College Basketball Season Thread 2016-2017

[xubrew]

And so it begins!!

The first open exhibition game is tonight between Carroll College and Idaho. On paper it means nothing, and it would be of very little interest to most people even if it did mean something, but it is the first time two college basketball teams of any kind have played each other since last year's national championship game. It also marks the beginning of a five and a half month stretch where we have college basketball! The longest possible expanse of college basketball is now upon us! There will be at least one game a day (with the exception of the day before the regular season starts) until the Monday after Selection Sunday, and depending on how the CIT plays out we may even get some games on that day.

The Big Sky's network is streaming the game. And yes, I will be watching it.

Below is a list of all open exhibition games.

http://hoopshd.com/exhibition-games-2016-2017/

[GoMuskies]

It means nothing?!? It's a huge game. This is Paul Petrino's alma mater coming to play the school he's about to get fired as the football coach of. What a storyline!

[xubrew]

It means nothing?!? It's a huge game. This is Paul Petrino's alma mater coming to play the school he's about to get fired as the football coach of. What a storyline!

RESPECT!

That's all I can say

[Muskie]

I might stream this as I watch the World Series.

[xubrew]

The Big Sky Network is so much better than it used to be before they partnered with Side Arm. That's what I took away from last night.

[GoMuskies]

How many did Carroll beat them by?

[xubrew]

How many did Carroll beat them by?

About -20 or so. I quit paying close attention in the second half. Exhibition games give us basketball, but that's all they give us. We pretty much still have to wait another two and a half weeks for exciting and meaningful basketball, and even that is in short supply early on.

[xubrew]

Three fake games so far, and three blowouts so far.

[Emp]

BTN has the Mich St exhibition on at 8 tonight. Todd Bridges is likely going to start, horrible skein of injuries, transfers and early departure means Izzo is going to have to play his highly touted frosh soon.

Ive not seen Bridges, many wanted him.

[paulxu]

Apropos of exactly nothing, I got my Xavier Nation magazine today.
There is a nice article on Edmond Sumner. But what really caught my eye was the uniform

I assume he's wearing our home whites, and for my money we have a very classy uniform.
The X stripe down the side of the leg, the clean look with one X on the bottom left leg, and the Musketeer emblem where a belt buckle would be.
The small BigEast logo opposite the swoosh on the jersey, and I guess everyone has an American flag on the shirt now, but I'm not sure why.

The clincher is that the shorts don't look super-baggy and go down to the ankles. They look form fitting and about knee length.

Kudos to whoever designed the whole deal. I bet Drudy's got a couple pair of the shorts.

[XUMIOH12]

BTN has the Mich St exhibition on at 8 tonight. Todd Bridges is likely going to start, horrible skein of injuries, transfers and early departure means Izzo is going to have to play his highly touted frosh soon.

Ive not seen Bridges, many wanted him.

Todd Bridges lol. Miles Bridges. Their injuries hurt up front, but all of those freshmen were going to play a lot from the start anyways.

[xubrew]

BTN has the Mich St exhibition on at 8 tonight. Todd Bridges is likely going to start, horrible skein of injuries, transfers and early departure means Izzo is going to have to play his highly touted frosh soon.

Ive not seen Bridges, many wanted him.

That tipped just a few mins ago, and it's on BTN Plus.

[xubrew]

Florida State has used ten players in less than five minutes of play.

[paulxu]

You need to get out more often Brew.

[Emp]

Todd Bridges lol. Miles Bridges. Their injuries hurt up front, but all of those freshmen were going to play a lot from the start anyways.

Doh!! Sitcom short circuit

He went off for 12-14, 5-5, 8 rebounds, 33 points. It's exhibition, but wow.

The frosh point guard Cassius Winston from UD Jesuit (my alma mater) played 24 minutes, 4-5, 9 assists 3 TO, 2 steals. The frosh center went 6-11 with 7 reb.

[xubrew]

You need to get out more often Brew.

If I was ever home then I would.

[X-man]

The Cryers lost to Marquette in their secret scrimmage yesterday in Indy. Interesting, given that the Warriors were picked to finish in the bottom half of the league this season.

[X-band '01]

I'm sure it was a nice learning experience for them.

Meanwhile, the "other" UD (Detroit-Mercy) lost an exhibition to crosstown rival Wayne State. I'll leave it to Emp to tell us whether or not Wayne State is any good in D-II hoops.

[XUMIOH12]

I'm sure it was a nice learning experience for them.

Meanwhile, the "other" UD (Detroit-Mercy) lost an exhibition to crosstown rival Wayne State. I'll leave it to Emp to tell us whether or not Wayne State is any good in D-II hoops.

UDM is in for a rough season this year. I think Bacari Alexander can turn it around, but they are in a transition year, with a team that was pretty bad last year.

[xubrew]

UDM is in for a rough season this year. I think Bacari Alexander can turn it around, but they are in a transition year, with a team that was pretty bad last year.

When things are going bad prior to the first official game, then things are REALLY going bad.

On another note, i actually watched the World Series last night rather than some of the exhibition games. As much as I love college hoops, most exhibition games are hard for even me to get through for more than a few minutes.

[X-band '01]

Apparently we missed out on a quadruple overtime thriller involving Presbyterian.

[xubrew]

Apparently we missed out on a quadruple overtime thriller involving Presbyterian.

There were rumors that Presby was going to call it quits at the div1 level after last season. They're still div1, but still also still awful. While transitioning I thought they'd be able to be competitive in the Big South once they completed it, but they sure as hell haven't been and likely won't be this year.

[X-band '01]

As for our old friends in the A-10, they have 2 losses in exhibition play - one not a surprise (Duquesne against Mansfield-PA) and one that is surprising (VCU against Queens College of Charlotte).

[D-West & PO-Z]

#18 UCONN lost to Wagner.

[Xville]

Is vandy supposed to be decent at all this year because marquette just beat them by 24!

[xu82]

#18 UCONN lost to Wagner.

Better them than us.

[xu82]

Makinde London gets hardship waiver to play for Chattanooga this year. Good for him.

[paulxu]

Good start for the BE.

[X-band '01]

I knew UConn was a difficult place to play. I just thought it wouldn't be difficult for UConn to win there.

[bleedXblue]

We have two key guys out, two post players trying to figure things out and just played a very likely NCAA tourney team. Take the W and move on.

[GoMuskies]

Shaka's team almost lost to Incarnate Word.

[xu82]

We have two key guys out, two post players trying to figure things out and just played a very likely NCAA tourney team. Take the W and move on.

AMEN to that!

[paulxu]

Today's fun factoid: The BE and Pac12 are the only conferences with no losses.

(slow Sunday)

[Masterofreality]

OMG!!! Xavier is only 12th (tied) in the RPI right now. Barely a 3 seed.

Commence panic mode!!!!!!

[bjf123]

OMG!!! Xavier is only 12th (tied) in the RPI right now. Barely a 3 seed.

Commence panic mode!!!!!!

We're done! The season is over. Fire Mack!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[XUMIOH12]

Makinde London gets hardship waiver to play for Chattanooga this year. Good for him.

good for him. but im pretty surprised he was granted a hardship waiver

[xu82]

good for him. but im pretty surprised he was granted a hardship waiver

Yeah, I have no idea what the basis was.

