes is done for the season.  That is a big blow to the Golden Eagles.  UConn pretty much controlled the whole game but Marquette was pesky and wouldn't go away.  Many people are saying this weekends game is a must win for Notre Dame @ UConn.  So the stage is set.  ND wins and they pretty much secure a spot in the tourney.  UConn wins and they go back to #1.

ND is a very scary team. They do have some quality wins like the huge one over Louisville, so I say Big East gets at least 8 and I think ND will get in there

UConn,Pitt,UL,Villanova,Marquette,Syracuse,


I say two spots are open for Big East teams. ND and Cincy

It was a GREAT game...UCONN would go on one of their trademark runs (that 16-0 run in the first half was impressive not for it's offense, but the defensive intensity they displayed), and Marquette would storm back.  They even managed those 1 point leads late in the 2nd half...and then, finally, UCONN broke away.

My only complaint was that, last night, they should have gone to Thabeet a LOT more.  He had a HUGE size and strength advantage for big parts of the night...but the guards just wouldn't dump the ball down to him.  It wasn't like he was well guarded, either.  There were times all the PG had to do was drop a lob over his back (he was being fronted by a guy giving up 7 or 8 inches with NO ONE on his back) and he had an easy dunk.  And, at times, UCONN's shot selection was TERRIBLE.  Those are things they're going to have to work on, going into the tourney.

That being said...if Robinson can play the way he did last night the rest of the way out, they're not going to much miss Dyson.  He was lights out on both offense AND D...and he was a rebounding machine.  And UCONN's D was, for the most part, good.  They certainly had some lapses...the spat of open 3's they gave up, all in a bunch and that AWFUL breakdown where the Marquette player blew by the 2 UCONN defenders (Thabeet and someone else) for the wide open, nobody even close to him, looked like a drill dunk...but all in all, and especially in the 2nd half, they were scary good.

They need the ND win to keep pace in the Big East if they want to win the league.  I THINK that to win the league, they gotta win out, which is going to be tough given the game AT Pitt.  Louisville's toughest test left will ALSO be Marquette, and with the loss of James...I'm not sure they have it in them to beat Louisville.  We'll see.

Looking forward to senior night at Freedom Hall for the Seton Hall game later.  I got some badass seats right behind the Louisville bench.  I am stoked for our last home game!

I don't want to think about next year

no T Will, Clark or McGee....... Wonder how good we will be?

I know Rick has some awesome recruits coming in. Samardo should be a beast next season, Smith will be a senior, Sosa will be a senior and we are getting a Mcdonald's All American PG.

I think a superstar front court player as well.

have u heard anything?

The star PG you're referring to is Peyton Siva.  He is an All-American ranked 4th in the position, 23rd overall.  It'll definitely be nice to have a true point guard out there with mad skills.

We have a couple nice looking prospects coming in at PF as well.  Top 100 recruit Rakeem Buckles, 27th in his position and 6'9" Stephan Van Treese.

Also, another intriguing guy is sharp-shooting SG Mike Marra, who reportedly has some scary range and the ability to sink his share of challenged shots.

Overall, I think we'll be ok.  But it will be hard to adjust to life without T-Will among others (like early on this season without Padgett).  Hopefully by the time conference play begins, they'll have it figured out.

Believe in Coach P!

 :beer:

UK need to fire Gillispie and offer the world to Rick to come back.


UK are just ridiculous right now.

I wish i was still a gambler.


UK were almost 18pt favorites against Georgia!  I would've bet thousands on UGA  had I still gambled.

UCONN vs Pitt, tomorrow.

If you're not watching that one, you're just not a College B-ball fan (or, you're on the west coast and you're not out of bed yet!!).  :)

It's gonna be a WAR.

We'll see if Thabeet can handle Blair this time or if he gets manhandled again.  If he can stay out of foul trouble we should be fine.  The problem with Thabeet is his offensive skill are lacking so he can't really be expected to get Blair into foul trouble himself.  It'd be nice though.  The Huskies haven't lost on the road all season, and Pitt hasn't lost at home.  Something has to give.  I'd have to think UConn pretty much has a #1 seed locked up right now unless something crazy happens.  They're pretty much playing for THE #1 overall seed at this point, which could change a few times over the next couple weeks.

Blair had a MONSTER game vs Uconn last time out..something I'm not sure we'll see again this time.

Thabeet...I think the brutal physicality got to him last time.  That flip over the back, and the pull on his shoulder, seemed to really effect him.  I'm not sure if he was hurt, winded, or just intimidated...but again, I'm not sure we'll see that again.

There was a LOT of physical play last time....much of it by Blair.  I'm not going to sit here an blame the officiating for the loss...it certainly wasn't that.  But I will say I've seen some games called much tighter, too. And if the calls are tight....I think Pitt might be in trouble. If they let 'em play (and I fully expect that to be the case), then it's going to be a war. 

