February 14, 2010 –
by Brendon
After two years in which the best Pac-10 players were also the best players in the nation, everyone knows the struggles the league has suffered this season. There’s no reason to post the litany of embarrassments the Pac-10 has suffered this season, as the conference has become a national punchline. Lost, though, in all of the giggles and putdowns are the California Bears.
Mike Montgomery’s team completed a home sweep of the Washington schools with a 16-point win over Washington State on Saturday. Two nights earlier, the Bears were even more impressive, never allowing UW in the game in a 12-point victory featured on ESPN’s “Duke plays UNC for the first time” Week. That win avenged a 15-point loss in Seattle, a Jan. 16 game that wasn’t even that close.
Now 9-4 in conference and 17-8 overall, the Bears are on their way to a Pac-10 regular-season title and a 20-win season despite playing one of the dozen toughest schedules in the nation. Cal’s problem in getting into the NCAA Tournament is partly its own fault. The Bears have yet to beat a likely NCAA Tournament team, going 0-4 against Syracuse, Ohio State, New Mexico and Kansas outside of conference. And, since the Pac-10 is down this season, Cal’s nine wins against eight different league members may fail to sway the Selection Committee. Read More »
Posted in Pac-10
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Tagged Arizona, Arizona State, California, Demetri McCamey, Duke, Evan Turner, Illinois, Jacob Pullen, Jamal Boykin, Jerome Randle, Kalin Lucas, Kansas, Kansas State, Lorenzo Romar, Markhuri Sanders-Frison, Max Zhang, Michigan State, Mike Montgomery, New Mexico, Ohio State, Omondi Amoke, Oregon State, Pac-10, Patrick Christopher, Scottie Reynolds, Syracuse, UCLA, UNC, USC, Villanova, Washington, Washington State
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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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March 18, 2009 –
by Brendon
Home to the most vulnerable No. 1 seed, the West Region should theoretically be the most wide-open. On the other hand, no team has been more dominant over the last two months than Memphis, but that was against a Conference USA schedule. Is Connecticut truly vulnerable? Are the Tigers truly dominant? Where does that leave Missouri, Purdue and Washington? We’ll try to approach answers to those questions and more in this West Region preview. (The Enberg reference in the headline is to the hopes that Dick Enberg will stay out West to announce the regional in Glendale, Ariz.)
Hurting puppies: The Connecticut Huskies are 4-3 in the seven full games they’ve played since Jerome Dyson went down with a right knee injury in UConn’s win over Syracuse on Feb. 11. With the exception of an 11-point win at Marquette in a game when the Golden Eagles lost Dominic James for the season, none of the Huskies’ results have been impressive. Read More »
Posted in National Perspective, Reviews/Previews
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Tagged A.J. Price, Brigham Young, Bryan Davis, California, Connecticut, DeMarre Carroll, Dick Enberg, Dominic James, Donald Sloan, Isaiah Thomas, JaJuan Johnson, Jarvis Varnado, Jerome Dyson, Jon Brockman, Lorenzo Romar, Mark Turgeon, Marquette, Maryland, Maurice Acker, Memphis, Mike Anderson, Mike Montgomery, Mississippi State, Missouri, Northern Iowa, Purdue, Robbie Hummel, Robert Dozier, Shawn Taggart, Texas A&M, Tyreke Evans, Utah State, WAC, Washington
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February 1, 2009 –
by Brendon
I’ve watched more Pac-10 basketball this season than in any other. The cynic would snark that I picked a poor year to get involved with this conference, that last season was the golden year of this decade for the conference. But I am thoroughly pleased with my decision to devote more time to following the Pac-10. I enjoy the league’s balance, its unlikely results, the way the schedule flows predictably and how everyone plays everyone else home-and-home. I love the travel partners and how all the games or on Thursday and the weekend. And with all I’ve been watching and loving, I have a lot to write about the league, which is now at exactly the halfway mark of the conference schedule.
Since everyone’s played everyone else once each, it’s fair to compare the teams’ efficiencies and draw sweeping conclusions based on them:
| Team |
W |
L |
Off Eff |
Def Eff |
Diff. |
| UCLA |
7 |
2 |
1.190 |
1.025 |
+.165 |
| Washington |
7 |
2 |
1.159 |
1.017 |
+.142 |
| Arizona State |
5 |
4 |
1.090 |
1.006 |
+.083 |
| Southern Cal |
6 |
3 |
1.052 |
0.992 |
+.060 |
| California |
5 |
4 |
1.054 |
1.040 |
+.014 |
| Arizona |
4 |
5 |
1.027 |
1.039 |
-.012 |
| Washington State |
4 |
5 |
0.990 |
1.020 |
-.029 |
| Stanford |
3 |
6 |
1.038 |
1.100 |
-.061 |
| Oregon State |
4 |
5 |
0.968 |
1.122 |
-.154 |
| Oregon |
0 |
9 |
0.939 |
1.146 |
-.207 |
Read More »
Posted in Pac-10
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Tagged Alfred Aboya, Arizona, Arizona State, Barack Obama, Ben Howland, California, Chase Budinger, Craig Robinson, Darren Collison, Demar DeRozan, Derek Glasser, Dick Bennett, Ernie Kent, Herb Sendek, Isaiah Thomas, James Harden, Jeff Pendergraph, Joevan Catron, Johnny Dawkins, Jon Brockman, Josh Shipp, Jrue Holliday, Klay Thompson, Lorenzo Romar, Malik Hairston, Marcus Johnson, Matthew Bryan-Amaning, Michael Dunigan, Mike Montgomery, Oregon, Oregon State, Quincy Pondexter, Rihards Kuksiks, Russ Pennell, Southern Cal, Stanford, Taj Gibson, Tajuan Porter, Tim Floyd, Tony Bennett, UCLA, Washington, Washington State
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January 14, 2009 –
by Brendon
I don’t pretend to know what you think, so the headline was more of an estimation of general perception than an attempt to read minds. Here we are in the middle of January, and you’re probably guessing that you know about all of the nation’s best teams. The top-25s list a cross-section of what coaches or the press thinks, but few of these people are charged with following what happens across the entire college basketball landscape, and so they often have blind spots.
Because of the imperfection of the rankings system, there are still a few teams that have yet to get much national fanfare but figure to be players in their conferences and into March. Here are five teams that I think fit the bill: Read More »
Posted in National Perspective
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Tagged Big 12, Big Ten, Brigham Young, Bruce Weber, California, Dave Rose, Ibrahima Thomas, Illinois, Isaiah Thomas, James Anderson, Jerome Randle, Jodie Meeks, Jon Brockman, Jonathan Tavernari, Kentucky, Lorenzo Romar, Matthew Bryan-Amaning, Mike Montgomery, Mountain West, Obi Muonelo, Oklahoma State, Pac-10, Patrick Christopher, Theo Robertson, Travis Ford, Washington
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