[XUMIOH12]

Yeah, I have no idea what the basis was.

the article i saw said his dad has "personal health issues" or something like that, and that Makinde has to travel home frequently to help out with stuff. I just dont get why the waiver was granted

[paulxu]

Now we're the only conference without a loss.

[X-band '01]

the article i saw said his dad has "personal health issues" or something like that, and that Makinde has to travel home frequently to help out with stuff. I just dont get why the waiver was granted

You answered your own question as to why it was granted. I have zero issue with it, and I wish Makinde well. There's a decent chance he'll be part of an NCAA Tournament-caliber team at Chattanooga.

[xubrew]

Seems like sweating out the opener is a thing of ours now. Oh well, this Lehigh team is a ton better than last year's Miami OH team.

[XUMIOH12]

You answered your own question as to why it was granted. I have zero issue with it, and I wish Makinde well. There's a decent chance he'll be part of an NCAA Tournament-caliber team at Chattanooga.

well i know thats the reasoning, but the NCAA usually seems much stingier when granting stuff like that. Especially when he transferred "closer to home", but is still a solid 2 hours away. Regardless, i'll enjoy checking him out this season. And yes, this Chattanooga team is very good.

[Xville]

already dropped 4 spots in the AP poll to 11. While I think that is a more realistic ranking for X at this point in time, I think its quite silly for them to drop 4 spots without losing.

[GoMuskies]

I can understand getting passed by IU and Arizona arfter their big wins. The others? Not sure I get it. But no big deal. It's November 14th!

[X-band '01]

Xavier can improve a spot or two if they're able to beat Buffalo and win the Tire Pros invitational (which would likely involve beating Clemson and either Oklahoma or UNI). Anything less and they'll drop a bit further.

[GoMuskies]

In the who really cares other than me (and probably 'brew) department, I am pretty shocked at how easily Wichita State dispatched of Long Beach last night (92-55). I haven't had a chance to watch Wichita play yet this year, but apparently Gregg Marshall has another deep, talented (and very inexperienced) team here. Glad to see that, because winters are long and cold, so it will be fun to have a good team to watch when the Muskies aren't on.

[Masterofreality]

You answered your own question as to why it was granted. I have zero issue with it, and I wish Makinde well. There's a decent chance he'll be part of an NCAA Tournament-caliber team at Chattanooga.

He sure was the best piano player I ever saw who wore a Xavier uniform!

[xubrew]

With Arizona and Indiana beating ranked teams it makes sense to move them up. I guess winning at UNC Greensboro is more impressive than winning a regular home buy game, but...whatever. As far as Wisconsin goes, they didn't really do anything other than not sweat out their game, but the team they played wasn't nearly as good.

[Muskie]

You don't generally get any credit for beating the smaller teams until the end of the season. Most voters look and see Lehigh and assume X should win at home by 15. We didn't, and we suffered.

[powerofX]

You don't generally get any credit for beating the smaller teams until the end of the season. Most voters look and see Lehigh and assume X should win at home by 15. We didn't, and we suffered.

Agree. But at seasons end after they have over 20 wins and take the auto bid from their conference we will be helped in rpi and "record against tourney teams"

[xubrew]

If you want a good game between two good teams without brand names, check out Ohio v Sam Houston State. Ohio U is one of the better teams in the MAC, and I think they may be on the fringe of the bubble even if they don't get the automatic bid, and Sam Houston State is the best team in the Southland this year. Stephen F Austin is in complete rebuilding mode.

[xubrew]

Temple has trailed the whole game at home against New Hampshire, Albany and Cincinnati are tied in the second half, and UConn is losing at home to Northeastern.

The American is shit tonight!!! If they drop all three of those, that brings the total of home buy game losses to 4 amongst those three teams. And Wagner, who won at UConn on Friday, is getting drilled by UMass Lowell right now. UMASS LOWELL!!!

[sirthought]

Cincinnati dominated Albany in the second half, shooting 58%, and won easily. Albany kept turning the ball over. And UC is having new leaders step up this season with Jacob Evans and Washington.

[xubrew]

If UT Arlington beats Minnesota, it's not an upset.

[XUMIOH12]

yeah both Lehigh and Buffalo should end up looking like much better wins than the average fan perceives at this point

[XUMIOH12]

If UT Arlington beats Minnesota, it's not an upset.

I cant believe how quickly how bad Minnesota got.

[xudash]

I cant believe how quickly how bad Minnesota got.

Remember that Gopher beat writer before we beat them the last time we played them? What's his narrative now?

[GoMuskies]

I cant believe how quickly how bad Minnesota got.

For some reason they didn't fire Pitino.

[xubrew]

Every year there are teams that start off the radar, and then catapult into the rankings during the first few weeks, especially if they do well in an exempt tournament. I think Baylor will be one of those teams. Now that I've said that, I've doomed them to fall apart in the second half.

[X Factor]

Dayton won on the road at Alabama, but might have lost one of their best players, Josh Cunningham. He went and threw down a really spectacular dunk to put the game away, but got fouled and landed really bad. He was screaming in pain on the floor and was carried off.

Hate to see that happen to anyone. Hope he's ok.

[kyxu]

Dayton won on the road at Alabama, but might have lost one of their best players, Josh Cunningham. He went and threw down a really spectacular dunk to put the game away, but got fouled and landed really bad. He was screaming in pain on the floor and was carried off.

Hate to see that happen to anyone. Hope he's ok.

Yeah, that was terrible to watch. Even the Alabama-partisan crowed was dead silent. Poor kid.

[D-West & PO-Z]

Dayton won on the road at Alabama, but might have lost one of their best players, Josh Cunningham. He went and threw down a really spectacular dunk to put the game away, but got fouled and landed really bad. He was screaming in pain on the floor and was carried off.

Hate to see that happen to anyone. Hope he's ok.

Was it a dirty foul? Or just unfortunate result of clean hard foul?

[Boro Muskie]

Your mileage may vary but to me it was definitely not dirty.
I thought he, Cunningham, should have reversed course and run out the remaining 4 seconds rather than go in for a contested dunk.
Up by 4 (I think) with no one trailing you - just a bad decision to go for a highlight reel.
Hopefully not too serious but I think it is.

[X Factor]

I don't think it was dirty, but a freak accident the way he landed. Hindsight is 20/20, but I'm sure the kid and Archie wishes he would've just pulled up and got fouled trying to run out the clock.

[X-band '01]

Meanwhile, Baylor again reminds us just how much of an occupational hazard a trip to Waco can be. Oregon got spanked by Baylor.

[THRILLHOUSE]

Guess I'll be seeing a Top 25 matchup when I make that trip to Waco in a couple of weeks.

[xubrew]

Baylor is good.

[GoMuskies]

Baylor is good.

We'll see. Could also be that Oregon is not good. Or some combination.

[AviatorX]

We'll see. Could also be that Oregon is not good. Or some combination.

Also missing their All-American Dillon Brooks today.

[paulxu]

Did Thomas More take the Cleveland State hit for the UNC women's basketball program?

http://www.wcpo.com/news/local-news/kenton-county/crestview-hills/ncaa-imposes-penalties-on-thomas-more-college-womens-basketball-program

[xubrew]

We'll see. Could also be that Oregon is not good. Or some combination.