It's going to be a very interesting game to watch.  The UCONN/Pitt games are starting to take on that aura that is usually reserved for the Duke/UNC games.....

I think UK fans killed any possibility of that ever happening with the way they treated him and his family when he came into Rupp with Louisville the first time.

When Tubby left, the local newspaper here interviewed Rick to ask if he was interested in the least at going back.  He emphatically said:  "No.  I have the job I want."

A lot of heat on Billy Clyde right now.  I say give him his full 3 years to see if he can turn things around (ala Steve Kragthorpe/UofL football).  After that if the program is still sinking deeper into the toilet, ax him and get someone else.

Cutting a guy after only two years will just lend more credibility to the national consensus of the crazy expectations in Lexington and will deter any aspiring coach from pursuing a job there.

Yeah but two legit stars like Patterson and Meeks should equal more success. Remember how he ran off Alex Legion over Legion reportedly sleeping with Gillispie's girlfriend or some chick gillispie was trying to fuck.

His style of play is horrible, his defensive philosophies are horrible. 2 hour practices  the day of the game is just even more retarded.

True.  I've heard some things that have me scratching my head as well.

Not only Legion, but Jasper as well.  I think Jasper leaving had more to do with Tubby's exit, though.  And who has Billy G brought in that's making a difference?  Patterson is a Tubby recruit.  Isn't Meeks also?

Well tubby started on Patterson but Billy got the commitment

He has Miller and Liggins who were top 100 players, but it just seems no one on UK besides Meeks and Patterson have an offensive role. Its like pass it to those two and get out of the way. Its like nobody else can even shoot.

The most recent Bracketology on ESPN has Kentucky out and only 3 SEC teams in (Ten, SC, LSU).

Huge props to the Louisville Cardinals for winning the outright Big East title.  That puts them in a perfect position heading into the conference tournament.

Pitt/UConn played a great game earlier today.  UNC/Duke 1 had nothing on that. 

Looking forward to next week.

March Madness is here!

My favorite time of year is here.  I LOVE IT!!!  Congrats to your Cardinals.  Definitely deserving beating a good West Virginia team on the road.  Pitt seems to have UConn's number.  They have NO answer for Sam Young.  They looked like they didn't know what to do with him yesterday.  It's looking like the loss of Dyson is really gonna hurt their chances for the ultimate goal.  This Big East tournament is gonna be important for them especially.  They need to prove they can run with the big boys.  If they lose early or lose to Pitt AGAIN, some doubt might start to enter their heads.  Since they lost Dyson their best win came at Marquette in the game they lost James 5 minutes into the game, and they haven't won since.  So it's tough to quantify that win.  I still think they have a pretty good shot at a #1 seed, unless L'ville runs the table, then they would certainly have a case.  I think Pitt, UNC, and Oklahoma are 3 pretty safe bets.  Of course if Duke beats UNC today they could get consideration even though they really shouldn't even be a 2 seed, but obviously they're the media darlings and are severely overrated as always.

Louisville's had a great season...but a Big East Champ hasn't been crowned yet D.  ;)
My 'cuse is not the same team you guys beat just a couple weeks ago.  It shall be fun!  The Big East will be strong in the NCAAs.

Well, this may sound weird, but I kind of hope we don't win the Big East title. Thats a lot of grueling games. I think winning a round, getting a 2nd seed and getting some rest before the tourney may be better than a Big East Tournament title.



What scares me Kayoss about our team, is, we just go into big lulls where we just cannot score the basketball. We will have a 10 pt lead and then go 5 minutes and not score at all.

On one hand it shows what a great coach Rick is fixing T Will's jumper *HE has been amazing* but then I think, "Why didn't u do this 2 years ago' lol

If Samuels can stay out of foul trouble and Clark and T Will both are on at the same time, Jerry and Andre get hot from 3 and Sosa can play heady minutes, we can definitely go to the final four.

Lunardi's new bracketology has three #1 seeds from the Big East.  Pitt, UConn, & Louisville.  In his opinion, for UofL to maintain it they just need to reach the conference finals.

I agree, D.  Cards need to tighten up those scoreless droughts.  That was the death knell for us in the dance last year with UNC.  Well, that and Earl Clark of course.  But, we have a stronger team this year.  And while a #1 seed doesn't assure any team a Final Four slot, it sure makes the road a helluva lot easier.

Looking forward to the Big East tournament this week!

That's not too weird.  Some people think it's better to lose in the conference tourney and prepare for the larger goal.  Not sure I buy that theory.  I think it'd be fine to win both.  I think it more depends on the teams situation.  For instance, like I said before, I think it's important for UConn to at least play well in if not win the Big East tourney.  At least beat Pitt.  They need a confidence booster.

