January 18, 2010 –
by Brendon
The NFL sells parity to its fans to convince supporters of poor or mediocre teams that the gap between their team and the league’s best isn’t that large. With NFL teams now challenging for perfect records deep into November every year, the promise of parity isn’t really being kept, but it was always a hollow one. That’s something Pac-10 fans are learning this season.
Take a look at the Pac-10 standings and you’ll see a lot of the same numbers — twos and threes mainly. Despite every team having played either five or six games, only Arizona State has a zero, one, four, five or six next to either its wins or losses. Herb Sendek’s Sun Devils are 4-2 in conference after sweeping the Oregon schools this weekend, and they sit atop the Pac-10. A single game separates second and 10th. Read More »
Posted in Pac-10
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Tagged Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, Ben Howland, BTI, California, Herb Sendek, Kevin O'Neill, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oregon, Oregon State, Pac-10, Seattle, Southern Cal, Stanford, Tennessee, Texas Tech, UCLA, Washington, Washington State
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November 17, 2009 –
by Brendon
UCLA tipped off ESPN’s now-annual college basketball marathon at midnight ET late Monday night, so very few people east of the Rockie Mountains were around for the conclusion, which came after two overtimes. The Bruins’ 68-65 loss to Cal State-Fullerton, a team picked seventh in the nine-team Big West, was a sobering reminder of how much UCLA has lost over the last two years.
Kevin Love, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Russell Westbrook, Lorenzo Mata-Real, Josh Shipp, Darren Collison, Jrue Holliday, Alfred Aboya. That is a lot of talent to replace — five first-round picks — and UCLA looks a bit short right now. Against the Titans on Monday night, only seven players played more than a single minute.
Three of those seven were from Ben Howland’s heralded 2009 recruiting class — Malcolm Lee, Drew Gordon and Jerime Anderson. This was the class that was supposed to limit the dropoff once the Collison-Shipp-Mbah a Moute-Aboya class had departed. The first problem was that the class’ best player, Holliday, went pro after a year. That wasn’t an unexpected development, but suddenly Collison didn’t have a fit heir apparent. Anderson saw limited action last year, and it was not always at the point. When he did play, he turned the ball over too much. Read More »
Posted in Game of the Night, Pac-10
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Tagged Alfred Aboya, Arizona, Arizona State, B.J. Mullens, Ben Howland, Big West, Cal State-Fullerton, Concordia, Darren Collison, Drew Gordon, Florida, Georgetown, Georgia State, Henry Sims, J'Mison Morgan, James Keefe, Jeff Withey, Jerime Anderson, Josh Shipp, Jrue Holliday, Kenny Kadji, Kevin Love, Lorenzo Mata-Real, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Malcolm Lee, Michael Dunigan, Michael Roll, Nicola Dragovic, Ohio State, Oregon, Pac-10, Rashanti Harris, Russell Westbrook, Southern Cal, Stanford, Ty Walker, Tyler Honeycutt, UCLA, Wake Forest, Washington State
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November 16, 2009 –
by Brendon
In sum: The other five major conferences combined for the number of losses the Pac-10 suffered alone last week — three. Oregon State’s offense looked terrible at the start of Craig Robinson’s second season, and Stanford was overmatched on the road at San Diego. On the positive side, Washington and Oregon were dominant in tournaments that they hosted, and Arizona State had the most dominant statistical performance of any team in its 87-35 win over Western Illinois.
Team of the week: Oregon. After a terrible season last year, Ernie Kent took the next step toward moving on with a 3-0 weekend to start 2009-10. The Ducks were dominant, especially on defense where they forced turnovers on 28 percent of opponents’ possession and dominated the defensive glass. Defense hasn’t been a strength for Oregon in the Kent Era, so we’ll see if this continues once the competition improves. Tajuan Porter hit 5-of-10 3-pointers in the last two wins. Read More »
Posted in Pac-10, Reviews/Previews
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Tagged Arizona State, California, Craig Robinson, Ernie Kent, Mike Montgomery, North Carolina, Ohio State, Oral Roberts, Oregon, Oregon State, Pac-10, Portland, Roeland Schaftenaar, San Diego, Seth Tarver, Southland, Stanford, Syracuse, Tajuan Porter, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Washington, Western Illinois
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November 16, 2009 –
by Brendon
In sum: Conference favorite Brigham Young led the way this weekend with a victory over Bradley out of the Missouri Valley. Colorado State showed well in Oregon despite running out of gas on Sunday, but Utah and Wyoming had rough losses.
