I bought a case of Dogfish Head Punkin Ale the other day. No matter how many cases I buy per season, it's never enough. I'm drinking one right now and watching the original Footloose. Spoiler Alert: it's not making the movie any better. I mean what dude gets mad and then speeds off to an abandoned factory to dance? Honestly the plot for Transformers 3 seems more realistic.
So it just came out that Charlie Davies is suing somebody for his bad judgement. I've been tired of CD9 since about May. He needs to go rehab somewhere else.
Wait I just realized something. I think Kevin Bacon's character is a gymnast who got cut. Of course he is.
Speaking of seasonal treats, I went grocery shopping today and I didn't see any Pumpkin Delights at Giant. PDs have been scarce this year and I'm worried that Little Debbie might put an end to my favorite snack of all time. I don't care if some of my friends think that it tastes like tree bark. They are just jealous.
If you aren't watching Workaholics, you don't like yourself.
Peace brah
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Friday, August 26, 2011
Virginia Tech Hokies Preview 2011
Coach: Frank Beamer - at Virginia Tech; 198-95-2 in 24 years
Overall: 240-118-4 in 30 years
Last Season: 11-3 (8-0 ACC, Champions)
Last Bowl Game: 2011 Orange Bowl (12-40 L vs Stanford)
Returning Starters: 11; 6 offense, 5 defense
Preseason Ranking: 13th AP, 13th Coaches
Virginia Tech had one of the strangest seasons in all of college football last year as they experienced some of the lowest lows and highest highs possible in a five month span.
After opening up with a tough 33-30 loss to Boise State at FedEx Field in Landover, MD, the Hokies seemed to hit rock bottom with a loss to James Madison the following weekend. Virginia Tech promptly responded by rolling off eleven straight victories, including a 44-33 ACC Championship Game win over Florida State, in the process of securing yet another spot in the BCS. Just another average year in Blacksburg right?
Coach Frank Beamer enters his 25th year at his alma mater with a well oiled machine primed to make another run at the ACC Championship. In the six years since the ACC began holding Conference Title games, Virginia Tech has played in four, while winning three of them. In other words, they own the conference.
Offense: Gone is Tyrod Taylor who captured two ACC MVP awards in leading the Hokies to two ACC Titles. That's the bad news. The good news is that his replacement, sophomore Logan Thomas, grabbed great Spring Game reviews from Beamer. Even better is the news that Thomas will have some of the most explosive play makers in the league at his disposal.
Junior David Wilson racked up 619 yards as the No.3 back on the depth chart last season so his transition to the starting spot should be seamless. He's also considered to be one of the fastest players in college football.
Returning senior starters Jarrett Boykin and Danny Coale will provide Thomas with excellent options through the air thanks to Boykin's size and Coale's reliability.
While not always glamorous, one of the most important parts of any successful team is the play off their offensive line. The Hokies return four starters from last year's Orange Bowl. Guard Jaymes Brooks and tackle Blake DeChristopher find themselves on just about every publication's All-ACC preseason teams.
Defense: Over the years Virginia Tech has been defined by takeways, special teams, and the lunch pail that defensive coordinator Bud Foster awards to the team's best defensive players each week. After having an entire off-season to remind his players of their lopsided defeat to Stanford in the Orange Bowl, in which the Cardinal ran all over the Hokies, it's a good bet that they will respond.
The secondary might just be one of the best in the nation. Junior cornerback Jayron Hosley was a consensus All-American last year after picking off nine passes. Sophomore Kyle Fuller will probably have more than enough opportunities at making big plays as most teams will likely throw away from Hosley. Senior free safety Eddie Whitley is also one of the best in the ACC at making plays. Sophomore rover Antone Exum, one of the team's best hitters, rounds out the group.
The linebacker corps is another position of strength led by junior Bruce Taylor and junior Jeron Gouveia-Winslow. Barquell Rivers, the team's leading tackler from 2009 before missing last season with an injury, is currently on the outside looking in.
The biggest question mark on defense is the front four. Defending the run was a problem all season but was never more evident than in the Orange Bowl loss. Antoine Hopkins is the lone returning starter at tackle and looks to be joined by his brother Derrick. The Hokies will be young at the end positions with sophomores James Gayle and J.R. Collins as well as red-shirt freshman Zack McCray getting a shot to play.
Biggest conference game: October 1 vs Clemson
Clemson comes to Blacksburg for the first ACC game of the year for Virginia Tech. It will also be the first chance for Thomas to really see a fast defense after playing lesser competition in the first four weeks of the season. The Tigers are being tabbed by most to be neck-and-neck with Florida State in the Atlantic Division. Clemson brings back 15 starters from last year's disappointing 6-7 campaign. Virginia Tech will need to slow down junior running back Andre Ellington who was easily one of the top backs last season before going out with a toe injury. Working in the Hokies favor for this one will be the fact that it's a home game and that Clemson will be coming off of their biggest conference game of the season against Florida State the previous week.
Biggest non-conference game: September 3 vs Appalachian State
Nobody will confuse Virgnia Tech's non-conference schedule with murderer's row this season as it includes three non-BCS schools (at East Carolina, Arkansas State, at Marshall) and one team from the lower subdivision of FCS (Appalachian State). After opening up with a Top Ten opponent in Boise State last season, the Hokies have taken a serious step back in the scheduling department. Believe it or not, the biggest non-conference test for Virginia Tech in 2011 could be with FCS perennial power Appalachian State. The Mountaineers begin the season as the #2 ranked team in the FCS Coaches Poll and will undoubtedly use Virginia Tech's loss to fellow FCS'er James Madison last season as inspiration. For a program that has come away with a win in Michigan's Big House, being intimidated at Lane Stadium shouldn't be an issue.
Best Case Scenario: Sophomore quarterback Logan Thomas picks up right where Tyrod Taylor left off and the Hokies high scoring offense doesn't miss a beat with the first year signal caller. Bud Foster works his magic along the defensive line and forces other teams to try and pass against his stellar secondary. With a weak non-conference schedule it's not out of the question that the Hokies could find themselves with a chance to play for National Championship if other results work in their favor.
Worst Case Scenario: The Hokies stub their toe against a weak non-conference opponent and immediately eliminate themselves from any National Championship Game discussions before even getting into their ACC Schedule. The only realistic chance a team from the ACC has of playing for the National Championship is to remain undefeated.
Prediction: It's really hard to imagine anybody catching Virginia Tech in the Coastal Division after both Miami and North Carolina have seemingly taken themselves out of the race with off the field issues. The Hokies should find themselves in Charlotte at the end of the season for the ACC Championship Game, most likely against Florida State. A win against the Seminoles would once again put the Hokies in the BCS, something their fans have grown quite accustomed to over the years.
Overall: 240-118-4 in 30 years
Last Season: 11-3 (8-0 ACC, Champions)
Last Bowl Game: 2011 Orange Bowl (12-40 L vs Stanford)
Returning Starters: 11; 6 offense, 5 defense
Preseason Ranking: 13th AP, 13th Coaches
Virginia Tech had one of the strangest seasons in all of college football last year as they experienced some of the lowest lows and highest highs possible in a five month span.
After opening up with a tough 33-30 loss to Boise State at FedEx Field in Landover, MD, the Hokies seemed to hit rock bottom with a loss to James Madison the following weekend. Virginia Tech promptly responded by rolling off eleven straight victories, including a 44-33 ACC Championship Game win over Florida State, in the process of securing yet another spot in the BCS. Just another average year in Blacksburg right?
Coach Frank Beamer enters his 25th year at his alma mater with a well oiled machine primed to make another run at the ACC Championship. In the six years since the ACC began holding Conference Title games, Virginia Tech has played in four, while winning three of them. In other words, they own the conference.