Most likely the latter. Oregon doesn't travel well prior to January. But, it's a team that got a #1 seed last year, and made the Elite Eight, and returned their top six players, and added a very talented freshman guard. I think that Oregon should at least be kinda good.

[xubrew]

In the last couple of seasons Davidson has really seen no point to worrying about defense.

[xubrew]

I know no one is watching, but Lehigh is at Yale. Yale won at Washington despite not having their two best players. They still don't, but they're still pretty damn good.

Lehigh has been in the lead for the entire game, but Yale finally tied it in the final minute. In a scramble for a loose ball, Lehigh called timeout with one second left. They had no timeouts. Yale's best freethrow shooter missed the freethrow. It's heading to overtime.

[XUMIOH12]

uconn really should be 0-3 right now, they did not deserve to win that game

[Xpectations]

Watching Dayton get Xaviered by Saint Mary's.

[xubrew]

SMC is good. They blew out what's actually a pretty good Nevada team, and they're boat-racing Dayton right now.

[xubrew]

IUPUI sucked in their first game, but they played Michigan a lot tougher than Marquette or SMU did, then they blew out Howard who is a MEAC frontrunner, and blew out Eastern Michigan who is probably going to win their division in the MAC. I know they're probably not nationally relevant, but they're a lot better than expected and should make quite a bit of noise in the Summit League.

[Xpectations]

SMC is good. They blew out what's actually a pretty good Nevada team, and they're boat-racing Dayton right now.

I can't decide the more engaging UD storyline--that the Flyers have a guy named after potato chips, or that with Sam Miller, Dayton has finally found a scholarship player with less talent than Jimmy Binnie.

[Xpectations]

Charmin wishes they could uncover Sam Miller's secret.

[xubrew]

Dayton v SMC has turned into a slopfest rock fight.

[Xpectations]

Yeah, from down 20 to a chance to tie with 15 sec left.

[Masterofreality]

Rhodee 76, SucKS - 71.

I guess the Borecats wouldn't win the A10 this year either.

[GoMuskies]

Florida Gulf Coast got totally fucked at Michigan State tonight.

[Masterofreality]

Florida Gulf Coast got totally fucked at Michigan State tonight.

Mario Mercurio sending some serious "shade" on Twitter: :lol:

2114

[paulxu]

Mario...hah!
Who knew the Butler clock operator moonlighted in East Lansing.

[MuskieCinci]

I clicked on this thread to make sure the proper jokes were being made about the Michigan State game, glad to see everyone coming through.

I can't believe they didn't allow FGCU to replay that final possession, as if the game ending buzzer going off while the guy was shooting couldn't have had an effect on the shot. Reading the officials blame things on a 'timing error' and the word 'stopwatch' triggers bad memories, sucks for them.

[muskiefan82]

There isn't any way for this to be replayed? Is that not allowed under the current rules? Surely, since the clock started incorrectly, they can rewind it and do it again, right?

[X-band '01]

I think once the clock started running, it became a non-correctible error. Sucks for FGCU, but they would have had to rush that catch-and-shoot even if the clock did start when it was supposed to. That's why the refs ultimately said that the shot attempt DID beat the clock, even though the shot was no good. Funny thing is had the shot gone in, Spartan fans would be the ones screaming for a do-over.

[D-West & PO-Z]

I think once the clock started running, it became a non-correctible error. Sucks for FGCU, but they would have had to rush that catch-and-shoot even if the clock did start when it was supposed to. That's why the refs ultimately said that the shot attempt DID beat the clock, even though the shot was no good. Funny thing is had the shot gone in, Spartan fans would be the ones screaming for a do-over.

You can guarantee if the clock started late and the shot went in they would be reviewing with the stop watches and called it no good or replayed it.

[bobbiemcgee]

Congrats to Pat Kelsey. Winthrop over Illini in OT.

[Masterofreality]

@SethDavisHoops Northwestern made a huge statement with a 19-point win over Texas. This school has NEVER made the NCAA tourney. Could this be the year?

Ohhhhhhhhhh, Shaka. Havoc isn't in Virginia anymore. #GimmickBasketball

By the way. Sure makes that Butler win over NW look a bit better.

[GoMuskies]

Xavier's looking to get some early in the day RPI help. Colorado is up double digits on what is apparently a pretty bad Texas team in the second half.

Oregon finally managed to win a game, sneaking by 1-3 Tennessee in overtime in Maui.

[THRILLHOUSE]

Texas lost it's entire starting lineup and 6th man from last years team. Aside from Kendall Yancy and Shaq Cleare (who isn't that good), their roster is basically all Freshmen and Sophomores. So I thought there were overrated coming into the season, but will be better as the season goes along. (or at least I think they will, the lack of a true PG is killing them right now, and I'm not sure if that will change later in the year.)

[Masterofreality]

@JonRothstein Texas had a combined 10 assists and 26 turnovers in back-to-back losses to Northwestern and Colorado at the Barclays Center. Not good.

#Havoc (on OFFENSE)

[muskiefan82]

Is it wrong of me to want Chaminade to beat UCONN today?

[GoMuskies]

Is it wrong of me to want Chaminade to beat UCONN today?

No

[D-West & PO-Z]

IPFW up 2 with ball 1:17 left against IU.

On BTN

[D-West & PO-Z]

28.5 secs left, 13 sec on shot clock, IU ball down 2.

[D-West & PO-Z]

OT

@IPFW but way more IU fans in building it appears.

[D-West & PO-Z]

2.9 sec left IPFW at the line for 1 and 1, up 1 point.

[D-West & PO-Z]

Makes both, IPFW up 3 with 2.9 sec left. Timeout, IU inbounding from under IPFW basket.

[D-West & PO-Z]

Pass intercepted, game over IU goes down at IPFW!!!

[muskiefan82]

What? No clock malfunction? Oh wait. It was at IPFW.

[XMuskieFTW]

IPFW played really well. They were running circles around IU's man defense and their defense was really solid. They'll be interesting to follow come March.

[paulxu]

I looked at Indiana's schedule. They play one OOC road game all year long. We play 3.

They just played theirs.

[American X]

IU goes down at IPFW!!!

Fort Wayne Forever!!!

IU thought they were clever scheduling a home game away from home. Not clever enough for an extinct hairy elephant! Fear the Mastodons!

[Muskie]

Local Media comparing IPFW's win over IU to Hickory winning the state title in Hoosiers.... ok?

[muskiefan82]

Local Media comparing IPFW's win over IU to Hickory winning the state title in Hoosiers.... ok?

Ummmmm......NO. The IU coach isn't nearly as good as the South Bend coach that lost to Hickory.

[paulxu]

App State AT Michigan

[X-band '01]

Apples and oranges - this was a de facto home game for Indiana given the number of Hoosier fans in attendance. It's not like this Fort Wayne team is completely chopped liver either - they were picked to win the Summit League this year, if I'm not mistaken.

They were picked over North Dakota State - that's Xavier's opponent after Northern Iowa.

[xubrew]

As good as Shaka Smart is, he's horrible in November. Even the teams he had at VCU that were so dangerous would struggle out of the gate. It seems as though half of his career losses have come in November. That's probably not accurate, but that's how it seems. I'm sure Texas will be fine in a few weeks, and this will just fade into the background.