I doubt the Big East will get 3 #1's.  Pitt's the safe bet right now, and obviously UNC and I think Oklahoma, they'll take into account that they lost 2 straight without Griffin.  It might come down to UConn and L'ville for the last spot.  I'd say UConn has the edge right now but things could change at MSG.

I think, barring an early MSG loss by one of them, that Pitt and UCONN are virtual locks as #1 seeds.  Ditto on UNC.  I think they're all playing for the number one, OVER ALL, seed in the tourney.

I think the 4th #1 spot is the only one really up for grabs, barring an early upset in the Big East (and the possibility of facing the "cuse in the quarters gives me nightmares) or ACC conference tourney.  I think Louisville, Memphis, Oklahoma, and possibly Michigan State (though I think that's the long shot) are fighting it out for that one seed.  This exact second I'd give the nod to Oklahoma, but if they lose in their tourney...they wont' get it.  Likewise, if Louisville WINS the Big East Tourney, they get it.  Then would be Memphis, and finally Michigan State who would need the perfect storm of conference tourney losses, in exactly the right round, to stumble in.

Looking at the Big East brackets....either Pitt or UCONN will NOT make the finals.  They'll have to play each other in the semis.  Pitt, IMHO, actually has the EASIER path...not just in seeding but in matchups.  They match up with everyone coming from the earlier rounds very well.  The only team really capable of giving them a game, IMHO, would be ND...and I don't think ND can get to them.

Uconn is likely going to have to face Syracuse...I don't think USF or the Hall has a shot at getting by them.  That's a TOUGH quarterfinal.

Then the Piit/Uconn semi which, honestly, if they both make it there...I don't think the outcome has much impact on the selection seeding.  The only question becomes if they beat each other up enough to make the winner more vulnerable in the finals.  Not to take anything from Louisville...but I think the winner of that Semi wins the Big east tourney and, if they do, puts themselves in a pretty good position to be the #1 overall seed.

I'm not going to take ANYTHING away from Louisville..they had a great season.  They deserve the #1 seed in the conference tourney, that's for sure.

But...(and you knew one was coming), they only played Pitt and Uconn once (beating Pitt in a close one, and getting creamed by UCONN).  That certanily made things easier for them, to some extent, and it's my one issue with the Big East Schedule (granted, not Louisville's fault!).  I think it's tough to "reward" (and this goes for every year under the new format, not just this one) the top team in the conference with a #1 seed in the Big East tourney when....their schedule could be MUCH easier than that of the 2 and 3 team.  Sure, over the course of time it all works out...but a year taken as a snapshot...not so much.  It's something I think the Big East needs to work on....

  They have it good in the tourney, too.  Assuming seeds hold out, they'll end up having to face whoever wins the UCONN/Pitt war in the semis....which can be nothing but good for Louisville.

They are a VERY good team, playing in a VERY good conference, that's for sure.  I'm just not sure they're on the same level as Pitt and Uconn are right now....I guess we'll see through the Big East and NCAA tourney's....

What hurts UL is those really horrible losses early to UNLV, Minnesota, Western Kentucky and then getting demolished by ND by 30 plus.


I don't think you can say UL had an easy Big East Schedule. Sure we didn't play Uconn twice, but UConn did get beat twice by Pitt and we beat Pitt, so that has to count for something.

I don't understand the Oklahoma love. I think I am the only person in the country who is just not impressed with Blake Griffin or Oklahoma. I think whoever takes Griffin high in the NBA draft are gonna be extremely disappointed.




Billy Gillispie, I think has to pull out a miracle to keep his job.  This is the North Carolina situation all over again. Remember that one guy they had? Daughtery or whoever it was and even at Florida when they replaced Steve Spurrier with Zook

U have to identify fast that u have the wrong guy and go get the right guy.

Billy is definitely the WRONG guy for us at UK

I say try to get former Dallas Mavs' coach Avery Johnson.

Not EASY (there's no such thing as "easy" in the Big East) but EASIER.  You can't deny it...they played the "other two" top teams only once each...in essence, Pitt and UCONN each had one more "tough game" than your guys did.  Again, not Louisville's fault as they don't make the schedules, and they still went out and won games so I'm not begrudging them their first place finish.   I just don't like the way things are set up in the Big East....because the scheduling can really be a big factor in who is at the top of the league.  I'd feel the same way if it were G-town on top and the Huskies were dead last in the league.

  And to answer your question: No, beating Pitt who beat Uconn twice doesn't count for much of anything...when you got pummelled head to head by UCONN.   The "That team beat that team who beat that team" is only really much of a consideration when there's no head to head matchup to look at.  In this case, there is.  It would be like UCONN trying to make the contrary case:  Well, we beat Louisville and 'nova, who beat Pitt..so that must account for something".  Doesn't really hold much water.


