January 19, 2010 –
by Brendon
Some things come to us naturally, while others are a stretch. For me, finding a Big East or Big Ten game on the tube is as natural as pouring myself a glass of water or stretching my ever-sore calves after a training run. Tuning in a Big 12 or SEC game, on the other hand, is a bit more laborious, maybe the equivalent of using my Crest Whitestrips or preparing a vegetable with my pasta. In other words, while all of those tasks are beneficial, the latter two require more planning and a bit more effort to complete.
In that light, the lead up to Texas’ trip to Kansas State on Monday was refreshing. It was a game for which I needed no prompt to get excited about. This matchup featured two very good teams in an enivironment that promised to brim with energy. The Big 12 looks more and more like one of the top conferences this season, and the Longhorns and Wildcats are two of its best teams. But, even though both teams showed tremendous effort, energy and talent in the Big Monday nightcap, Kansas State’s 71-62 win over Texas left me with eyes glazed.
|
Poss |
PPP |
eFG |
Turn |
Reb |
FTR |
| Texas |
80 |
0.77 |
0.390 |
0.224 |
0.340 |
0.132 |
| Kansas State |
80 |
0.88 |
0.392 |
0.237 |
0.432 |
0.308 |
As the points per possession indicates, the defense was stifling. This game was the rare one when neither team surpassed 40 percent eFG, and both teams surpassed 22 percent turnover rate. A lot of that was, in fact, terrific defense. Pomeroy rates these teams among the top 20 defenses in the nation, with Texas second. Read More »
Posted in Big 12, Game of the Night
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Tagged Baylor, Big 12, Bob Knight, Curtis Kelly, Damion James, Denis Clemente, Dexter Pittman, Dogus Balbay, Dominique Sutton, J'Covan Brown, Jacob Pullen, Jamar Samuels, Kansas, Kansas State, Martavious Irving, Memphis, Missouri, Rodney McGruder, Texas
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January 13, 2010 –
by Brendon
Kansas State 88, Texas A&M 65: We thought the Big 12 would be right with the ACC in the pecking order of top conferences this season, but much of the league has gone under the radar thanks to headline-grabbing seasons from Kansas and Texas. Because of this, you may have missed that K-State has now started 13-2 and sits in the top 10 in the RPI and Pomeroy ratings. On Tuesday, the Wildcats dominated a pretty good Texas A&M team, one that is now 0-9 all-time in Manhattan.
|
Poss |
PPP |
eFG |
Turn |
Off Reb |
FTR |
| Texas A&M |
74 |
0.88 |
0.400 |
0.202 |
0.295 |
0.418 |
| Kansas State |
74 |
1.19 |
0.542 |
0.202 |
0.457 |
0.407 |
It may be hard to believe that Kansas State actually has one of the best offenses in the country, but that’s what the numbers suggest. The Wildcats dominate the offensive glass, led by Connecticut transfer Curtis Kelly and junior Dominique Sutton. Each had three on Tuesday as K-State grabbed 46 percent of its misses. Read More »
Posted in Big 12, Game of the Night
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Tagged Big 12, Chinemelu Elonu, Clemson, Connecticut, Curtis Kelly, Denis Clemente, Dominique Sutton, Jacob Pullen, Jamar Samuels, Josh Carter, Kansas, Kansas State, Minnesota, Texas, Texas A&M
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November 9, 2009 –
by Brendon
Feel free to jump to the conference of your choice by clicking on one of the links below:
• ACC
• Big 12
• Big East
• Big Ten
• Pac-10
• SEC
• Mid-Majors
With the first games that count coming up on Monday night, I figured I’d get my predictions in for all the major conferences and a few select mid-majors. Here are the conference-by-conference predictions with projected league record and postseason fate. It’ll be another four-plus months before I find out how wrong I am — sooner than that with some teams. Though I don’t officially make Final Four and Sweet 16 picks, you can infer them from the seedings.