IPFW's win over Indiana was great, and it was a great upset, but let's not get carried away. It's hardly historic, or even unusual. It's unexpected, but that's really all it is. Xavier losing to Missouri or Lehigh would have been more of a surprise, and probably more damaging, but even those wouldn't have been season defining back breakers. Northern Iowa beat Iowa State last year. That's closer to what this is. Green Bay beating Virginia two or three years ago is a good comparison as well. It's not like it never happens, and even when it does it's not the end of the world for whoever the alpha program is. It will suck for a little bit, but I think it will quickly be shrugged off. No one remembers Santa Clara, who was a sub 250 team, beating North Carolina in 2004. I think that's the biggest regular season upset ever. UNC won Maui the next week, and then went on to win the national title. They did okay. IU will be okay as well. I still like North Dakota State to win the Summit, but IPFW will be right with them.

But, it's been the biggest and most fun upset of the year so far!

[paulxu]

Fort Wayne is sub 250.

[xubrew]

Fort Wayne is sub 250.

You need to have your house checked for lead if you don't think they're a top 250 team. I think they're easily a top 100 team, and one of the two best teams in the Summit League. If some ranking has them ranked outside the top 250 it's because it only has four games of data to go on.

[Juice]

Fort Wayne is sub 250.

Last year they were 135 in KenPom and 71 in RPI. They're sub 250 after 3 games in which they beat UMass-Lowell (who they should beat) and lost to Illinois St. and Arkansas (who they should lose to). And obviously their RPI after the IU game, and it being an extremely small sample size, will shoot up.

[bobbiemcgee]

Who can forget this?
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaab-jeff-eisenberg/why-ipfw-forward-wears-boxing-headgear-during-games.html

[XMuskieFTW]

IPFW is 120 in kenpom. Seems about right.

[GoMuskies]

I'm watching a bit of this LSU/Wichita State game, and the Shockers look fantastic so far. They're just shredding LSU (30-9 early). I'm really surprised this team is so good given what they lost, but they're the best looking WSU team I've seen. They look better right now than even the undefeated team ever did.

Looking forward to seeing them against Louisville to show whether this is for real or just a bad competition mirage.

[X-band '01]

If LSU couldn't do jack with Ben Simmons last year, what made you think they would be better this year?

As for Wichita State, they've got a nice nucleus of Shaq Morris, Connor Frankamp and McDuffie that will make them very formidable in the Valley again.

[GoMuskies]

46-19 at halftime. Ouch.

I knew about those three guys, of course, but it's the athletic depth that's surprising me. They're playing 10, 11, 12 guys without much drop off. They have some guys who were pretty terrible the last couple of years (Kelley, Nurger) who look like completely different guys so far this year. Looking forward to Shockers/Cardinals with my turkey tomorrow.

[paulxu]

You need to have your house checked for lead if you don't think they're a top 250 team. I think they're easily a top 100 team, and one of the two best teams in the Summit League. If some ranking has them ranked outside the top 250 it's because it only has four games of data to go on.

I didn't say I thought they were sub 250. I didn't say they wouldn't end the season differently.
I merely comment on where they were when I typed the sentence.
NB: there may be lead in my house.

[paulxu]

Big East love from the mothership.

http://www.espn.com/video/clip?id=18121835

[xudash]

Big East love from the mothership.

http://www.espn.com/video/clip?id=18121835

Sustain it.

Grow it.

Have that include eventual program rebounds from Georgetown and St. John's, in particular.

[GoMuskies]

Big East love from the mothership.

http://www.espn.com/video/clip?id=18121835

It's awesome that 3 of the 5 best teams are the "newbies". It's great for the league, but you know it's got to stick in the craw of the "old guard". Which, in turn, will hopefully snap them out of their funks as they realize they need to improve to compete with the upstarts.

[muskiefan82]

Actually, I imagine Villanova fans are enjoying Georgetown's fall from the elite. They hate them like we hate UD.

[GoMuskies]

Actually, I imagine Villanova fans are enjoying Georgetown's fall from the elite. They hate them like we hate UD.

Oh, I'm sure Villanova is the one member of the old guard who doesn't really give a shit who's good behind them. It's good to be king.

[paulxu]

UConn may be truly screwed this year with Larrier going down.

[Masterofreality]

It's awesome that 3 of the 5 best teams are the "newbies". It's great for the league, but you know it's got to stick in the craw of the "old guard". Which, in turn, will hopefully snap them out of their funks as they realize they need to improve to compete with the upstarts.

Georgetown is totally screwed with being stuck with JT3. He absolutely sucks as a coach. They'll never be able to make that break.

[bleedXblue]

Georgetown is totally screwed with being stuck with JT3. He absolutely sucks as a coach. They'll never be able to make that break.

Gtown is such a great brand. If they had a real coach they would be in a totally different place than they are today. Eventually they will figure it out hopefully.

[GoMuskies]

Wichita State is favored by 2 over Louisville today in Atlantis. Should be a fun one to watch with your turkduckhen at 2:30.

[Xville]

Wichita State is favored by 2 over Louisville today in Atlantis. Should be a fun one to watch with your turkduckhen at 2:30.

I think wichita state wins this one. Louisville might end up being really good this year, but right now they have no one in the front court that is worth a darn. Spalding, who at one time was a xavier recruit has been a bit of a disappointment in his college career.

[paulxu]

Wichita State is favored by 2 over Louisville today in Atlantis. Should be a fun one to watch with your turkduckhen at 2:30.

You won't know who to root for.

[GoMuskies]

You won't know who to root for.

Go Shockers

[paulxu]

Louisville is ranked 10th. Shockers are unranked.

Shockers 2 1/2 pt. favorites ???

[Xville]

I think wichita state wins this one. Louisville might end up being really good this year, but right now they have no one in the front court that is worth a darn. Spalding, who at one time was a xavier recruit has been a bit of a disappointment in his college career.

Shows how much i know. Louisvilles defense was pretty suffocating

[X-band '01]

Shows how much i know. Louisvilles defense was pretty suffocating

I still remember Pitino bragging 2 years ago about Louisville having 4 white guys and an Egyptian on the floor at the end of a blowout. Now, the same Egyptian (Mahmoud) is one of their defensive stars.

[xubrew]

Baylor is good.

[Xville]

Baylor is good.

They may be....michugan state isnt very good righr now though...very young. They will be better at the end of the year, but right now they are just ok in my opinion.

[X-band '01]

Butler having a tight game with Vandy right now, but the biggest surprise at this moment is Nebraska giving Dayton a spanking in the Wooden Legacy in the 2nd half.

[paulxu]

Not that big of a surprise. The lost Cunningham probably for the season, and Pollard isn't back yet.

[X-band '01]

That was very classy of Dayton - Nebraska tried to give the game away in the final minute and Dayton wouldn't let them.

[ammtd34]

Not that big of a surprise. The lost Cunningham probably for the season, and Pollard isn't back yet.

If Pollard comes back at all.

[xubrew]

That was very classy of Dayton - Nebraska tried to give the game away in the final minute and Dayton wouldn't let them.

Tim Miles and CO are undefeated. UNDEFEATED X BAND!!!

They are on a solid Final Four pace!! A FINAL FOUR PACE!!!