I'm not sure he's an NBA body...that remains to be seen. But he's a STELLAR college player, and we're talking about the college game, so.....

I mean, the past is littered with NCAA stars who have not made the transition well to the NBA.  That hasn't really effected their contributions on the court during their college play. 

Look at Oklahoma WITH him...then look at what occurred without him.  I saw them play, on TV, both ways...they looked like a completely different team without Griffin.  HE's not only great, he makes the rest of his team a hell of a lot better, too.  Those two losses without him would be the only thing that might drop them to a 2 seed...and the selection committee has, historically, taken that stuff into account (injuries) when seeding a team..both for them and against them.


I agree. His coaching style doesn't match well with Kentucky's program (or it's current roster of players).  They REALLY underachieved this year...I mean, I don't think anyone was expecting them to be a championship (SEC or NCAA) team this year, but I think it's safe to say it was realistic to expect them to MAKE the tourney this year...and barring an SEC tourney win, I think they're on the outside, looking in. 

U figure at UK though, we honestly have one of the best tandems in the entire country in Meeks and Patterson. Really there is no excuse for this type of season when u got two guys of their caliber.

Billy G runs 2 hour practices before games! that is just insane.

I am hoping Meeks and Patterson can get hot and we can win.


Micheal Porter has no business starting at PG for us. He is now officially the worst PG in UK history replacing Saul Smith.

Billy needs to roll with Miller and Liggins, try their best to concentrate solely on Defense and let meeks and Patterson carry the offense to some ugly wins.
SEC is so down, we could still win it.



I see what u are saying about the schedule. I tried to BCS u with the "We beat Pitt who beat Uconn twice argument!" :hihi:

Ahhh yes...the reason I hate College Football!!!   With a passion.

OK, someone must be pumping some majorly good shit into my office:

I SWEAR I just saw Depaul win a game, and beat Cincy?

Are you fucking kidding me?  0-18 in the league and you WIN your opener in the tourney?

Man, I must be higher than a kite!  There's no fucking way that actually happened.

Depaul!  Gonna win the Big East tourney and fuck up the bubble!

In Louisville's defense, UConn beat them WITH Jerome Dyson.  UConn lost the 2 games to Pitt without him.  So who knows how a Dysonless UConn squad would fare against Louisville at this stage of the game.  They just haven't looked like the same team without him.  Stanley Robinson has played well in spurts.  Kemba Walker too, but he remains a bit of a liability in late game situations making stupid freshman mistakes.  AJ Price is great one game, average the next, sometimes from half to half within a game even.  Adrien has been the model of consistency over his career but has had 2 BAD games in the last 3.  And Craig Austrie who has taken over Dyson's starting spot has been non-existant to awful since the increase in minutes.

Today is one of those days that I am really happy I stopped Gambling


Depaul over Cincy and St Johns over Georgetown

I probably would've lost my ass on those two.

If anyone is interested I created  a bracket  Pick Em game on Yahoo


I figure we can challenge Gnrevolution


League ID:52740

Password axlrose

Get those bastards on board again!  We need revenge after our htgth fantasy football defeat in 2008.   :hihi:

I'm going to the Pac 10 Championship game.

 :smoking:

They still have a Pac-10 in college basketball?  I thought that was just for chicks nowadays.   :hihi:

I sense an Orange upset over the Huskies coming up very soon! (about 4 hours from now)   :yes:

I hope you're wrong about that.

U-Conn
Hus-kies

UL has to get a number 1 seed. Especially with Pitt losing to WV and Oklahoma losing today.

I bet u guys are in bed


double OT Syracuse and UConn

what an incredible game to miss.

I'm still up!

SIX overtimes!  Damn!

Big credit to 'Cuse for that tenacity.

Big East is the real deal.  That was a game!

WOWWWWWWWWW

I was looking on yahoo and noticed it was really tight in the 2nd half. Like a minute to go, so I thought, what the hell, I'll flip it on there and see the finish.

2 hours later and I am still going crazy! That, next to UK/Duke in 92 was probably the best game I've ever seen.


unbelievable.

I just now wish they re seeded cause we get Nova tomorrow. I bet Syracuse won't win tomorrow. They pretty much played back to back games. 70 minutes!

Yea, I'm with ya there.

With Pitt and UConn out, Nova is the next team I wouldn't want to face.  Especially with all the upsets in the BE so far.  Louisville is next to be off'ed if we aren't at our best.

I'd have money on Syracuse getting ousted by WV tomorrow.  Surely they left every ounce of fight in them on the floor tonight but who knows.  If their legs hold up, they might have a little steam left.