Offense: Gone is Tyrod Taylor who captured two ACC MVP awards in leading the Hokies to two ACC Titles. That's the bad news. The good news is that his replacement, sophomore Logan Thomas, grabbed great Spring Game reviews from Beamer. Even better is the news that Thomas will have some of the most explosive play makers in the league at his disposal.
Junior David Wilson racked up 619 yards as the No.3 back on the depth chart last season so his transition to the starting spot should be seamless. He's also considered to be one of the fastest players in college football.
Returning senior starters Jarrett Boykin and Danny Coale will provide Thomas with excellent options through the air thanks to Boykin's size and Coale's reliability.
While not always glamorous, one of the most important parts of any successful team is the play off their offensive line. The Hokies return four starters from last year's Orange Bowl. Guard Jaymes Brooks and tackle Blake DeChristopher find themselves on just about every publication's All-ACC preseason teams.
Defense: Over the years Virginia Tech has been defined by takeways, special teams, and the lunch pail that defensive coordinator Bud Foster awards to the team's best defensive players each week. After having an entire off-season to remind his players of their lopsided defeat to Stanford in the Orange Bowl, in which the Cardinal ran all over the Hokies, it's a good bet that they will respond.
The secondary might just be one of the best in the nation. Junior cornerback Jayron Hosley was a consensus All-American last year after picking off nine passes. Sophomore Kyle Fuller will probably have more than enough opportunities at making big plays as most teams will likely throw away from Hosley. Senior free safety Eddie Whitley is also one of the best in the ACC at making plays. Sophomore rover Antone Exum, one of the team's best hitters, rounds out the group.
The linebacker corps is another position of strength led by junior Bruce Taylor and junior Jeron Gouveia-Winslow. Barquell Rivers, the team's leading tackler from 2009 before missing last season with an injury, is currently on the outside looking in.
The biggest question mark on defense is the front four. Defending the run was a problem all season but was never more evident than in the Orange Bowl loss. Antoine Hopkins is the lone returning starter at tackle and looks to be joined by his brother Derrick. The Hokies will be young at the end positions with sophomores James Gayle and J.R. Collins as well as red-shirt freshman Zack McCray getting a shot to play.
Biggest conference game: October 1 vs Clemson
Clemson comes to Blacksburg for the first ACC game of the year for Virginia Tech. It will also be the first chance for Thomas to really see a fast defense after playing lesser competition in the first four weeks of the season. The Tigers are being tabbed by most to be neck-and-neck with Florida State in the Atlantic Division. Clemson brings back 15 starters from last year's disappointing 6-7 campaign. Virginia Tech will need to slow down junior running back Andre Ellington who was easily one of the top backs last season before going out with a toe injury. Working in the Hokies favor for this one will be the fact that it's a home game and that Clemson will be coming off of their biggest conference game of the season against Florida State the previous week.
Biggest non-conference game: September 3 vs Appalachian State
Nobody will confuse Virgnia Tech's non-conference schedule with murderer's row this season as it includes three non-BCS schools (at East Carolina, Arkansas State, at Marshall) and one team from the lower subdivision of FCS (Appalachian State). After opening up with a Top Ten opponent in Boise State last season, the Hokies have taken a serious step back in the scheduling department. Believe it or not, the biggest non-conference test for Virginia Tech in 2011 could be with FCS perennial power Appalachian State. The Mountaineers begin the season as the #2 ranked team in the FCS Coaches Poll and will undoubtedly use Virginia Tech's loss to fellow FCS'er James Madison last season as inspiration. For a program that has come away with a win in Michigan's Big House, being intimidated at Lane Stadium shouldn't be an issue.
Best Case Scenario: Sophomore quarterback Logan Thomas picks up right where Tyrod Taylor left off and the Hokies high scoring offense doesn't miss a beat with the first year signal caller. Bud Foster works his magic along the defensive line and forces other teams to try and pass against his stellar secondary. With a weak non-conference schedule it's not out of the question that the Hokies could find themselves with a chance to play for National Championship if other results work in their favor.
Worst Case Scenario: The Hokies stub their toe against a weak non-conference opponent and immediately eliminate themselves from any National Championship Game discussions before even getting into their ACC Schedule. The only realistic chance a team from the ACC has of playing for the National Championship is to remain undefeated.
Prediction: It's really hard to imagine anybody catching Virginia Tech in the Coastal Division after both Miami and North Carolina have seemingly taken themselves out of the race with off the field issues. The Hokies should find themselves in Charlotte at the end of the season for the ACC Championship Game, most likely against Florida State. A win against the Seminoles would once again put the Hokies in the BCS, something their fans have grown quite accustomed to over the years.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Echoes in April
Versus must be part of the NBC family. I had never really thought about it before but after watching the Notre Dame Blue-Gold Spring game with all of the NBC graphics and announcers, it is readily apparent that they are related. It makes even more sense when you think about how they both carry hockey. Of course I try not to think about hockey that much.
Former Tulane and Tampa Bay Buccanneer quarterback Shaun King is doing some sideline stuff today. I hope he's the back-up plan for the 2011 season.
OMG they just played an instrumental of Like a G6 going into the last commercial break. Wow. They are really looking to skew young today. I didn't know Versus got down like that. Now I'm feeling so fly like a G6.
Color Blind: So it's called the Blue-Gold game right? Well that doesn't make any sense. Both teams are wearing gold pants and gold helmets. One team is wearing blue jerseys. The other is wearing white jerseys. In fact both teams have guys wearing green (offensive lineman) and red (quarterbacks and others who aren't supposed to get hit). Blue-Gold game my ass.
What to look for: How do the early entry freshman look? Who changed positions? Who left? Does Crist look healthy?
Everett Golson is manning up for the Irish today. He's the only quarterback not wearing red. He is "live" fellas. The freshman from Myrtle Beach is not messing around. I didn't know people were actually from Myrtle Beach.
Yeah it's 6-3 midway through the 2nd quarter. Offense sucks so far. Defense doesn't suck as much. Or do they?
Look I can't keep watching this. It was cool for about about 10 minutes.
Biggest difference that I saw? Collinsworth was switched from WR to SS. I wonder if he will still be doing kickoffs. Quite the question to ponder. Until next time.
Peace brah
Former Tulane and Tampa Bay Buccanneer quarterback Shaun King is doing some sideline stuff today. I hope he's the back-up plan for the 2011 season.
OMG they just played an instrumental of Like a G6 going into the last commercial break. Wow. They are really looking to skew young today. I didn't know Versus got down like that. Now I'm feeling so fly like a G6.
Color Blind: So it's called the Blue-Gold game right? Well that doesn't make any sense. Both teams are wearing gold pants and gold helmets. One team is wearing blue jerseys. The other is wearing white jerseys. In fact both teams have guys wearing green (offensive lineman) and red (quarterbacks and others who aren't supposed to get hit). Blue-Gold game my ass.
What to look for: How do the early entry freshman look? Who changed positions? Who left? Does Crist look healthy?
Everett Golson is manning up for the Irish today. He's the only quarterback not wearing red. He is "live" fellas. The freshman from Myrtle Beach is not messing around. I didn't know people were actually from Myrtle Beach.
Yeah it's 6-3 midway through the 2nd quarter. Offense sucks so far. Defense doesn't suck as much. Or do they?
Look I can't keep watching this. It was cool for about about 10 minutes.
Biggest difference that I saw? Collinsworth was switched from WR to SS. I wonder if he will still be doing kickoffs. Quite the question to ponder. Until next time.
