2011-12 NCAA Basketball Thread

[Big Sexy]

The NCAA basketball season is under way so I figured we needed a thread to discuss everything college basketball related. The Carrier Classic was a great sight to see last night and it provided us with a look at probably the best team in all of college basketball, the North Carolina Tar Heels.

I'll start out by talking about my Michigan Wolverines. If Darius Morris had returned then he would have been one of the top point guards in the country and Michigan would have been a top ten team. Without him they still have a lot of talent, they just need someone to step up and take the reigns at the point. They are hoping it will be true freshman Trey Burke but it's going to take some time for that transition to be made. Tim Hardaway Jr is going to have to be a superstar for them and he is very capable of that. They have a lot of young talent and I expect them to make the tournament once again this year before they take a big step forward next year as Mitch McGary and Glen Robinson will be coming in as part of a top 5 recruiting class.

 

[Big Sexy]

After a bad loss to UNLV the Tar Heels bounced back with a nice win over Wisconsin. I believe UNC has the most talented team and they should be the favorites to win it all. Kentucky has been great so far with their young guns as Anthony Davis looks like the number one pick for next years NBA draft. Ohio State has also been impressive (as much as I hate to say it) and they just demolished Duke a few days ago. UConn has gotten off to a solid start without Kemba Walker, even though they floundered against Marcus Jordan and UCF. Jeremy Lamb is only going to get better as the season progresses and if Andre Drummond steps up they could be a threat to repeat.

 

[J.J.]

I'm a fan of UNC and I big follower of the ACC. I'm a little worried about the strength of their schedule before ACC games begin, playing these mediocre teams is the reason why UNLV defeated them.

I admire Long Beach, granted they're probably 4-5, they have played against great teams. 6/10 of their games have been on the road. They've played Pittsburgh, Louisville, Kansas and UNC and still got Xavier coming up soon. I applaud their efforts, they definitely play better than their record shows. They should definitely take the Big West and be a surprise team in March.

 

[Megatron]

I've watched a handful of MSU games this year (vs. Duke, FSU, Central Connecticut State) but this game against Indiana has been the most impressive I've seen them play not just this year, but probably in the past two years. It was a real up an down game in terms of momentum, with MSU going up by about 18, then down 10, then finally running away and winning by 15. They have some good post players with Payne, Nix, and Green, and Keith Appling's gonna be a stud for his time here. The defense was tight for the most part and contained Indiana from going crazy with the 3 like they did against UK. Very nice game and open to the Big 10 season, and a funny stat - Tom Crean, IU's coach and former Izzo assistant, has yet to beat him in his 13 combined seasons as a coach. IU looked good for the most part until they had to jack up 3's late, but a team with a few post options could really hurt them (UW, OSU).

 

[Goliath Uterus]

I love how IC stickies this thread when I asked him to do so like 5 times with last years, what a shitty mod. Anyways, I think OSU is gonna win it all this year, they're the only team that has all the talent and the focus to go along with it. Unless Sully's back spasms continue to haunt him throughout the season, they're my pick.

UNC has dissapointed me, maybe it's Roy's coaching or maybe they're buying into their own hype, but they just haven't done anything this year to impress me, and they're by far the most talented team in the nation.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

I've watched a handful of MSU games this year (vs. Duke, FSU, Central Connecticut State) but this game against Indiana has been the most impressive I've seen them play not just this year, but probably in the past two years. It was a real up an down game in terms of momentum, with MSU going up by about 18, then down 10, then finally running away and winning by 15. They have some good post players with Payne, Nix, and Green, and Keith Appling's gonna be a stud for his time here. The defense was tight for the most part and contained Indiana from going crazy with the 3 like they did against UK. Very nice game and open to the Big 10 season, and a funny stat - Tom Crean, IU's coach and former Izzo assistant, has yet to beat him in his 13 combined seasons as a coach. IU looked good for the most part until they had to jack up 3's late, but a team with a few post options could really hurt them (UW, OSU).

I agree, MSU played extremely well in that game last night. Even though Indiana went on a couple of runs, when the pressure was on, MSU's defense swarmed. I mean you don't go on a 20-0 run in the second half without stellar defense. I really like this group a lot. This team has much more chemistry and better cohesion than last year's mess.
If Payne and Nix can play like they played yesterday on a consistent basis, this is a darkhorse team in the Big Ten for sure. Defense and rebounding is what Izzo built the program around and I'm glad to see they've gone back to that.

Appling is getting better every game and looks like he's a better shooter and defender than Lucas and he's quicker than Lucas.

As for Indiana, I thought they looked pretty good. Olidadipu and Watford were great in that game and the final score really wasn't indicative of how close this game actually was.

 

[Big Sexy]

Big win for Michigan today over Wisconsin. They held the Badgers to just 31% shooting and their lowest point total of the season by far. This was a much needed win after narrowly losing to Indiana by two on the road earlier in the week. This should keep Michigan in the top 20 and they have a couple easier games against Northwestern and Iowa coming up before the big showdown with Michigan State on the 17th at the Crisler Center.

The Wolverines have exceeded my expectations thus far after losing their best player, Darius Morris, to the NBA. True freshman Trey Burke has been spectacular and the team as a whole plays with great continuity. Tim Hardaway Jr needs to stop forcing things and improve his shooting % but other then that I have no major complaints. It looks like they will make another trip to the tournament this year and as long as Burke and Hardaway both return, I could see them competing for a National Title next year.

 

[Big Sexy]

We are getting down towards the end of the regular season in college basketball and that's when all of the fun starts. There's about 5 or 6 games left in each teams regular season and then we begin March Madness with the conference tourneys.

Right now the best team in college basketball is looking like Kentucky but this isn't anything new. John Calipari led teams always have a ton of freshmen talent with a couple veterans mixed in but when it's all said and done they fail to win it all because of a lack of experience. Maybe this year will be different but I doubt it. Syracuse is another team that has looked impressive along with the likes of UNC, Duke, Missouri, and Kansas.

For my money UNC still has the best combination of talent and experience but it remains to be seen if they are mentally tough enough to win it all come tournament time. I see them as the most complete team in the country right now.

 

[Big Sexy]

I couldn't be any happier as a Michigan fan. This was expected to be an average year where they would fight for a tournament spot but instead they are still in the Big Ten Championship race. They got a big win on the road against Northwestern last night and remain just one game behind MSU. They are looking at the tournament seed they have had in a long time and can compete with any team in the country. Just think how good they would be if Darius Morris came back.

 

[The Talon]

Ok, seriously? What the hell is it gonna take for Syracuse to get the #1 rank now?

Eh, doesn't matter. I can feel it in my bones. Syracuse WILL be the NCAA Champs this year.

 

[The Idiot]

Kansas is fuckin killing me right now. Purdue is having their way with them and are just outplaying them in every aspect.

My bracket is crumbling

 

[RManske2]

Still about 25 seconds to go but it looks like Purdue might flub this game away to Kansas, a game the Jayhawks should not win it would appear. However, it's only a one point game so we shall see.

 

[The Idiot]

Cant believe Kansas pulled it out...a poor shooting game. They have NC State next in the sweet 16. They got lucky tonight and they know it.

 

[The Idiot]

Now lets go FSU!! I have them against Kansas in the final 4.

 

[The Idiot]

My Championship game is still in tact.

Kentucky and Kansas are on a collision course, baby.....let's go!!