If the Cards get by Nova, I like our chances to win the tournament.  We'll either have a WV team we've already beaten twice or a seriously gassed Syracuse.

Major credit again to the Orange for that effort tonight.  That was an unforgettable game.

Pardonne moi?

UCLA has been in the Final Four three years in a row!  Bah, easterners.

I think he is saying as a whole the PAC10 are pretty weak

outside of UCLA and Normally Arizona *not lately though* and sometimes Washington

pac 10 isn't what u would call a powerhouse especially compared to the big east

It was entertaining, that's for sure.

But, from a "quality of play" standpoint, as a game, it SUCKED IMHO.  By that I mean:

-Both teams offense was so incredibly terrible for the first 34 minutes of regulation. 
-The officiating was TERRIBLE on both sides of the ball.  Carries, "football" style run out blocks that weren't called, muggings that weren't called with tic tacs called 30 seconds later.  HORRIBLE.  The only upside is that it didn't really effect the outcome.
-For most of the game, the shooting from the charity stripe was atrocious.  Syracuse picked it up, and, ultimately, that was why THEY won and UCONN lost (AJ Price could have sealed a victory at least twice for UCONN).

Again, it was amazingly entertaining.  The fact the 'cuse managed a win considering they didn't hold a lead through the first 5 OT's, and after having played the night before, was unreal.  They LITERALLY outlasted UCONN.  By OT #6, they weren't playing UCONN at all, really, and they still had a couple guys (Flynn, especially) who hadn't fouled out. 

I'm fucking EXHAUSTED this morning....I can only imagine how Syracuse feels.  What could they POSSIBLY have left in the tank for tonight?  Guess we'll see around 9 PM.

Now, with Pitt losing, Uconn losing, AND Oklahoma losing....I suspect the two "early losses" might NOT have cost them their #1 seeds.  Almost for sure on Pitt's part, IMHO.  Uconn??  I don't know....possibly.

Wow!  Greatest game ever as a Cuse fan!  Syracuse will get past WV...Louisville's gonna take it all though in the Big East final...but I sure hope SU can gut it out!   :)

I told you I was sensing upset!

I am very worried about Villanova though. They are tough



I came a hair this morning of betting a few hundred dollars on LSU against Kentucky. the line was just 1.5!!


I didn't though and damn it, I would've won!!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah that game last night was an instant classic, but it only became one because of the last few seconds of regulation and the 6 OT's.  Obviously that adds up to a lot, but before that it was a pretty sloppy game on both sides.  Both teams played their hearts out though.  The Orange have got the Huskies number at MSG lately.  I'm amazed that UConn over the years always looks lost against that 2-3 zone.  It's like they've never seen it before.  I guess it just takes the right cast of characters to play well against it, and outside of the 03/04 team I can't remember them ever handling it well.  Pretty awful night for UConn from the line and handling the ball.  The turnovers killed them.  I'm afraid that now they're just another team that could either win it all or get bounced in the 2nd round of the tourney.  That loss of Dyson was even larger than I could've imagined.  Craig Austrie continues his awful to non-existant play.  I don't think they necessarily hurt their chances at a #1 seed last night/this morning, especially with Oklahoma and Kansas losing.  At this point I'd say they're the 4th 1 seed and should be shipped out West.  I just don't feel all that confident in their chances.  Hopefully they can prove me wrong.

I'd have to imagine West Virginia will advance to the finals.  Syracuse may come out hot and play off of pure emotion and adrenaline.  But the fatigue has to catch up with them eventually.  They'll basically be playing their 4th game in 3 days, not an easy thing to do.  Nova/Louisville should be a good one and I'd think the winner of that will win it all.  L'ville has a shot at a #1 seed in either the East or South if they win the title.

As am I.  We barely beat them the first time and they've gotten better since then.  They'll be gunning to score the upset for sure.

If we step it up and beat them though, that'll up our chances of getting a #1 seed.  Lunardi feels just making it to the last game should be enough.  Winning it would lock it in for sure.

Cards down Nova!  On to the finals!

Good luck to WV and Cuse in a few mins.  This will be interesting.

What a tale of two halves

looked like shit in the first half down 8, came back and just blew them off the court in the 2nd half.

Cuse does it again!

The stage is set.

Louisville -vs- Syracuse for the Big East Tournament Championship.

How much gas do the Orange have left?

I admire Syracuse for what they've done, but something tells me, with our press............. those minutes are gonna catch up to 'cuse

I almost bet Syracuse get eliminated in the first round of the NCAA tourney. heavy legs are a bitch


Check out Pitino's half time speech

this is why the dude is my hero:

Rick Pitino was speechless for the first time all year.