Peace brah
Monday, March 21, 2011
FSU vs ND - In game thread - 2nd Half
Hansbrough is really getting after it on defense. It doesn't seem to matter right now though as the 'Noles have already scored 9 points in the first 4 minutes.
FSU scored 57 against A&M on Friday. They already have 43 with 15:50 remaining.
The guys from the WarChant.com are telling me that FSU never shoots like this. I believe them. 50% from three is a pretty good number. The lower seeded team has done very well from that distance this weekend.
Abromaitis is noticeably frustrated. We are well on our way for both of the "home" schools to lose tonight.
ND is down 19 at 47 - 28 and for the first time tonight, I think they are going to lose. They need Hansbrough to take over because he's the only one not playing tentative out there right now.
Notre Dame has 6 losses this year. Five are by double digits.
It's 52-29 at the under 12 minute TV timeout. FSU is shooting better than 50% from the field and from deep. ND is stuck at 28% and 13% respectively. OUCH.
Brey is really working the sidelines. He's going to be exhausted after tonight. He's like a 6th defender as ND has none gone to a press.
Hansbrough just hit a three and Snaer picked up a technical.
It's an 11-0 run for the Irish and the pro-Irish crowd has come to life.
There are some pretty witty FSU fans behind me. Sounds like they enjoyed themselves well before coming into this dry arena.
It's 54-40 at the under 8 minute TV Timeout. That's 11-2 since the last one. ND needs a similar type run to really give themeslves a chance to win.
Abromaitis is 0-5 from deep and a couple of them have been wide open. He's killing them.
FSU should go right after Hansbrough. He's got 4 fouls and this game would be put to bed if he fouled out
It's 62-47 at the under 4 minute TV Timetout. This one is over. I'm gonna ask Mike Brey about the Big East. I asked Thompson the other day what he thought.
ND is 4 for 25 from three. Georgetown had the same problem. I wouldn't say that either are flawed. Given their roster's, what strategy would have been better. Neither have good big man. You can blame the coach for recruiting and that's valid. But that's how both of these teams had to play to win.
Hansbrough just fouled out and the crowd is killing him. He's taking it pretty well. The house stat channel has the nameHANSBROUGH written in just like that.
FSU barely got by A&M the other day. I figured they had a better chance at beating ND. I was right.
Abromaitis has hit a couple of meaningless 3's. His box score won't look as bad now. They had no impact on the game.
Final FSU 71 ND 57
United Center Observations 3/20 - Third Round
There is a steady drip from the ceiling a few rows behind me. Some ND fans are complaining about it. I'd love to know what the usher is supposed to do about it. I bet they wish it was raining 3's.
Well this is now the only game on TV right now. They delay is about 7 seconds. I like it.
The FSU dance team is ridiculous. I mean that in a good way.
The FSU radio play-by-play guy reminds me of Jim Ross.
ND fans left way too early. I'll never understand that move. It's not just their fans. It's fans of every team in every sport. They spend a lot of time/effort/money to get to games and then they leave early.
The drum that starts the Tomahawk Chop is insane. It puts the ones at DC United games to shame. Sorry fellas.
FSU scored 57 against A&M on Friday. They already have 43 with 15:50 remaining.
The guys from the WarChant.com are telling me that FSU never shoots like this. I believe them. 50% from three is a pretty good number. The lower seeded team has done very well from that distance this weekend.
Abromaitis is noticeably frustrated. We are well on our way for both of the "home" schools to lose tonight.
ND is down 19 at 47 - 28 and for the first time tonight, I think they are going to lose. They need Hansbrough to take over because he's the only one not playing tentative out there right now.
Notre Dame has 6 losses this year. Five are by double digits.
It's 52-29 at the under 12 minute TV timeout. FSU is shooting better than 50% from the field and from deep. ND is stuck at 28% and 13% respectively. OUCH.
Brey is really working the sidelines. He's going to be exhausted after tonight. He's like a 6th defender as ND has none gone to a press.
Hansbrough just hit a three and Snaer picked up a technical.
It's an 11-0 run for the Irish and the pro-Irish crowd has come to life.
There are some pretty witty FSU fans behind me. Sounds like they enjoyed themselves well before coming into this dry arena.
It's 54-40 at the under 8 minute TV Timeout. That's 11-2 since the last one. ND needs a similar type run to really give themeslves a chance to win.
Abromaitis is 0-5 from deep and a couple of them have been wide open. He's killing them.
FSU should go right after Hansbrough. He's got 4 fouls and this game would be put to bed if he fouled out
It's 62-47 at the under 4 minute TV Timetout. This one is over. I'm gonna ask Mike Brey about the Big East. I asked Thompson the other day what he thought.
ND is 4 for 25 from three. Georgetown had the same problem. I wouldn't say that either are flawed. Given their roster's, what strategy would have been better. Neither have good big man. You can blame the coach for recruiting and that's valid. But that's how both of these teams had to play to win.
Hansbrough just fouled out and the crowd is killing him. He's taking it pretty well. The house stat channel has the name
FSU barely got by A&M the other day. I figured they had a better chance at beating ND. I was right.
Abromaitis has hit a couple of meaningless 3's. His box score won't look as bad now. They had no impact on the game.
Final FSU 71 ND 57
United Center Observations 3/20 - Third Round
There is a steady drip from the ceiling a few rows behind me. Some ND fans are complaining about it. I'd love to know what the usher is supposed to do about it. I bet they wish it was raining 3's.
Well this is now the only game on TV right now. They delay is about 7 seconds. I like it.
The FSU dance team is ridiculous. I mean that in a good way.
The FSU radio play-by-play guy reminds me of Jim Ross.
ND fans left way too early. I'll never understand that move. It's not just their fans. It's fans of every team in every sport. They spend a lot of time/effort/money to get to games and then they leave early.
The drum that starts the Tomahawk Chop is insane. It puts the ones at DC United games to shame. Sorry fellas.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
FSU vs ND - In game thread
Florida State is up early but it's Fool's Gold so far. ND is off to a horrible shooting start (4-15) but FSU has already has 8 turnovers and is only up 5. The Irish will at some point start hitting shots. Won't they?
So I just found out Syracuse lost. That's awesome.
Notre Dame guard Scott Martin is really laboring around the court. I'm not sure what's wrong with him but something is definitely not right.
Hansbrough is having a hard time getting to the hoop. Micahel Snaer is doing a great job of staying all over him without fouling.
Florida State's length is really bothering ND. That's the bad news. FSU struggles to score at times and goes through long droughts. That's the good news.
Halftime FSU 34 ND 23
That is a low half for the Irish. 1-10 from deep isn't going to get it done for them. They are about to pull a Georgetown if they don't watch out. I think they will get back in this. Abromaitis won't stay cold all night.
ND is actually outscoring FSU in the paint while FSU holds the advantage from long distance. It's the exact opposite of what you would expect. Up is down and black is white here in Chicago.
Getting back to Abromaitis - he has thrown up a couple of bricks. Not like him at all. Dude can't flat out shoot.
United Center Observations 3/20 - Third Round
27 minutes sounds like a long time. It's not. It's impossible to catch both press conferences of the previous teams and hit the locker rooms without missing a considerable amount of the next game. I missed about 8 minutes of game time.
There's more FSU fans here than you would think. Well at least more than I would think.
The FSU radio guys do the tomahawk chop with the rest of the crowd. I like it. I'm sure I would hate it if this were a football game though.
Just got the notes from the Purdue and VCU press conferences. I did not know that Purdue was the Old Gold and Black. So who's the Young Gold and Black?
So I just found out Syracuse lost. That's awesome.
Notre Dame guard Scott Martin is really laboring around the court. I'm not sure what's wrong with him but something is definitely not right.
Hansbrough is having a hard time getting to the hoop. Micahel Snaer is doing a great job of staying all over him without fouling.