Their best player from a year ago transferred, but Tim Miles does things the hard way because the easy way is just too damned easy!!!

[X-band '01]

They're in the Final 4 of the Wooden Legacy - their reward will likely be a curb-stomping from UCLA.

But I gotta admit, how many people think that UCLA, Nebraska, Virginia Tech and Texas A&M will be the College Football Playoff someday?

[xubrew]

It's crazy to me that so many people are unable to see greatness. It is these same unbelievers that Tim Miles will crush. CRUSH I TELL YOU!!'

[Lloyd Braun]

If we can leave Waco with a W that will be a high quality W

[Nigel Tufnel]

Can someone help me out with the Baylor's coaching staff shirts. Was it a joke?

And yeah, @ Baylor could get ugly.

[bobbiemcgee]

Temple could be Top 25 next week. Nice to see Huggy bear get T'ed up.

[Blue Blobs Bro]

Temple could be Top 25 next week. Nice to see Huggy bear get T'ed up. they've already lost to umass and new hamspshire. They're the Georgetown of the aac.

Edit: wrong conference

[paulxu]

Temple backed up into the A10?

[xu82]

Can someone help me out with the Baylor's coaching staff shirts. Was it a joke?

And yeah, @ Baylor could get ugly.

That was flash backs of the Tourney game 5+/- years go in Atlanta. They looked very long and athletic. Fortunately, we are far longer and more athletic than we were then! Great challenge.

[xubrew]

Baylor has beaten Oregon badly, VCU, Michigan State, and Louisville. That's pretty good.

[GoMuskies]

Noticed that MOR's fave Gonzaga followed in our footsteps and won the Disney tournament with nice wins over Florida and Iowa State. So 40% of tomorrow's top 10 is likely to be Nova, Xavier, Creighton and Gonzaga. Well done Catholics (and particularly those with a special vow of loyalty to the Pope).

[xubrew]

Of the teams that started off unranked, I think Baylor, South Carolina, and USC have looked the best and should all be ranked tomorrow. I thought Siena would be good this year and have been disastrously wrong about that. Two good under the radar teams that may end up in the rankings once the voters finally notice them are Ohio U and Arkansas State. May be less so on Arkansas State, but the win at Georgetown was no fluke. I'm not predicting that they'll win out, but all their remaining games are winnable. Valpo has also looked good, but that's not really surprising. Their only loss was at Oregon, and they managed wins against Bama and BYU. their problem is the same as last year. Will they have a strong enough profile to make the NCAAs because they lack chances at quality wins. Their game against Rhody this week is HUGELY important.

[xu82]

I've only seen about 15 minutes of Baylor, but they looked REALLY good.

[xubrew]

Wow, not any love AT ALL for USC in the polls. One vote in the coaches poll and none in the AP poll. They're 6-0 with a win at Texas A&M and another against BYU. That in and of itself is not the strongest case, but at this point in time it's a lot more than what a lot of other teams who are ahead of them have done. I still think they're one of the bigger surprises this year. If you're gonna rank UCLA #11 and #9 when their best win was a "neutral" floor win against TAMU in front of a very pro UCLA crowd, then shouldn't USC get more love than what they're getting for their win on TAMU's floor?? At least South Carolina and Baylor are getting quite a bit of love.

[X-band '01]

USC did get 7 points in the AP Poll - they're not getting credit yet for winning at A&M or SMU at home.

[X-band '01]

BTW Brew, where's Nebraska in the polls? I couldn't find them.

[xubrew]

BTW Brew, where's Nebraska in the polls? I couldn't find them.

Well clearly they're not counting all the votes.

[Masterofreality]

Noticed that MOR's fave Gonzaga followed in our footsteps and won the Disney tournament with nice wins over Florida and Iowa State. So 40% of tomorrow's top 10 is likely to be Nova, Xavier, Creighton and Gonzaga. Well done Catholics (and particularly those with a special vow of loyalty to the Pope).

Don't you know that Sippin' Mick and SucKS is my favorite?

[RetireFiftyTu]

I've been impressed by Baylor. Motley obviously is very good. If Kaiser can play big minutes by then that would be huge because he seems like the best guy to defend him. I thought Baylor's point guard has been very good. Can penetrate into the lane and knock down the jumper. He's a transfer from Miami. Baylor's center is interesting. No offensive polish at all, probably even rawer than Tyrique Jones, but a dangerous shot blocker. Baylor plays an interesting zone, kind of a 1-3-1, 2-3 hybrid type thing. Fran Fraschilla described it as a 1-1-3 in their game against Oregon. Xavier shouldn't have too much trouble attacking the zone. Would love to get revenge on Baylor from the 2012 NCAA Tournament.

[xu82]

I've been impressed by Baylor. Motley obviously is very good. If Kaiser can play big minutes by then that would be huge because he seems like the best guy to defend him. I thought Baylor's point guard has been very good. Can penetrate into the lane and knock down the jumper. He's a transfer from Miami. Baylor's center is interesting. No offensive polish at all, probably even rawer than Tyrique Jones, but a dangerous shot blocker. Baylor plays an interesting zone, kind of a 1-3-1, 2-3 hybrid type thing. Fran Fraschilla described it as a 1-1-3 in their game against Oregon. Xavier shouldn't have too much trouble attacking the zone. Would love to get revenge on Baylor from the 2012 NCAA Tournament.


That may have been the least fun I've ever had at a sporting event.

[xubrew]

I've had more fun at sporting events myself. This year, Baylor is an okay shooting team, a great rebounding team, and a great defensive team, at least when I've seen them.

I know this sounds like a copout, but to me it's a gravy game where the potential gain is huge and the potential loss is virtually zero. Baylor is most likely going to finish in the top twenty, and will most likely lose no more than one or two home games (if that). If we win, it's a huge win. If we lose, then oh well.

[X-band '01]

I've been impressed by Baylor. Motley obviously is very good. If Kaiser can play big minutes by then that would be huge because he seems like the best guy to defend him. I thought Baylor's point guard has been very good. Can penetrate into the lane and knock down the jumper. He's a transfer from Miami. Baylor's center is interesting. No offensive polish at all, probably even rawer than Tyrique Jones, but a dangerous shot blocker. Baylor plays an interesting zone, kind of a 1-3-1, 2-3 hybrid type thing. Fran Fraschilla described it as a 1-1-3 in their game against Oregon. Xavier shouldn't have too much trouble attacking the zone. Would love to get revenge on Baylor from the 2012 NCAA Tournament.

Baylor also beat Xavier in Orlando back in 2009. That was the same year Xavier beat Creighton but lost to Marquette and Baylor in what was then the Old Spice Classic.

[GoMuskies]

Mizzou lost by 10 at home against North Carolina.

Wait, it was North Carolina Central. In other words, we VERY narrowly escaped disaster in Orlando.

[xubrew]

Yeah, losing to Mizzou is a lot more disastrous than losing at IPFW.

And speaking of disasters, how about Oregon?? They finished strong last year, finished in first place of the Pac Twelve, won the Pac Twelve tournament, got a #1 seed, and made the Elite Eight. They have their top six players back, and added some pretty good freshman to that line up. So naturally, this year they've been blasted by Baylor, lost to Georgetown, barely beaten Tennessee, and are now losing at home to Boise State. They've cut the lead to 1, but they've trailed the whole game. WTF is wrong with Oregon??