The smooth-talking Louisville coach stood in the locker room at halftime Friday night and was beginning to wonder where his team had gone, the one that had won eight straight games and had so emphatically captured the regular-season Big East title.

?I don?t recognize any of you. I don?t know who you are,? Pitino told his guys. ?That?s not Earl Clark, that?s not Terrence Williams, that?s not Jerry Smith. I don?t know who you guys are. Everything we?ve done to become a good basketball team you totally changed in a 20-minute half.?

The man definitely knows how to motivate.  He's the master of it.

I agree.  I don't want to go out on a limb and predict a Louisville victory -- but with our press, trapping, and constant ball harassment a team has to have fresh legs to have a chance.  I don't care what Jay Bilas says -- Cuse's legs will be half worn at tip off.  For them to win, I believe the Cards will have to play a horrible game full of bad shots which don't fall (can't set up the press if you can't make shots).  WV played a lot of zone which kept the Orange into it.  Huggins is a great coach but why he thought a zone would be effective against a team that can shoot like Syracuse is beyond me.  Should've pressed frequently and played more man.  Our pressure will be relentless.  Cuse's endurance will be put to the ultimate test.

It will be very interesting.  I hope to see a good game regardless.

My heart says 'cuse, my head's saying Louisville.
I don't know how much more drama I can take!

More excitement!!!  My undergraduate alma mater is in the Big Dance for the first time ever!!!  We were Division 3 back when I went to school there...congrats to the Binghamton Bearcats!!!  Way back when, we were D-3 and called the Colonials, not the Bearcats.  Cool stuff.

U could see Syracuse's legs go tonight in the 2nd half.

As runners Prez, we know that once u stop and cool down, it gets hard to rev that shit back up

I think if there was no Half time, Syracuse may have won that game.


Number 1 seed we should have, and I think this is a great chance for a title just due to the way we play defense.

Having one of the greatest defenses in basketball allows you to win even when the shots aren't falling. Hopefully everyone can get hot in the tourney.


I fear Syracuse may exit early in the NCAA tourney. they are probably still gonna be shot. I'll probably have them out in the 2nd round in my bracket.


that Jonny Flynn though. What a class act that  kid is.

Big credit to Cuse for hanging in there and getting hot in the 1st half.  They definitely displayed some tenacity in this tournament.  After they get some rest and regroup, they'll be primed to make a run in the big dance.

Congrats to our Cards for winning both Big East titles.  This should lock them in for a #1 seed for sure.  It'll be their first since 1983.

Not too fast D, just wait until we see where Syracuse is seeded and who they'll be facing.  I'm guessing a 4 seed at best, 5 seed at the worst...we'll see.

Congrats to Louisville...good luck in the Big Dance!

My Terps are dancing!!!!!!

Louisville earns the #1 overall seed.  I am a little surprised given UNC's popularity in the media.  But, it is what it is.

Congrats to the Cards for a well-played season and a great finish as well as the Big East for being the first conference to put three #1 seeds in the dance.

It was also nice to see Syracuse get a 3 coming off that great conference tournament performance.

All in all, Big East got it done this year.

Louisville's in the best conference hands down.  Overall #1 is well-deserved.

The Orange will down Stephen F. Austin...and then I'm thinking Temple over some weak-ass Pac-10 team (Kayoss, that was for you  :hihi:), and then we'd have most likely Oklahoma in the Sweet 16...or Clemson.  I think Syracuse has a good shot at making it to the Elite 8, definitely Sweet 16.

Poor Binghamton has to play Duke in Greensboro.   :crying:

Me?

I've shot on Memphis for playing a weak schedule and thinking they deserve a 1 seed, but I don't think I put any heat on Arizona St did I?

???

I think for us to get the number 1 overall, we got sort of a hard draw. Wake Forest certainly are no joke.

I was involved in an "incident" with the Stanford Tree yesterday after the game.

Jut like a million other folks, I've got UCONN and PITT in the Finals.  No surprise with UNC in the Final Four...but a little surprise with Wake in the Final 4.  Louisville's an excellent team...but they're playing Ohio State in Dayton, Ohio in the 2nd round.  I don't know...just a hunch.

Hell, Cleveland State could knock Wake out 1st round!  I love March Madness...nobody knows what the fuck will happen.  :)

I don't think UConn is gonna make it without Dyson.  If it comes down to them and Louisville in the Final Four I think the Cards will take care of business this time.

Don't underestimate Michigan State.  They may sneak out of that region (as much as a 2 seed can sneak)

President Obama's March Madness Bracket:  (I respect the love for my Orange!  Elite 8, not bad!)

http://games.espn.go.com/tcmen/entry?entryID=2813746

Damn Ty Lawson's big toe!!!! Why'd he have to go and get hurt right at the most important time of the year???