ACC
Duke (predicted conference record 11-5; possessions returned — 63.8 percent*): There are concerns at point guard, but they were there last year as well, and while Jon Scheyer isn’t a natural at the position, he’s good enough to get by considering his talent and that of those surrounding him. The loss of Elliott Williams does hurt, but the combination of Scheyer and Kyle Singler plus emerging youngsters should keep Duke at or near the top of the ACC. NCAA No. 2 seed. Read More »
Posted in National Perspective
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Tagged 2009-10 season preview, A.J. Ogilvy, ACC, Al Skinner, Al-Farouq Aminu, Alabama, Alonzo Gee, Andy Kennedy, Anthony Crater, Anthony Grant, Arinze Onuaku, Arizona, Arizona State, Arkansas, Atlantic-10, Auburn, Augustus Gilchrist, Austin Freeman, Avery Bradley, Baylor, Ben Braun, Ben Howland, Big East, Big Ten, Bill Carmody, Bill Self, Bo Ryan, Bobby Gonzalez, Boston College, Brad Tinsley, Brandon Triche, Brigham Young, Bruce Pearl, Bruce Weber, Butler, California, Carleton Scott, Cashmere Wright, Chandler Parsons, Chase Budinger, Chinemelu Elonu, Chris Johnson, Chris Warren, Chris Wright, Cincinnati, Clemson, Colorado, Conference USA, Connecticut, Cory Higgins, Courtney Fortson, Craig Brackins, Craig Moore, Craig Robinson, Creighton, Damion James, Dante Cunningham, Dar Tucker, Darryl Bryant, David Huertas, Dayton, DeJuan Blair, DeMarre Carroll, Demetri McCamey, Demontez Stitt, Denis Clemente, Deon Thompson, Deonta Vaughn, DePaul, Derek Glasser, Derrick Favors, DeShawn Sims, Devan Downey, Dexter Pittman, Doc Sadler, Dominique Jones, Duke, Dwayne Anderson, Dwight Lewis, Ed Davis, Elliott Williams, Ernie Kent, Evan Turner, Florida, Florida State, Frank Haith, Frank Lickliter, Frank Martin, Fred Hill, Gani Lawal, Gary Williams, Georgetown, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Gonzaga, Greg Echenique, Greg McDermott, Greg Monroe, Greivis Vasquex, Herb Pope, Herb Sendek, Horizon, Howard Thompkins, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, Isaiah Thomas, J.T. Tiller, JaJuan Johnson, Jake Kelly, Jamelle Cornley, James Anderson, James Harden, JaMychal Green, Jarvis Varnado, Jeff Bzdelik, Jeff Capel, Jeff Leo, Jeff Pendergraph, Jeff Peterson, Jeffrey Taylor, Jeremiah Rivers, Jermaine Beal, Jerome Dyson, Jerome Randle, Jerry Wainwright, Joe Mazulla, John Beilein, John Henson, John Jackson, John Pelphrey, John Riek, John Thompson III, John Wall, Johnny Dawkins, Jon Brockman, Jon Scheter, Jonny Flynn, Jordan Hill, Josh Owens, Jrue Holiday, Junior Cadougan, Justin Dentmon, Kalin Lucas, Kansas, Kansas State, Keaton Nankivil, Kemba Walker, Ken Bone, Kenny Boynton, Keno Davis, Kentucky, Keon Lawrence, Kevin Coble, Kevin O'Neill, Kevin Stallings, Klay Thompson, Kyle Singler, LaceDarius Dunn, Lance Stephenson, Landry Fields, Lazar Hayward, Leo Lyons, Leonard Hamilton, Lorenzo Brown, Lorenzo Romar, Louisville, LSU, Luke Harangody, MAAC, Manny Harris, Marcus Thornton, Mark Fox, Mark Turgeon, Marquette, Marshon Brooks, Maryland, Memphis, Miami (Fla.), Michael Dunigan, Michael Snaer, Michigan, Michigan State, Mid-Majors, Mike Davis, Mike Montgomery, Mike Rosario, Mike Singletary, Mikhail Torrance, Minnesota, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Missouri, Missouri Valley, Mountain West, Mouphtaou Yarou, Murphy Holloway, Nebraska, Niagara, Nic Wise, Nick Calathes, Norm Roberts, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Northern Iowa, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oliver Purnell, Oregon, Oregon State, Pac-10, Pat Knight, Patrick Christopher, Patrick Patterson, Paul Gause, Paul Hewitt, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Providence, Purdue, Quincy Pondexter, Raymar Morgan, Renardo Sidney, Rick Barnes, Rick Jackson, Rick Stansbury, Rihards