[xubrew]

Okay, they REALLY need to address replay in college basketball. Few things suck more than watching referees watch television on television. The standard should be "indisputable evidence." Anything that takes more than sixty seconds is by definition DISPUTABLE. If there was no dispute, then it wouldn't take that long. So, after sixty seconds, whatever the original call was should stand. Period. Stopping the game over and over again for up to five minutes at a time is more disruptive to the game than a bad call. In this case, it's not a bad call. If a call is so close that you're still not sure after seeing it again over the course of a minute, then it's a close call not a bad call, and whatever the original call was should stand.

[XUMIOH12]

Okay, they REALLY need to address replay in college basketball. Few things suck more than watching referees watch television on television. The standard should be "indisputable evidence." Anything that takes more than sixty seconds is by definition DISPUTABLE. If there was no dispute, then it wouldn't take that long. So, after sixty seconds, whatever the original call was should stand. Period. Stopping the game over and over again for up to five minutes at a time is more disruptive to the game than a bad call. In this case, it's not a bad call. If a call is so close that you're still not sure after seeing it again over the course of a minute, then it's a close call not a bad call, and whatever the original call was should stand.

i was surprised they didnt have another camera angle to look at from the baseline

[Xville]

Mizzou lost by 10 at home against North Carolina.

Wait, it was North Carolina Central. In other words, we VERY narrowly escaped disaster in Orlando.

Thought this was the year that Mizzou would start building it back up, looks like that may not be the case. Though I like Anderson, I think I'm about convinced that it is coaching....way too much talent on the team to be losing to NCC.

[xubrew]

Thought this was the year that Mizzou would start building it back up, looks like that may not be the case. Though I like Anderson, I think I'm about convinced that it is coaching....way too much talent on the team to be losing to NCC.

No, this is pretty much the year Mizzou makes a run at being the worst power conference team of all time. That's not hyperbole.

[STL_XUfan]

Thought this was the year that Mizzou would start building it back up, looks like that may not be the case. Though I like Anderson, I think I'm about convinced that it is coaching....way too much talent on the team to be losing to NCC.

Welcome to the dark side. Now the question is who do we get to replace him? Hopefully Sterk is a little better at hiring basketball coaches than Alden (overpaying for Frank Haith still irks me).

[xubrew]

Welcome to the dark side. Now the question is who do we get to replace him? Hopefully Sterk is a little better at hiring basketball coaches than Alden (overpaying for Frank Haith still irks me).

How much of the problem is really Anderson?? It's similar to when Mick Cronin arrived at Tennessee. They basically lost two or three recruiting seasons, and are just a tire fire right now. That's not Anderson. The best card player in the world still needs a decent hand in order to make it work. John Wooden wouldn't win with what Mizzou has right now.

[Xville]

How much of the problem is really Anderson?? It's similar to when Mick Cronin arrived at Tennessee. They basically lost two or three recruiting seasons, and are just a tire fire right now. That's not Anderson. The best card player in the world still needs a decent hand in order to make it work. John Wooden wouldn't win with what Mizzou has right now.

I'd agree to a certain extent and give Anderson leeway when it comes to his first two years. However, it is year three, and it is time to start showing some improvement, and fans aren't really seeing it. There is enough backcourt talent on the team (enough to beat mediocre to decent programs), though admittedly their front court needs some bodies. Frankie Hughes was a former 4 star louisville commit, KJ Walton was a 4 star top 100 recruit that isn't even starting, Willie Jackson was a borderline 3/4 star. They should have enough, even though they are young, to beat teams like NCC.

The other concerning thing is that (and I know this will happen sometimes with teams that have bad seasons but still) the number transferring out is pretty staggering....guys who had a lot of talent like Jonathan Williams (who now has great stats with Gonzaga), Namon Wright, Jakeenan Grant (who was a Mr. Basketball for Georgia and a top 100 recruit) didn't stick around and so Missouri has been one of the youngest teams for 3 years now. I know not all of that was Anderson's fault I get that, but at some point the head caoch has to be held accountable for at least some of it.

Maybe this team will get better as the year goes on, but if it doesn't, it's time to move on...Missouri has always had a pretty decent basketball program up until these last 5 or so years...I'd think someone, who knew what they were doing, could change things around to at least make them competitive.

[XUMIOH12]

I'd agree to a certain extent and give Anderson leeway when it comes to his first two years. However, it is year three, and it is time to start showing some improvement, and fans aren't really seeing it. There is enough backcourt talent on the team (enough to beat mediocre to decent programs), though admittedly their front court needs some bodies. Frankie Hughes was a former 4 star louisville commit, KJ Walton was a 4 star top 100 recruit that isn't even starting, Willie Jackson was a borderline 3/4 star. They should have enough, even though they are young, to beat teams like NCC.

The other concerning thing is that (and I know this will happen sometimes with teams that have bad seasons but still) the number transferring out is pretty staggering....guys who had a lot of talent like Jonathan Williams (who now has great stats with Gonzaga), Namon Wright, Jakeenan Grant (who was a Mr. Basketball for Georgia and a top 100 recruit) didn't stick around and so Missouri has been one of the youngest teams for 3 years now. I know not all of that was Anderson's fault I get that, but at some point the head caoch has to be held accountable for at least some of it.

Maybe this team will get better as the year goes on, but if it doesn't, it's time to move on...Missouri has always had a pretty decent basketball program up until these last 5 or so years...I'd think someone, who knew what they were doing, could change things around to at least make them competitive.

and gil-caesar transferred too. They actually would have a pretty good team if those guys didnt leave.

[X-band '01]

How much of the problem is really Anderson?? It's similar to when Mick Cronin arrived at Tennessee. They basically lost two or three recruiting seasons, and are just a tire fire right now. That's not Anderson. The best card player in the world still needs a decent hand in order to make it work. John Wooden wouldn't win with what Mizzou has right now.

When was the Gnome involved with Tennessee?

[xubrew]

When was the Gnome involved with Tennessee?

Oh damn.....

I'm not gonna fix it. I'm just gonna leave it there. I screwed up.

[Xville]

and gil-caesar transferred too. They actually would have a pretty good team if those guys didnt leave.

True...I just didn't count him because he has some pretty bad back issues, and I don't know if those are ever going to allow him to become the player he was going to be.

[xubrew]

Oh nice job Johnnies!! Losing to Delaware State. In case you're wondering, they suck even by MEAC standards

[xubrew]

One of the more important games tonight is Rhody at Valpo. I know it's not the biggest showcase game, but it is perhaps the most important game. I think Valpo is as good as a lot of teams that will make the NCAA Tournament with an at-large bid. I felt that way last year. The problem is that their chances are very limited. If they want to be able to get in without the autobid, they need to win tonight. Period. Wins against Alabama and BYU are good, but probably not enough without this. It just tipped off, so we'll see how it goes.

[xubrew]

If Saint John's comes back and wins this, and then storms the court, they should be thrown out of the Big East effective immediately.

[XUFan09]

Oh nice job Johnnies!! Losing to Delaware State. In case you're wondering, they suck even by MEAC standards

Legitimately one of the worst teams in D1 basketball. And they lost at home. How bad it is cannot be properly defined by normal metrics.