I'm a diehard UConn fan who ALWAYS picks them in the tourney to go at least as far as their seeding would indicate if not further.  Mark this year down as the first time I pick them to get upset.  I've got them losing in the Elite 8 to Missouri.  Although it wouldn't really shock me if they lost earlier, OR if they won it all.  I've got Louisville winning it all, but I can't say I feel confident about that.  It's so wide open this year.

UConn will not lose to my Chattanooga Mocs

I've got the Orange losing in the 2nd round to ASU.  I remember them going on a similar run in the Big East tourney a few years back with Gerry Mac and I got suckered into thinking that would carry over into the NCAA's and they lost to Vermont.  Of course, they could very well go deep.  You just better hope Gus Johnson isn't announcing your teams games, IF you're team is the favorite.  He's notorious for getting the "upset" games, for one reason or another.  There's just something in the air when Gus is around.

Mcnamara was injured though

I sure hope you're right.  They nearly made history the last time they were a 1 seed against Albany.  They were losing that game with like 8 minutes left and finally pulled away for a 10 point win with a loaded roster of future NBA players.  That was such an embarassing display.

Louisville scares me cause we always have a tendency to go long stretches without being able to score.

Yeah, Louisville is a lot like D's love life.  :hihi:  Just kiddin' D.   :peace:

Am I crazy to think Ohio State has a shot against Louisville in Ohio?  Louisville's lost some games to teams they shouldn't have lost against.  We shall see.

You just know there are going to be some huuuuge upsets.  I can't wait!

These are my 2 most favorite days of the year.  I took work off both Thursday and Friday to enjoy the 12+ hours of basketball each day.  Does it get any better?

I've got to brag while I can because it won't last.  I went 15-1 yesterday with my picks.  I think that's the best I've ever done in a first round session.  I usually get 4-7 wrong or so.  Granted there weren't many upsets yesterday.  I picked Western Kentucky, got Butler wrong.  Today I went for a couple more upsets so things will probably even out.

UConn looked real good yesterday, granted against a 16 seed.  I think that was their most lopsided win of the season.  They started off slowly but their defense just clamped down and they were just way too atheletic for Chatanooga.  And I was impressed by the play of Donnell Beverly in the second half, even though it was in garbage time.  He looked real confident out there, maybe earned himself some more minutes in the rotation.  Looked a heckuva lot better than Craig Austrie has looked in months and he starts.  Again, I realize that's what a 1 seed is supposed to do to a 16 seed, but this team needs some confidence.  Tomorrow will be a true test vs. Texas A&M.  We'll seem what they're made of during that one.  Hope Calhoun is back, poor guy is getting old and is not in the best of health.  He has to lead the NCAA's in missed games or leaving games early due to illness.  He said years ago if he won another championship he'd retire.  I'd hate to see him leave, but for his own good it might be time, so go ahead and win it all for him boys.

First things first though, A&M tomorrow.

UCLA vs. 'nova.

No Final Four this year.

WOW, we may have a cakewalk to the Elite 8

don't want to jinx anything but Siena and then either Arizona or Cleveland St.


U guys didn't join the fight against GNRevolution.

I am in 2nd or 3rd right now trying to hold it down for us.

I'm in there.  I'm at the top, hard to miss me.  Probably won't last too much longer, at least I hope it doesn't becaue I have UConn losing in the elite 8.

Don't take Siena lightly, they're a legit team.

^Yeah, since I knew Faldor was there, he'd win it for us. :)  (honestly, so many brackets going around, I forgot HTGTH's!  sorry)

my Cuse are in the Sweet 16!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Oklahomo comin' up next!  I will pull for Gonzaga against UNC too.

Haha, you said homo.

ah yes, so I did.   ;) (not that there's anything wrong with that.)

No, no, of course not!  ;D

Gonzaga....that was a good game boys and girls.

I'd be lying if I said I was rooting for Gonzaga against WKU.  Unfortunately, the ref missed WKU's coach calling for a timeout.  That was a huge mistake.  If properly officiated, that game goes into overtime.  The ref messed up.  As an official, I've seen it, and unfortunately was on a crew that did that.  It sucks.  :(

This weekend has been great to me

i turned 300 dollars into 1200k!


WOO HOO

and now, I am fucking done!

I would be too.

1200k?  That would be $1,200,000. 

Damn it, when's the fucking party?  You're flying us all out, right!!??!!

haha sorry, my excitement caused a typo. that should read 1200 dollars LOL!


The way this tourney has been though, a man could get rich. yesterday, all the favorites won.