Florida State's length is really bothering ND. That's the bad news. FSU struggles to score at times and goes through long droughts. That's the good news.
Halftime FSU 34 ND 23
That is a low half for the Irish. 1-10 from deep isn't going to get it done for them. They are about to pull a Georgetown if they don't watch out. I think they will get back in this. Abromaitis won't stay cold all night.
ND is actually outscoring FSU in the paint while FSU holds the advantage from long distance. It's the exact opposite of what you would expect. Up is down and black is white here in Chicago.
Getting back to Abromaitis - he has thrown up a couple of bricks. Not like him at all. Dude can't flat out shoot.
United Center Observations 3/20 - Third Round
27 minutes sounds like a long time. It's not. It's impossible to catch both press conferences of the previous teams and hit the locker rooms without missing a considerable amount of the next game. I missed about 8 minutes of game time.
There's more FSU fans here than you would think. Well at least more than I would think.
The FSU radio guys do the tomahawk chop with the rest of the crowd. I like it. I'm sure I would hate it if this were a football game though.
Just got the notes from the Purdue and VCU press conferences. I did not know that Purdue was the Old Gold and Black. So who's the Young Gold and Black?
VCU vs Purdue - In Game Thread 2nd Half
Up 11 on Friday against the Hoyas, the Rams came out and put the game away early. Purdue has already show more life shooting the ball than Georgetown ever did on Friday so I expect them to make VCU earn it a bit more.
Purdue needs to go down low more and they have on both of their opening possessions to start the half. And now they hit a three and it feels like the entire arena is rooting for the Boilers.
VCU has withstood the first attempt by Purdue to cut into the lead and has actually increased it to 15 with 14:15 remaining.
After watching VCU torch Georgetown from behind the arc, Purdue is really up on the shooters. This is leading to some nice penetration and assists for VCU. You can't guard both. VCU is doing a good job of making one have to guard 2.
I really think Purdue is panicking. They aren't using their inside advantage at all. They have already hoisted up 19 shots from deep, making only 6.
We are halfway through the 2nd half and its VCU 65 Purdue 48. I'm calling this one right now.
Purdue had given up 70 or more four times in 33 games this season. VCU has 82 with 3:30 left.
I hope the AD at VCU has a list of coaching candidates for men's basketball because Shaka Smart won't be in Richmond much longer. I dare Oklahoma to hire him. I wonder if Jeff Capel is watching
Final VCU 94 Purdue 76
Ok I need to go get some quotes for a real story.
United Center Observations 3/20 - Third Round
Does anybody not know the words to Bon Jovi's Living on a Prayer?
Their is a VCU cheerleader that walks up and back the length of the court on her hands. I wasn't in the mood to appreciate it on Friday. Tonight I am.
Purdue needs to go down low more and they have on both of their opening possessions to start the half. And now they hit a three and it feels like the entire arena is rooting for the Boilers.
VCU has withstood the first attempt by Purdue to cut into the lead and has actually increased it to 15 with 14:15 remaining.
After watching VCU torch Georgetown from behind the arc, Purdue is really up on the shooters. This is leading to some nice penetration and assists for VCU. You can't guard both. VCU is doing a good job of making one have to guard 2.
I really think Purdue is panicking. They aren't using their inside advantage at all. They have already hoisted up 19 shots from deep, making only 6.
We are halfway through the 2nd half and its VCU 65 Purdue 48. I'm calling this one right now.
Purdue had given up 70 or more four times in 33 games this season. VCU has 82 with 3:30 left.
I hope the AD at VCU has a list of coaching candidates for men's basketball because Shaka Smart won't be in Richmond much longer. I dare Oklahoma to hire him. I wonder if Jeff Capel is watching
Final VCU 94 Purdue 76
Ok I need to go get some quotes for a real story.
United Center Observations 3/20 - Third Round
Does anybody not know the words to Bon Jovi's Living on a Prayer?
Their is a VCU cheerleader that walks up and back the length of the court on her hands. I wasn't in the mood to appreciate it on Friday. Tonight I am.
VCU vs Purdue - In Game Thread
If VCU beats Purdue tonight they will become the second team from the Richmond area to end up in the San Antonio regional later this week joining the Spiders of Richmond. That's crazy if you think about it.
VCU has been able to make this an up tempo game so far. Their 3 point shots haven't been falling and as a result the lead has gone back and forth. They are pressing on their makes and it's causing some trouble for Purdue.
Uh oh Boilermaker fans, the Rams are on a 13-0 run. The 3's are starting to drop and the lead is up to 12.
Rodriguez has been making good decisions for the most part. The few bad passes he has thrown have been on breaks and his teammates have bailed him out by saving the would-be turnover.
Halftime VCU 42 Purdue 32
The Rams were up 11 on Georgetown. It's a little bit more of a high scoring game at this point. VCU has made 18 field goals at the break. By comparison they made 18 field goals against Georgetown in the entire game. They just haven't hit as many 3's or free throws (yet).
United Center Observations 3/20 - Third Round
I hope the Florida State radio guy is getting paid a lot because he has been working his tail off to get his operation ready for the next game.
I love how they announce scores that have been a final for hours inside to the public as if it's the 1960's and everybody is lost without a paper the next morning in their driveway.
The VCU band is tremendous. They have been the musical class of the Chicago site and it's not even close.
Well John Thompson Jr. is still here. Unfortunately that's about the only familiar face today.
The guys from something called WarChant.com are sitting next to me.
It's almost halftime and the FSU radio guy is still trying to connect all of the cables and wires that he needs to get on the air. It's exhuasting to watch.
It's really hard to turn the channel on the TV down here. TNT HD is on ch 61.6 and it takes forever to get there. I went with SD for awhile. So, yeah, that's how hard it is.
Just got my one minute "conversation" out of the way with JT2. If he didn't favor one of his legs and he could walk faster, they would be more 15 second "conversations".
Peace brah
VCU has been able to make this an up tempo game so far. Their 3 point shots haven't been falling and as a result the lead has gone back and forth. They are pressing on their makes and it's causing some trouble for Purdue.
Uh oh Boilermaker fans, the Rams are on a 13-0 run. The 3's are starting to drop and the lead is up to 12.
Rodriguez has been making good decisions for the most part. The few bad passes he has thrown have been on breaks and his teammates have bailed him out by saving the would-be turnover.
Halftime VCU 42 Purdue 32
The Rams were up 11 on Georgetown. It's a little bit more of a high scoring game at this point. VCU has made 18 field goals at the break. By comparison they made 18 field goals against Georgetown in the entire game. They just haven't hit as many 3's or free throws (yet).
United Center Observations 3/20 - Third Round
I hope the Florida State radio guy is getting paid a lot because he has been working his tail off to get his operation ready for the next game.
I love how they announce scores that have been a final for hours inside to the public as if it's the 1960's and everybody is lost without a paper the next morning in their driveway.
The VCU band is tremendous. They have been the musical class of the Chicago site and it's not even close.
Well John Thompson Jr. is still here. Unfortunately that's about the only familiar face today.
The guys from something called WarChant.com are sitting next to me.
It's almost halftime and the FSU radio guy is still trying to connect all of the cables and wires that he needs to get on the air. It's exhuasting to watch.
It's really hard to turn the channel on the TV down here. TNT HD is on ch 61.6 and it takes forever to get there. I went with SD for awhile. So, yeah, that's how hard it is.
Just got my one minute "conversation" out of the way with JT2. If he didn't favor one of his legs and he could walk faster, they would be more 15 second "conversations".