Team of the week: Colorado State. When four of nine members begin play with non-Division I opponents, there aren’t many teams of the week from which to choose. So, the Rams get the nod for a pair of blowout wins followed by a respectable loss at Oregon. Picked eighth in the league, CSU took it to UC-Riverside and Winston Salem State with 28- and 17-point victories respectively. After Oregon dismantled those two opponents, the Rams’ 68-55 loss to the Ducks was a decent result.
|
Poss |
PPP |
eFG |
Turn |
Reb |
FTR |
| Colorado State |
68 |
0.80 |
0.405 |
0.278 |
0.333 |
0.138 |
| Oregon |
68 |
1.00 |
0.500 |
0.219 |
0.379 |
0.283 |
With a third game in three days, Colorado State showed signs of fatigue in Eugene. Tim Miles basically has a seven-man rotation, and the lack of depth on the bench showed — Ernie Kent got 30 more minutes out of his bench than Miles did. CSU’s starting backcourt Adam Nigon and Dorian Green combined for 12 turnovers in a game where their team committed turnovers on 28 percent of possessions. The poor shooting, 16-for-41 (39.0 percent) on 2-pointers didn’t help either. Despite all of the poor offense on Sunday, Colorado State hung around against a Pac-10 team after two comfortable wins. Good start. Read More »
Posted in Mid-Majors, Reviews/Previews
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Tagged Adam Nigon, Brigham Young, Cal State-Northridge, Colorado State, Dorian Green, Idaho, Memphis, Mid-Majors, Missouri Valley, Mountain West, Nebraska, Nevada, Oregon, Patty Mills, San Diego State, Southern Illinois, St. Mary's, TCU, Tim Miles, UC-Riverside, UNLV, Utah, Winston Salem State, Wyoming
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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 11, 2009 –
by Brendon
The Pac-10 may be the most underrated conference in the NCAA this season. It’s a young league that went through typical struggles early in the season, but it has improved as the season has progressed, and that gave the fan compelling conference action. The RPI, however, lags far behind the actual quality of the competition, because all those non-conference games came early. Teams like Washington State, Oregon State and Arizona played by far their best ball in conference play after up-and-down — or in OSU’s case, mainly down — performances in pre-conference action.
Without a truly elite team and without any terrible teams — excepting Oregon, which is unlikely to make it to Thursday and which has actually won two straight — the Pac-10 should be among the most competitive conference tournaments this week. Read More »
Posted in Pac-10, Reviews/Previews
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Tagged Arizona, Arizona State, California, Oregon, Oregon State, Pac-10, Southern Cal, Stanford, UCLA, Washington, Washington State
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February 26, 2009 –
by Brendon
We take this break from our regularly scheduled bubble coverage to set our sites a bit lower.
With Oregon’s win over Stanford on Saturday, DePaul is the lone remaining major-conference team without a conference win this season. On Wednesday, the Blue Demons led at the half at home against Villanova, 33-25, before the Cats stormed out in the second half to take a 52-44 lead. DePaul got it back to two, but that was the final margin in a 74-72 defeat. Read More »
Posted in Big East, National Perspective
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Tagged Baylor, Bill Carmody, Billy Gillispie, Craig Robinson, Dar Tucker, DePaul, Draelon Burns, Jerry Wainwright, Karron Clarke, Mac Koshwal, Marcus Heard, Northwestern, Oregon, Oregon State, Providence, Scott Drew, South Florida, St. John's, Texas A&M, Tony Bennett, Villanova, Washington State, West Virginia, Will Walker, Wilson Chandler
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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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