I sure wish I made up 2 brackets this year.  I'm in a money pool where I'm in first by quite a bit right now, but I have UConn losing to Mizzou today and UConn is my team.  Going into the tourney I didn't have all that much faith in the Huskies.  That faith has been restored watching them the first 3 rounds.  Seems like they're playing a lot better since getting away from the familiar foes in the Big East.  Of course they could lose today and while that would help my bracket and chances at winning the pool, I'd rather lose the $10 entry fee.  I might still have an outside shot if Oklahoma were to make the finals.  We'll find out in a bit, good tourney so far.  Big East has proven their dominance, actually the teams at the top most of the season have distanced themselves quite nicely.  After all the talk about how much parity there was all the top seeds have shown why they're the best.

Yeah, I am currently in first also in my 10 dollar bracket BUT I had Memphis in the final four, so I am going to need some help to win this thing.


2 guys are under me

1 has Missouri and he also has Oklahoma winning the whole thing whereas the other guy has UConn but the rest of his picks are exactly like mine except I think he has Nova and I have Pitt


so it will be very interesting cause today, either way I am going to fall out of first place


I can just hope UL wins it all so I can get those huge pts and a win.













on an unrelated note. I am so excited we fired Billy Gillispie. This guy absolutely sucked! I know UK fans get a bad rap of being spoiled and wanting to be a final four contender every year, but think about it, we have more all time wins and just as much prestige as UNC and they compete almost every year. Imagine where their program would be had they kept Matt Daughtery.

Billy G would run FULL 3 hour practices on game day, treated the kids horribly and just didn't have the personality for the UK job. He also was a drunk and just didn't fit the profile.


I have my fingers crossed for John Calipari. He would be absolutely perfect! U see the teams he gets at Memphis, imagine what he could do at UK with all of our resources.

Yeah I was talking about Calipari with a friend last night.  He's pretty much accomplished all he can at Memphis.  I mean, he's not gonna get a better team than he had last year.  He'll get competetive teams like he had this year, win around 30 games a year and be in the hunt for a 1 seed since they play in that god awful conference.  But it's tough to compete with the big boys when you're playing Houston and Rice twice a year (or whoever is in that conference these days).  Kentucky would certainly be a good landing spot for him.

None of u guys played the Pick Em vs GNRevolution but its ok cause I won it and our redemption from the football fantasy

JOHN CALIPARI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I am so excited


we will be sooooooo fucking back it isn't funny

look out everyone, cause we are back to reclaim our throne. : ok: : ok: : ok: : ok: : ok: : ok:

Congratulations to UNC.

Sucks that the season is over.  Now I have nothing to do until Fall.  I hate summer sports, probably because I hate summer.

That UConn loss stung a bit on Saturday, but I don't think anyone was taking down the Heels in this tournament.  They amped it up and were playing their best basketball at the right time.  Not sure I would've enjoyed watching UConn getting blown out like MSU last night.

It stung A LOT.  Not because we lost, per se.  If you go out playing your best basketball...thems the brakes.  But Saturday, the Huskies played terrible.

No matter WHAT the outcome was, I would have liked to see what UCONN could have managed against UNC.  It was a matchup I really wanted to see....

Too bad UCONN decided to pack it in vs MSU...they didn't look remotely like the Huskies.  And while I'd like to be nice and say it might have been because of MSU's defense and game plan (I DO think Izzo is one of the best coaches in the biz)...I just didn't get the impression it was.  UCONN looked sluggish, couldn't hit shots to save their lives, and looked completely out of control out there... and THEY were the ones setting the tempo.  Price made AWFUL decisions early and late..which is very unlike him.  I was shocked by how bad they played....

But congrats to the 'heels.  They were definitely the best team this year, in the tourney.

Now, the question is:  Does Calhoun retire.  I think this is the first time he seriously considers it...it'll be interesting to see what he does.  More than who elects to leave for the NBA, actually.

I hope UNC have had fun keeping our throne warm

Calipari will bitchsmack UNC and put us back where we belong

Agree, UConn played pretty poor against MSU.  A season of one big what if, what if Jerome Dyson never got hurt.  UConn was the #1 team in the land, coming off a road thrashing of L'ville, they were rolling.  Then Dyson went down and they became a different team.  Less depth and much more vulnerable.  One less guard for the rotation.  Among their best shooters on the team.  Also great in transition and their best perimeter defender.  They were never able to overcome that loss.  Robinson stepped up his game and Walker did so from time to time.  But Kemba was awful on Saturday. 

I think Calhoun would've definitely retired if they would've won it all, but I think he'll probably come back and make another run at a title.  His passion is still there, the big question is the health.  As long as his health doesn't regress, I think he'll be back.  I'm assuming Thabeet will leave for the NBA.  That'll leave the Huskies with Walker and Dyson at guard, Edwards and Robinson (if he stays, and he should) at forward.  They have a couple front court recruits coming in and another swingman type.  They desperately need a legitimate 3 point threat and I'm not sure they're getting that next season.