Peace brah
Friday, March 18, 2011
Purdue 65 - St. Peter's 42 - Final
Nothing like a nice little 7-0 to start the half for the Boilermakers to push their lead to 40-17. The St. Peter's fans behind me are really into their team. I'm glad somebody is.
I've never heard fans cheer so hard for a team getting totally destroyed. It's nice. I think.
St. Peter's is starting to get some stuff from their press and has cut the lead to 16 at 50-34.
In other news the Georgetown section is starting to fill up. I know that the Hoyas had to request more than their original allotment of 550 tickets. But as expected ND and Purdue fans are the big fan bases at this event.
St. Peter's is constantly looking for the back door cut. They aren't getting it and have thrown a couple of bad passes trying to open it.
One more media timeout and this baby is over. 53-36 in favor of Purdue.
This one looks over. I'm going to really miss the Peacock mascot. That's one good looking bird. I'm seriously considering getting a picture with him after this one is over.
St. Peter's did not give up but they just didn't have it. I figured this would be the worst game of the day and it has been, so far.
Now it's time for the big time.
I've never heard fans cheer so hard for a team getting totally destroyed. It's nice. I think.
St. Peter's is starting to get some stuff from their press and has cut the lead to 16 at 50-34.
In other news the Georgetown section is starting to fill up. I know that the Hoyas had to request more than their original allotment of 550 tickets. But as expected ND and Purdue fans are the big fan bases at this event.
St. Peter's is constantly looking for the back door cut. They aren't getting it and have thrown a couple of bad passes trying to open it.
One more media timeout and this baby is over. 53-36 in favor of Purdue.
This one looks over. I'm going to really miss the Peacock mascot. That's one good looking bird. I'm seriously considering getting a picture with him after this one is over.
St. Peter's did not give up but they just didn't have it. I figured this would be the worst game of the day and it has been, so far.
Now it's time for the big time.
Game 3: Purdue (3) vs Saint Peter's (14)
Purdue (25-7)
Starters
E'Twaun Moore G
Lewis Jackson G
Ryne Smith G
JaJuan Johnson F
D.J. Byrd F
Saint Peter's (20-13)
Starters
Nick Leon G
Wesley Jenkins G
Steven Samuels G
Darius Conley F
Ryan Bacon F
I think this will be the one blowout of the day here in Chicago. St. Peter's just doesn't have the height and they only decent team that beat this season was Alabama. Purdue has two pros on their roster. It's gonna take a lot from the Peakcocks tonight.
The arena is filling up better than I thought. Everybody I talked with said the Purdue fan base wasn't rather apathetic toward their basketball team even thought it's been more successful than their football team.
It's 24-13 with under 5 minutes left in the first half. I guess you could say that St. Peter's is hanging around. I think it's more of Purdue just screwing around.
There are mismatches at all 5 positions on the court. I'm sure it's been a great season for St. Peter's but it's about to end and end badly.
Halftime
Purdue 33
St. Peter's 17
It feels like 133 to 17.
There's not much to say about this one. So I won't.
Starters
E'Twaun Moore G
Lewis Jackson G
Ryne Smith G
JaJuan Johnson F
D.J. Byrd F
Saint Peter's (20-13)
Starters
Nick Leon G
Wesley Jenkins G
Steven Samuels G
Darius Conley F
Ryan Bacon F
I think this will be the one blowout of the day here in Chicago. St. Peter's just doesn't have the height and they only decent team that beat this season was Alabama. Purdue has two pros on their roster. It's gonna take a lot from the Peakcocks tonight.
The arena is filling up better than I thought. Everybody I talked with said the Purdue fan base wasn't rather apathetic toward their basketball team even thought it's been more successful than their football team.
It's 24-13 with under 5 minutes left in the first half. I guess you could say that St. Peter's is hanging around. I think it's more of Purdue just screwing around.
There are mismatches at all 5 positions on the court. I'm sure it's been a great season for St. Peter's but it's about to end and end badly.
Halftime
Purdue 33
St. Peter's 17
It feels like 133 to 17.
There's not much to say about this one. So I won't.
In between the doubleheaders 3-18
There was not much time in between the doubleheaders tonight.
I went back and caught the last half of the Texas A&M press conference. I can't imagine anything worse than having to interview the losing team - especially the seniors that know they aren't playing at the next level.
I was wondering what the Big Ten was going to do with the buffet today because of the whole "no meat on Friday's" thing during Lent. They played it safe and went with grilled cheese and soup. It was alright. I've had worse.
The good thing about an A&M loss is that I think FSU can beat Notre Dame. The bad thing is that the A&M media guys were very friendly and informative. They are going home. The second good thing is that a lot of space just opened up to my right. I've not got total control of the HDTV at the end of my row. It's about 30 seconds faster than the internet version of the game.
The guys from Richmond covering VCU are all wearing WRIC shirts. I kinda want one.
It's starting to get real around these parts. The Georgetown assistant coaches are sitting a few seats to my left. I'm starting to see a few Hoya fans I recognize.
I think today is a good day to start a winning streak.
Peace brah
Florida State 57 - Texas A&M 50 - Final
All that's between me and the buffet is 12:43 of ugly basketball. This game has turned into a real rock fight. Jay Bilas says that a lot and I've never been quite sure what it meant until just now. Now I know.
Speaking of fans, the A&M faithful are intense. They are right across from me and pretty boisterous. They obviously don't want to go back to College Station tonight.
Florida State has switched to a zone and it has slowed A&M down to a glacial pace.
A&M scored the first 5 points of this half. FSU has responded well by scoring the last 11. Only 16 points in the first 8 minutes. Riveting.
FSU has dominated points in the paint (16 to 4) and block shots (6 to 1). A&M has been kept alive by three point shooting (6 for 14).
The guy from the 12th Man Magazine says today's performance is very much indicative of the way they play. I'm starting to really wonder if either of these teams can impose their will on the Irish on Sunday. I think ND fans can start booking their tickets for the River Walk in San Antonio. Neither of these teams will be able to score enough to beat ND.
The fans of both of these teams are hard to distinguish. They both wear a maroon type color. A&M actually wears maroon while I believe FSU wears garnet. It's hard to tell which team the fans in the upper deck are rooting for during this game.
Speaking of fans, the A&M faithful are intense. They are right across from me and pretty boisterous. They obviously don't want to go back to College Station tonight.
Florida State is pulling away. Some of those three pointers are starting to drop as their lead increases.
I'm going to be really impressed if either team finds 60 points today.
FSU is up 8 with 2:28 to go. I'm calling it.
The FSU cheerleaders have changed outfits about 100 times during this game. It's exhausting to watch them come out in something new every 5 minutes.
And we have a final here in the second game of the day.
FSU 57
A&M 50
The Seminoles just dominated the paint at both ends. The Aggies came to Chicago and scored 50 points on 31% shooting. That just isn't going to get a win in March.
So we have one game set for Sunday. Notre Dame (2) will take on Florida State (10) for a trip to San Antonio. I think it will be a mistake for FSU to zone the Irish. A big mistake
I have that war chant stuck in my head. It's like I'm at a Braves game.
Ok I've got about an hour before the next game. Buffet time!
St Peters's vs Purdue is next.
Game 2: Texas A&M (7) vs Florida State (10)
Texas A&M (24-8)
Starters
B.J. Holmes G
Dash Harris G
David Loubeau F
Nathan Walkup F
Khris Middleton F
Florida State (21-10)
Starters
Derwin Kitchen G
Michael Snaer G
Deividas Dulkys G
Bernard James F
Okaro White F
I'd like to see the winner of this game knock off the Irish on Sunday. I think Florida State has the better shot at doing just that. Just like Georgetown with Chris Wright, the big questions for FSU is whether or not F Chris Singleton will return.