[xu82]

That Xavier team looked pretty OK tonight.

[xubrew]

That Xavier team looked pretty OK tonight.

Since Mizzou, which losing that game may have automatically disqualified us from any sort of postseason tournament, we've looked pretty okay in just about every game.

[xubrew]

I thought Tennessee State would crush Vandy. I thought wrong.

[xubrew]

Shaka Smart teams never get going until December. November just isn't his month. And tonight, he is emphasizing that fact. Down 14 to UT Arlington with just over 6 mins to go. Texas looks BAD tonight.

[bigdiggins]

Mizzou lost by 10 at home against North Carolina.

Wait, it was North Carolina Central. In other words, we VERY narrowly escaped disaster in Orlando.

No. Everyone kept telling me they're so improved and an NIT caliber team.

[THRILLHOUSE]

Shaka Smart teams never get going until December. November just isn't his month. And tonight, he is emphasizing that fact. Down 14 to UT Arlington with just over 6 mins to go. Texas looks BAD tonight.

Yeah. I like Shaka and Texas is my #2 team, but even I can't spin anything positive about them right now. They have no point guard, can't shoot and Jarret Allen (their 5 star, McD All American Center) looks completely lost on the court. With all the players they lost I knew they would struggle early, but didn't think the struggle would include a blow out loss to Arlington.

[chico]

Creighton is a really good team. And they're fun to watch. Not as much fun as BYU mind you, but still fun.

I love this conference, even with the dumpster fire in NYC.

[GoMuskies]

BYU was really fun the other night when they scored over 100 in a loss to Utah Valley.

[GoMuskies]

Nice win for Valpo over a really good URI team tonight, by the way. Now, if Valpo can win their next game they'll REALLY be on their way...

[GoMuskies]

http://www.colleyrankings.com/hcurrank.html

The Colley rankings (part of the old BCS formula on the football side) think 6 private schools have the best college basketball teams in America this year so far. 4 of those 6 are Big East teams.

[paulxu]

Big test coming against Baylor. Big.

[XMuskieFTW]

Big test coming against Baylor. Big.

Yuge.

[MauriceX]

http://www.colleyrankings.com/hcurrank.html

The Colley rankings (part of the old BCS formula on the football side) think 6 private schools have the best college basketball teams in America this year so far. 4 of those 6 are Big East teams.

Also kinda funny, Northern Iowa has played the toughest schedule in the country by their metrics. Almost entirely because they have played us twice.

[xubrew]

So Middle Tennessee.

Beat Michigan State last year, returns a lot of that team, has only one loss on the season, and is doing unspeakably awful things to Ole Miss at Ole Miss right now. This team may be for real.

A really good Big Five game going on right now between Joe's and Temple too.

[paulxu]

Does Baylor come to Cintas next year?

I just looked. They don't play one OOC road game this year.

[X-band '01]

They play at Ole Miss during the SEC-Big 12 challenge in January. I'll give them a pass after their Atlantis performance.

They also have a neutral court game at Fort Hood in December against somebody that I'm blanking on.

[X-band '01]

Meanwhile, nights like tonight are why I revel in Xavier being in the Big East:

UMBC beat Duquesne
Temple beat Saint Joe's
Bucknell beat Richmond
Sacred Heart beat Fordham

[bigdiggins]

So Middle Tennessee.

Beat Michigan State last year, returns a lot of that team, has only one loss on the season, and is doing unspeakably awful things to Ole Miss at Ole Miss right now. This team may be for real.

A really good Big Five game going on right now between Joe's and Temple too.

Temple and St Joe's was indeed entertaining. 35 of 40 minutes were within 4 points. Lots of guys making plays and then answering at the other end.

[X-Men]

Dang it UNI. Way to make our wins seem less awesome. In other news, Ohio State is beating up on UVA. Pretty shocking really.

[D-West & PO-Z]

Dan Dakich is terrible.

[xu82]

UVA holds off THE osu. What a finish!

[D-West & PO-Z]

OOC opponents:

Baylor wins
Lehigh loses
UNI loses
Colorado loses
Clemson wins

[D-West & PO-Z]

UVA holds off THE osu. What a finish!

Great play call right? Of which Thad had nothing to do with if you saw the huddle during the TO.

[xubrew]

So, Indiana.

I hate when teams say they have everything to lose and nothing to gain by playing good lower tier teams. Indiana didn't have "everything to lose" by playing at IPFW. They really didn't lose a damn thing. A win counts more than twice of what a home buy win counts as, and a loss is hardly the end of the world. It just kind of fades into the background because if you're actually any good you'll win big games that's what will define your season. Indiana has two top ten wins, and it's only December 1st. I think they're doing just fine.

[X-Men]

Great play call right? Of which Thad had nothing to do with if you saw the huddle during the TO.

I saw that. He was basically an assistant coach during that TO.

[xu82]

I saw that. He was basically an assistant coach during that TO.

I didn't really notice the TO, but I'd be pleased to not be associated with dribble, dribble,dribble, back up, back up.....launch a prayer. The End. Still an exciting finish, but.....I hope that was not what they were looking for.

[QueensbridgeMF]

Solid W for the bearcats @ ISU

[xubrew]

Well UC's profile just got a major spike. Great win for them at Iowa State

[BMoreX]

Bearcats win in OT. Very good road win.

Monte Morris is great but I thought he and ISU in general had some pretty bad offensive possessions to end regulation and in overtime.

[xavierj]

Bearcats win in OT. Very good road win.

Monte Morris is great but I thought he and ISU in general had some pretty bad offensive possessions to end regulation and in overtime.

The coach for ISU lost the game. Up 2 with under 25 seconds and two timeouts. His guys were in trouble on the sideline and he just looked at them and they turned it over. UC was trying to foul.

[XUMIOH12]

The coach for ISU lost the game. Up 2 with under 25 seconds and two timeouts. His guys were in trouble on the sideline and he just looked at them and they turned it over. UC was trying to foul.

well its not like the coach could have called time out. Blame the players for that blunder.

[XUMIOH12]

Bearcats win in OT. Very good road win.

Monte Morris is great but I thought he and ISU in general had some pretty bad offensive possessions to end regulation and in overtime.

I thought their offense looked terrible the entire game. They had no movement. They also have no size and got killed on the boards because of it.

[D-West & PO-Z]

UC wins (as noted previously)
Utah wins

[bleedXblue]

The coach for ISU lost the game. Up 2 with under 25 seconds and two timeouts. His guys were in trouble on the sideline and he just looked at them and they turned it over. UC was trying to foul.

Agreed on the coaching. Prohm missed 2-3 opportunities to call a timeout and get his guys on the same page.

The last shot in OT for them was horrible and he could have called a TO to run a play with 3-4 seconds left.

Also, Monte Morris did not impress me. All American? No way.

[bleedXblue]

well its not like the coach could have called time out. Blame the players for that blunder.

true but the coach can clearly instruct the player(s) to call a TO.......he didn't

[Milhouse]

UC has some talent but my god what was cronin doing last night? They had SUCH an advantage in the post, even when they were missing them (they missed a lot) they were gathering nearly every offensive board for a while.

Probably saved UC's season honestly- now they just need to win one of Butler/X and they should avoid that 8/9 line.