Kuksiks, Robbie Hummel, Roy Williams, Rutgers, Samardo Samuels, Scoop Jardine, Scott Drew, Scott Martin, Sean Miller, SEC, Senario Hillman, Seth Greenberg, Seton Hall, Sharaud Curry, Sidney Lowe, Siena, South Carolina, South Florida, Southern Cal, St. John's, Stan Heath, Stanford, Stanley Pringle, Stanley Robinson, Sylvan Landesburg, Syracuse, Talor Battle, Tennessee, Terrico White, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Theo Robertson, Tim Abromaitis, Tim Floyd, Tom Crean, Toney Douglas, Tony Bennett, Travis Ford, Trevor Booker, Tubby Smith, Tulsa, Ty Abbott, Tyler Smith, Tyler Zeller, Tyrese Rice, Tyrone Nash, UCLA, Utah State, Vanderbilt, Vernon Macklin, Villanova, Virginia, Virginia Tech, WAC, Wake Forest, Washington, Washington State, Wayne Chism, Wesley Johnson, West Coast, West Virginia, Willie Warren, Wisconsin, Xavier, Zaire Taylor
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February 2, 2009 –
by Brendon
Bracketing challenges: The distribution of seeds for the Big East continues to be a major hurdle for creating a balanced bracket. Here are the true seeds for the eight Big East teams in the field — 1, 2, 2, 2, 6, 6, 10, 11. That means that seven of the eight Big East teams should rightfully be placed in the bottom half of the four regions. But with only four spots, that means three teams have to move. This time, I moved two up — Villanova and Syracuse — and one down — Georgetown — at the expense of Minnesota and Dayton and to the benefit of Siena. If the Big East were to earn a ninth bid, then the job of bracketing the teams would actually become easier, because a ninth team would give me the flexibility to place one team in the same half of a region as another team from the league. Until then, though, no two teams from the same conference can be in the same group of eight.
The Bubble: There was a lot of movement on either side of the bubble but very little crossover. Georgetown, Virginia Tech and Oklahoma State all stayed just in the field despite losses. All three teams were 0-2 last week and will have a tough time justifying a continuance with another loss. The schedule shifts in the favor of each team, so the three must take advantage. The Hoyas host Rutgers and the look for revenge against Cincinnati on Saturday. VaTech has the mid-week off before hosting Georgia Tech next Sunday. OSU hosts Texas Tech for what should be a brief respite before traveling to Kansas on the weekend. Read More »
Posted in Bracket Junkie, National Perspective
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Tagged A.J. Abrams, ACC, Baylor, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Billy Donovan, Bo Ryan, Butler, BYU, California, Calvin Booth, Chicago State, Cincinnati, Clemson, Connecticut, Connor Atchley, Dayton, Denis Clemente, DePaul, Dino Gaudio, Duke, East Tennessee State, Ed DeChellis, Florida, Frank Haith, Gary Johnson, Georgetown, Georgia Tech, Gonzaga, Horizon, Illinois, Iman Shumpert, Indiana, Iowa, Jacksonville, Joe Crispin, John Beilein, Kansas, Kansas State, Kentucky, Lon Kruger, Louisville, Luke Harangody, Mark Turgeon, Marquette, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Mick Cronin, Mid-Majors, Minnesota, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Missouri, Mountain West, North Carolina, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Oklahoma State, Oliver Purnell, Oregon State, Pac-10, Penn State, Providence, Rick Barnes, Rutgers, San Diego, San Diego State, SEC, Siena, South Carolina, South Florida, Stanford, Stephen F. Austin, Steve Fisher, Syracuse, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Texas Tech, Titus Ivory, UCLA, UNLV, USC, Villanova, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Washington, Wisconsin, Wisconsin-Green Bay, Wright State
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