You know what I've never seen? I've never seen a team go 7:15 without scoring a point to start a game. I had never seen it before Texas A&M did just that today. This is going to be the quickest game of the tournament.
So the bad news is that A&M is in a scoring drought. The good news is that so is FSU. I mean it's 7-2 Seminoles at the under 12 minute media timeout. That's insane.
A bunch of us were actually ignoring the game being played in front of us to watch the end of the Mason - Villanova game. Talk about your epic collapses. Jay Wright's boys lost 6 straight and 11 of their final 16 to end the season. DePaul took them to overtime. DEPAUL.
Ok back to the game in front of me.
We are at the under 8 minute TV timeout and its all knotted up at 12. A&M is on a 9-0 scoring run. FSU coach Leonard Hamilton has used 10 players so far but none of them wear a headband and by the name of Singleton.
And here comes Singleton right on cue. Nice ovation from the Seminole faithful behind me and to the left.
Singleton hasn't played in awhile and is making up for lost time on fouls. He picked up 3 in limited minutes. He doesn't have his sea legs yet.
Both teams are shooting under 30% from the field. FSU can't make a three pointer and A&M are struggling from the line. A lot of this is good defense but not all of it. Some of it is really bad offense.
We have mercifully reached the halfway point in this slug fest.
A&M 26
FSU 23
That's not a bad output from the Aggies considering they did all of their scoring in a little less than 13 minutes.
Starters
B.J. Holmes G
Dash Harris G
David Loubeau F
Nathan Walkup F
Khris Middleton F
Florida State (21-10)
Starters
Derwin Kitchen G
Michael Snaer G
Deividas Dulkys G
Bernard James F
Okaro White F
I'd like to see the winner of this game knock off the Irish on Sunday. I think Florida State has the better shot at doing just that. Just like Georgetown with Chris Wright, the big questions for FSU is whether or not F Chris Singleton will return.
You know what I've never seen? I've never seen a team go 7:15 without scoring a point to start a game. I had never seen it before Texas A&M did just that today. This is going to be the quickest game of the tournament.
So the bad news is that A&M is in a scoring drought. The good news is that so is FSU. I mean it's 7-2 Seminoles at the under 12 minute media timeout. That's insane.
A bunch of us were actually ignoring the game being played in front of us to watch the end of the Mason - Villanova game. Talk about your epic collapses. Jay Wright's boys lost 6 straight and 11 of their final 16 to end the season. DePaul took them to overtime. DEPAUL.
Ok back to the game in front of me.
We are at the under 8 minute TV timeout and its all knotted up at 12. A&M is on a 9-0 scoring run. FSU coach Leonard Hamilton has used 10 players so far but none of them wear a headband and by the name of Singleton.
And here comes Singleton right on cue. Nice ovation from the Seminole faithful behind me and to the left.
Singleton hasn't played in awhile and is making up for lost time on fouls. He picked up 3 in limited minutes. He doesn't have his sea legs yet.
Both teams are shooting under 30% from the field. FSU can't make a three pointer and A&M are struggling from the line. A lot of this is good defense but not all of it. Some of it is really bad offense.
We have mercifully reached the halfway point in this slug fest.
A&M 26
FSU 23
That's not a bad output from the Aggies considering they did all of their scoring in a little less than 13 minutes.
Live from Chicago
Ok well I'm here on press row for Hoyareport.com. Georgetown doesn't play until the late game so I've got to get through 3 games before the Main Event. I'm planning on blogging during other games while my Georgetown write ups will be on the rivals.com site.
It's nice to finally see some basketball after all of the interviews and practices yesterday.
The media sit in the two rows around the court. M1 is reserved for tv and radio types. M2 is for the writers/bloggers/whatever. That's where I am. As far as my location on M2, I think I got lucky. I'm facing the benches near mid-court. John Thompson is to my left in M1.
The guys from HoyasHoops.com are sitting next to me but they haven't showed up yet which is great because we are really jammed in here. Georgetown Voice is not here yet but Georgetown play-by-play guy Rich Chvotkin is and we have been talking the entire time. He talks the same in person as he does on the air - FAST.
The guy to my right is from the 12th Man Magazine which is prefect because I don't know that much about A&M hoops other than the fact that Naji Hibbert plays there.
The halftimes (20 min) are longer than normal college basketball halftimes (15). College basketball games normally run about 2 hours. They have been averaging 2 and a half hours through the first day because of the longer commercial breaks. I think the sponsors would be happier if everybody just ran an informercial.
Being able to watch the other games on my laptop while the game in front of me is going on is a dream come true. The absolute worst thing about attending NCAA Tournament games is missing the other games around the country. I don't have that problem.
I can also get up and hit the hospitality snack bar or just go back into the media room where there are TVs everywhere. It's basically the best set-up a nerd like me could ask for during a game.
The internal stat feed is incredible. The Big Ten has a password protected website that provides instant stats. It's been great although I have some problems with the guy scoring blocks. It's hard to get credit for a block today.
As a fan, there are a few things I would change about NCAA Tournament games. Here is my list:
1. Game Highlights on the Big Screen. They don't show highlights of other games. Why?
2. Show games during the break. They don't show other games during the 27 minute break between games. Again, why?
3. I'll have a Stella thanks. They don't serve beer. All off campus venues allow beer during the regular season. Beer companies are a rather big sponsor of NCAA sports. Seems kind of silly not to offer up the adult sodas for the fans. Now I couldn't be drinking right now but in the past I have hated it.
Well that was my attempt to paint the picture of where I am and what I'm doing.
Peace brah
As a fan, there are a few things I would change about NCAA Tournament games. Here is my list:
1. Game Highlights on the Big Screen. They don't show highlights of other games. Why?
2. Show games during the break. They don't show other games during the 27 minute break between games. Again, why?
3. I'll have a Stella thanks. They don't serve beer. All off campus venues allow beer during the regular season. Beer companies are a rather big sponsor of NCAA sports. Seems kind of silly not to offer up the adult sodas for the fans. Now I couldn't be drinking right now but in the past I have hated it.
Well that was my attempt to paint the picture of where I am and what I'm doing.
Peace brah
Notre Dame 69 - Akron 56 - Final
I don't want to keep beating a dead horse but Zeke Marshall is just either having a bad day or isn't quite that good. He started the 2nd half just like he ended the first half - with a miss. He's now 1-10. That's criminal.
ND has pushed the lead to 9 and Akron wisely calls a timeout before the first media timeout. This game is about to get away from them and Coach Dambrot feels it.
The Irish fans are a late arriving bunch. The United Center know has the ND home game feeling that I expected. I wonder what they were all doing that might have made them miss most off the first half.
Well we are almost 7 minutes into the 2nd half and Akron has put up 3 points on one made field goal. ND might be lucky to get this kind of performance out of the way early because they are letting Akron get the shots they want. They just can't make them. It really is that simple.
We had a fast and furious couple of minutes where the refs were letting it go both ways. I thought Akron was unfortunate not to get a goal tending call after cutting the lead to 5. It's back up to 10 at the under 7 minute media timeout.
Zeke update: Good news is that he has mad 1 of his last 2 shots. Bad news is that he's 2-12 overall.
There's a new kid killing Akron. His name is Brett McKnight and he doesn't pass. He seems to be having a competition with Zeke as to who can miss more shots. He's 3 for 12 so it's close. Too early to call right now. The problem with McKnight is that he started 3 for 4 so he was "feeling it".
We have our first final of the day from Chicago.
ND 69
Akron 56
Missed Shots Final
Zeke 11
McKnight 9
Every time Akron made a run, they seemed to lose Abromaitis for three pointer. He was 3-3 from deep.