I feel better about our chances against them honestly. Cronin always seems to give X the 3 pt line and Mack exploits it every year.

[ArizonaXUGrad]

That foul call though with 20 seconds left that gave UC the FTs was pretty awful. Does that really get called? Put that against the hack against us via Mizzou, does an honest referee really give that to the road team?

Yes, Prohm absolutely cost them this game. He had TO's in his pocket and he just let Morris run ISOs for crappy shots.


UC has some talent but my god what was cronin doing last night? They had SUCH an advantage in the post, even when they were missing them (they missed a lot) they were gathering nearly every offensive board for a while.

Probably saved UC's season honestly- now they just need to win one of Butler/X and they should avoid that 8/9 line.

I feel better about our chances against them honestly. Cronin always seems to give X the 3 pt line and Mack exploits it every year.

[bleedXblue]

UC has some talent but my god what was cronin doing last night? They had SUCH an advantage in the post, even when they were missing them (they missed a lot) they were gathering nearly every offensive board for a while.

Probably saved UC's season honestly- now they just need to win one of Butler/X and they should avoid that 8/9 line.

I feel better about our chances against them honestly. Cronin always seems to give X the 3 pt line and Mack exploits it every year.

UC has a damn good team. Depth, senior guards, a couple of good young players. I see them Top 25 all year and an easy 4-6 seed.

[bigdiggins]

That foul call though with 20 seconds left that gave UC the FTs was pretty awful. Does that really get called? Put that against the hack against us via Mizzou, does an honest referee really give that to the road team?

Yes, Prohm absolutely cost them this game. He had TO's in his pocket and he just let Morris run ISOs for crappy shots.

The last shot of regulation and of overtime wasn't even Morris though. It was some guy who literally did not actually score a point hoisting contested fade-away 25 footers.

[ArizonaXUGrad]

My mistake, I was on watchespn and didn't have the sound on. Regardless, Prohm calls a TO and resets the offense for a decent attempt.

[bigdiggins]

My mistake, I was on watchespn and didn't have the sound on. Regardless, Prohm calls a TO and resets the offense for a decent attempt.

I was agreeing with you on that regard, just pointing out it was more egregious than if it had at least been their best player.

[Muskie]

Why am I watching St Johns ?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[muskienick]

Duquesne takes down crosstown Big Brother, the ACC's Pitt Panthers. I love it!

[D-West & PO-Z]

ND State wins

[STL_XUfan]

ND State wins
A road win at the self described crunkest gym in America. I hope someone fouled out:

https://youtu.be/I5LodH9-N6w

[American X]

Why am I watching St Johns ?

St. John's getting a true road win. It is hard not to gawk when an albino squirrel runs across your television.

[X-band '01]

We joke about St. John's and Missouri being awful, but how awful is Tulane to lose to both teams?

[xu82]

Why am I watching St Johns ?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Just one of life's little mysteries....

[GoMuskies]

We joke about St. John's and Missouri being awful, but how awful is Tulane to lose to both teams?

Surely Mike Dunleavy will get them turned right around.

[xubrew]

UCLA leads at Rupp. I don't know how to effectively measure just how far beyond their abilities I thought it was for them to win at Kentucky.

[bleedXblue]

UCLA leads at Rupp. I don't know how to effectively measure just how far beyond their abilities I thought it was for them to win at Kentucky.

UK is always vulnerable this early in the year

[muskiefan82]

Nova #1 next week then. Nice.

[bleedXblue]

Nova #1 next week then. Nice.

Defending national champs and undefeated. Should have been #1 preseason with all of the returning talent.

It makes my day/week with UK loses. Cant stand them.

[xubrew]

UK is always vulnerable this early in the year

True, but UCLA hasn't exactly been rock solid this early in the year recently. Or, in the middle of the year. Or, at the end of the year.

[xubrew]

Depaul is looking so bad that they look like....oh wait, they just look the way they always do.

[xu82]

Why am I watching St Johns ?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Why did I just choose St Johns as my annual trip to Cincy?

OK, different questions. It fit my schedule, and if I'm going to a game I like the atmosphere of a win.

[X-band '01]

Providence still owns Rhody.

[xudash]

Providence still owns Rhody.

The best the A10 has to offer goes down to one of our middling conference mates.

[D-West & PO-Z]

Yesterday's results for non conf opponents:
Clemson won
Eastern Washington Won
UC won

[GoMuskies]

Mizzou even won this weekend! Even if it was a three point win over a bad Western Kentucky team, I'll take it!

[xubrew]

I remember being so excited when Syracuse and UConn agreed to a series. It was a rivalry that needed to be kept going. UConn sucking such great big donkey wiener this year has made the game far less exciting. Syracuse decided to keep playing their rivals after leaving for the ACC, which was odd because they never seemed all that big on playing quality OOC games before. It is the ultimate irony that they continued to play their old rivals (UConn and Georgetown), and both of those teams seem to suck now, so their OOC schedule strength is pretty much the same.

[GoMuskies]

Syracuse beat North Florida by like 4 points the other day, right? I think Syracuse might also suck great big donkey weiner, but we just don't konw it yet.

[xubrew]

A fun little bit of trivia...

If I counted right, and there's no guarantee that I did, the teams that earned #1 and #2 seeds last year were a combined 122-6 at home. That's a winning percentage that's pretty close to equalling the winning percentage of a #2 vs a #15 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Virginia and Kentucky, I think, are #2 seed caliber teams. For them to both lose at home on the same day is rather unusual. I suppose it's possible that one or both of them aren't nearly as good as most think they are and will not end up anywhere near the #2 line, but I did think it was rather noteworthy that both lost at home on the same day and wanted to point it out.

[Xville]

That UCLA-Kentucky game was a lot of fun to watch....so much talent on that floor at one point. De'Aaron Fox I believe may just be the best point guard in the country, and Lonzo Ball, though he had a very mediocre game (by his standards) is so smooth and really sees the whole floor. Anyways, really enjoyed watching the talent level on those teams, and even better when UK lost.

[D-West & PO-Z]

From ESPN Stats & INFO:

This is the first time since 1994 that Duke, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina and UCLA are all ranked in the AP top 10.

[Xville]

From ESPN Stats & INFO:

This is the first time since 1994 that Duke, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina and UCLA are all ranked in the AP top 10.

As much as I dislike a lot of those teams, this is really good for college basketball...especially in early December.

[XU 87]

That UCLA-Kentucky game was a lot of fun to watch....so much talent on that floor at one point. De'Aaron Fox I believe may just be the best point guard in the country, and Lonzo Ball, though he had a very mediocre game (by his standards) is so smooth and really sees the whole floor. Anyways, really enjoyed watching the talent level on those teams, and even better when UK lost.

That was a high level game.

[xubrew]

Can we swap Saint John's for some other New York based team?? Manhattan, Iona, Hofstra, Stony Brook, LIU Brooklyn, or Saint Francis Brooklyn would all be a noticeable upgrade.

[xubrew]

I know they're not playing tonight, but can we swap out DePaul for some other Chicago based team?? Loyola would work.

[xubrew]

"Five minutes left in this one! It's crunch time!"

That is what the announcer just said. That is not what you want the announcer to be saying when you're playing against Northridge at home. Nice job Johnnies!!!

We've had bad luck with teams from NYC that are in our conference.