Final analysis: It was my first time seeing Akron play and they don't play very well as a team. They have their spurts but its not enough against a quality opponent like ND. They played like individuals for long stretches. Brett McKnight's play exemplified this point. He came off the bench, hit a few shots, and became a black hole for the remainder of the game. It's one thing to just miss good shots - that was Zeke's problem. It's another thing to just force stuff.
I'm pretty familiar with Notre Dame and they were a bit off today. You have to give some of the credit to Akron but some of it was them just missing open looks. They had 16 assists on their 21 makes which is a great ratio. They survived a scare today and that's what good teams do. They pile up wins even when they aren't at their best.
ND has pushed the lead to 9 and Akron wisely calls a timeout before the first media timeout. This game is about to get away from them and Coach Dambrot feels it.
The Irish fans are a late arriving bunch. The United Center know has the ND home game feeling that I expected. I wonder what they were all doing that might have made them miss most off the first half.
Well we are almost 7 minutes into the 2nd half and Akron has put up 3 points on one made field goal. ND might be lucky to get this kind of performance out of the way early because they are letting Akron get the shots they want. They just can't make them. It really is that simple.
We had a fast and furious couple of minutes where the refs were letting it go both ways. I thought Akron was unfortunate not to get a goal tending call after cutting the lead to 5. It's back up to 10 at the under 7 minute media timeout.
Zeke update: Good news is that he has mad 1 of his last 2 shots. Bad news is that he's 2-12 overall.
There's a new kid killing Akron. His name is Brett McKnight and he doesn't pass. He seems to be having a competition with Zeke as to who can miss more shots. He's 3 for 12 so it's close. Too early to call right now. The problem with McKnight is that he started 3 for 4 so he was "feeling it".
We have our first final of the day from Chicago.
ND 69
Akron 56
Missed Shots Final
Zeke 11
McKnight 9
Every time Akron made a run, they seemed to lose Abromaitis for three pointer. He was 3-3 from deep.
Final analysis: It was my first time seeing Akron play and they don't play very well as a team. They have their spurts but its not enough against a quality opponent like ND. They played like individuals for long stretches. Brett McKnight's play exemplified this point. He came off the bench, hit a few shots, and became a black hole for the remainder of the game. It's one thing to just miss good shots - that was Zeke's problem. It's another thing to just force stuff.
I'm pretty familiar with Notre Dame and they were a bit off today. You have to give some of the credit to Akron but some of it was them just missing open looks. They had 16 assists on their 21 makes which is a great ratio. They survived a scare today and that's what good teams do. They pile up wins even when they aren't at their best.
Game 1: Notre Dame (2) vs Akron (15)
Akron has a tough job today with Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish do an incredible job of spacing the court with shooters at all 5 spots. Akron is going to need a lot of help from ND tonight in the form of missed shots.
The last 15 seed to beat a 2 was 10 years ago when Hampton knocked off Iowa State. I watched that game (Georgetown played the winner). I wouldn't mind seeing another one of those.
I really don't know what to expect from the Zips but if they shoot half as well as fell MAC member Ohio did in their first round game against Georgetown last year, they will give themselves a chance to win. Ok I just looked it up and Ohio beat up on Akron twice this season. That can't be good.
Akron is ice cold from the field. That's a problem. That's a big problem
Zeke Marshall is a 7 footer that is playing like you would expect a 7 footer from the MAC to play. That's another problem.
So the Akron fans are right behind me and they have been standing most of the time. I'm guessing that they are used to going to soccer games
We are at the half and Akron is only down 4 at 34-30.
Ok I'm really distracted. I'm trying to type while John Thompson is talking to one of the Florida State coaches two seats down from me. Maybe I should go ask him about that time he took a picture with me in 10th grade. That would be a good ice breaker.
2nd Half Adjustments for Akron: Their big man is 1-9 from the field. When he gets the ball down low he should be kicking it back out. Akron has looked their best when they really share the ball. I've count 5 horrible shots. They need to go away from driving to the hoop. That isn't working. Credit to their coach for already using 9 players. He's not going to leave anything on the court today.
Play of the Half: Hansbrough showed why he won't be playing in the NBA on two late possessions. He loves going to the hoop. He isn't quick enough or big enough to do that in the league. Zeke has sent his shot twice. It's almost as if Ben couldn't believe it so he tried it again. Same result.
Ok 2nd half tip is about to start. I'll be back
Thursday, March 17, 2011
United Center Media Day
Just a quick setting of my scene.
I'm sitting in the Media Room in the United Center. There are huge life-like pictures of Bulls greats on the walls everywhere - Jordan, Pippen, Sloan, Rodman. About 5 steps away is the interview room. I just sat in on Mike Brey's press conference. I've got the ODU - Butler came up on my screen from the Verizon Center. I just heard the ND Fight Song as the Irish took the court for their practice session. I'll probably get up in a few minutes to see if they are doing any real drills or just playing knock-out.
There's a lot going on and I could get used to this type of action.
Update: Georgetown and VCU press conferences don't start until 4:30 CT.
I'm sitting in the Media Room in the United Center. There are huge life-like pictures of Bulls greats on the walls everywhere - Jordan, Pippen, Sloan, Rodman. About 5 steps away is the interview room. I just sat in on Mike Brey's press conference. I've got the ODU - Butler came up on my screen from the Verizon Center. I just heard the ND Fight Song as the Irish took the court for their practice session. I'll probably get up in a few minutes to see if they are doing any real drills or just playing knock-out.
There's a lot going on and I could get used to this type of action.
Update: Georgetown and VCU press conferences don't start until 4:30 CT.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Selection Sunday
Here are my predictions for the Sweet 16 Seeds:
1: Kansas, Ohio State, Pittsburgh, Duke
2: Notre Dame, San Diego State, Connecticut, Texas
3: UNC, Louisville, Kentucky, BYU
4: Purdue, Syracuse, Florida, Wisconsin
I have the Hoyas as a 6 seed playing Gonzaga. Three other teams I could see them playing are Penn State, Butler, or Colorado.
The Big East will shatter the record for teams from one conference making the Tournament with 11. They are all deserving but I don't see any as a favorite to make it to Houston.
Off to St. Leo's.
Peace brah
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Championship Saturday
It's pretty important that Connecticut lose tonight.
A Huskies win will see them tie Georgetown for the most Big East Championships. It would also put the Emperor, I mean Calhoun, into first place all by himself, passing JT2.
Nobody with a soul wants to see that.
Jumping ahead to the end of the game because I didn't feel like blogging during it.
Connecticut wins a thriller. The Big East Tournament is special. It's a shame cheaters get to win. The slap on the wrist the Huskies received from the NCAA should make USC Football pretty upset.
The only good thing I can see coming from Kemba's week at MSG is that everybody will forget about Gerry McNamara's week from 2006. Everybody wins when the Orange lose.
Bracket party tomorrow at 5:30pm. Until then.
Peace brah
A Huskies win will see them tie Georgetown for the most Big East Championships. It would also put the Emperor, I mean Calhoun, into first place all by himself, passing JT2.
Nobody with a soul wants to see that.
Jumping ahead to the end of the game because I didn't feel like blogging during it.
Connecticut wins a thriller. The Big East Tournament is special. It's a shame cheaters get to win. The slap on the wrist the Huskies received from the NCAA should make USC Football pretty upset.
The only good thing I can see coming from Kemba's week at MSG is that everybody will forget about Gerry McNamara's week from 2006. Everybody wins when the Orange lose.
Bracket party tomorrow at 5:30pm. Until then.
Peace brah
Friday Night in the Garden
There's nothing like it. There's nothing like a Friday Night in the Garden.
I've been fairly fortunate lately. Over the past six seasons, Georgetown has played four times on Friday Night, winning three of those games.
This is not one of those years. Making matters worse is the first game tonight.
Syracuse is playing Connecticut in the first semi-final and for me, that's the worst possible match-up that the Big East Conference has to offer. I can usually find a reason to root for one team or the other. Not tonight. I have to dig deep. Calhoun is opposite the Orange sideline so it's really a no win.
But there is one real that trumps everything. And that rule is never, ever, no matter what, root for the slime in Orange. Never.
So because of the Boeheim rule, I'm stuck rooting for that cheating, rotting corpse Calhoun. Man I feel dirty. The bright side is that if they end up playing 5 games in 5 days I doubt they make it out of the first weekend of the tournament.
Making matters worse is that Orange Fan Boy Sean McDonough is doing play-by-play. He would be insufferable if not for the excellent work of Jay Bilas and Bill Raftery. Those guys are the best in the business.
I can't believe this game is going into OT. They played six OT's and ESPN won't let you forget about it.
Well there is a God. Syracuse lost.
Tonight is turning out to be a damn good night. ND blew a huge lead and is now 0-4 all time in the semi-finals. Mike Brey is such a great coach, pilling up COY award after COY award, yet he's only been past the first weekend of the tournament once in 11 years with zero regular season BE titles and zero BET titles.
I'm all in for Louisville in the Finals.
It's been a tough tournament for me as a fan but it has a chance to avoid total disaster.
Peace brah
I've been fairly fortunate lately. Over the past six seasons, Georgetown has played four times on Friday Night, winning three of those games.
This is not one of those years. Making matters worse is the first game tonight.
Syracuse is playing Connecticut in the first semi-final and for me, that's the worst possible match-up that the Big East Conference has to offer. I can usually find a reason to root for one team or the other. Not tonight. I have to dig deep. Calhoun is opposite the Orange sideline so it's really a no win.
But there is one real that trumps everything. And that rule is never, ever, no matter what, root for the slime in Orange. Never.
So because of the Boeheim rule, I'm stuck rooting for that cheating, rotting corpse Calhoun. Man I feel dirty. The bright side is that if they end up playing 5 games in 5 days I doubt they make it out of the first weekend of the tournament.
Making matters worse is that Orange Fan Boy Sean McDonough is doing play-by-play. He would be insufferable if not for the excellent work of Jay Bilas and Bill Raftery. Those guys are the best in the business.
I can't believe this game is going into OT. They played six OT's and ESPN won't let you forget about it.
Well there is a God. Syracuse lost.
Tonight is turning out to be a damn good night. ND blew a huge lead and is now 0-4 all time in the semi-finals. Mike Brey is such a great coach, pilling up COY award after COY award, yet he's only been past the first weekend of the tournament once in 11 years with zero regular season BE titles and zero BET titles.
I'm all in for Louisville in the Finals.
It's been a tough tournament for me as a fan but it has a chance to avoid total disaster.
Peace brah
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Arsenal 3-8-11
I didn't expect Arsenal to advance past Barcelona into the Champions League Quarterfinals. I figured they needed to win by at least 2 at The Emirates to give themselves a real good chance in the return leg. Well they didn't. They only won 2-1.
That being said, they way the lost today was absolutely ridiculous. Going down a man on a soft yellow card was comical. It's one thing to call the entire game by the letter of the law. It's another thing to just pick and choose when the rules are enforced.
There's a really good chance that Barcelona would have won or forced OT on their own but the second yellow that resulted in a red card for RVP was game, set, match, point. But that's the thing about soccer, you never know. Since the scoring is so few and far between, dominating a game doesn't necessarily equate to victory.
I wouldn't be making apologies as a Barcelona fan but I would blush a little. The only thing I can compare it to in my own little world of fandom is the Georgetown - Villanova game from Jan 2008. That game was tied and Jon Wallace was fouled with .7 left about 80 feet from the hoop. The Hoyas were in the one and one and they got the W. It was an extremely soft foul that should have never been called.
One last thing - I hope Dani Alves knows that there is a special place in Hell for fake ass players like him. His team is too good to be pulling that kind of nonsense.
Peace brah
Monday, March 7, 2011
Arsenal 3-5-11
With Manchester United's loss at Chelsea during the week, Arsenal took the field against Sunderland today with the opportunity to cut the gap at the top of the EPL table to one point with a win.
A quick look at the calendar shows that it's March which, for Arsenal, means that most of their important offensive firepower would be out due to varying forms of injury.
It's not so much that Walcott, Fabregas, and Van Persie are out, it's their replacements. More specificially it's Denilson, Bendtner, and Rosicky. The last time Rosicky played well was in Germany against the US in the 2006 World Cup.
Bendtner is a legend in his own mind and Denilson is Denilson. He just isn't very good.
Is Wenger honestly surprised that his top guys miss so much time? Maybe he should be better prepared to win without them later in each season.
Arsenal were probably unlucky not to get either the penalty call on Arshavin or the the onside call on Arshavin but those things happen when your margin of error is so razor thin. I really think that to win any game you have to beat the other team and overcome the inevitable bad calls. Arsenal didn't really do either as they drew the Black Cats 0-0 to close the gap to 3.
Van Persie being hurt brings me to the Carling Cup.
I have long disrespected both the Carling Cup and, to some extent, the FA Cup. Maybe it's a cultural thing but as an American follower of Arsenal, I could care less about the CC and th FA Cup.
I know there is a lot of heat on Wenger because he hasn't won a trophy in awhile but would winning the Carling Cup really fix all of that? I don't think so. I think winning the CC is cool if you win other stuff as well. On it's own a CC trophy is cool for teams like Birmingham.
It's all about winning the league and doing well in the Champions League. For instance I think a season that saw Arsenal win the CC but not advance out of the Champions League Group Stage would be considered a disappointment.
So for Wenger to play any of his irreplaceable players in the CC is ridiculous.
For me those players are:
Cesc
RVP
Nasri
Walcott
Song
Any non-injured CB
I used to like the old AW strategy in the CC. Play the kids and take the results. It's not that important other than to develop players.
Peace brah
A quick look at the calendar shows that it's March which, for Arsenal, means that most of their important offensive firepower would be out due to varying forms of injury.
It's not so much that Walcott, Fabregas, and Van Persie are out, it's their replacements. More specificially it's Denilson, Bendtner, and Rosicky. The last time Rosicky played well was in Germany against the US in the 2006 World Cup.
Bendtner is a legend in his own mind and Denilson is Denilson. He just isn't very good.
Is Wenger honestly surprised that his top guys miss so much time? Maybe he should be better prepared to win without them later in each season.
Arsenal were probably unlucky not to get either the penalty call on Arshavin or the the onside call on Arshavin but those things happen when your margin of error is so razor thin. I really think that to win any game you have to beat the other team and overcome the inevitable bad calls. Arsenal didn't really do either as they drew the Black Cats 0-0 to close the gap to 3.
Van Persie being hurt brings me to the Carling Cup.
I have long disrespected both the Carling Cup and, to some extent, the FA Cup. Maybe it's a cultural thing but as an American follower of Arsenal, I could care less about the CC and th FA Cup.
I know there is a lot of heat on Wenger because he hasn't won a trophy in awhile but would winning the Carling Cup really fix all of that? I don't think so. I think winning the CC is cool if you win other stuff as well. On it's own a CC trophy is cool for teams like Birmingham.
It's all about winning the league and doing well in the Champions League. For instance I think a season that saw Arsenal win the CC but not advance out of the Champions League Group Stage would be considered a disappointment.
So for Wenger to play any of his irreplaceable players in the CC is ridiculous.
For me those players are:
Cesc
RVP
Nasri
Walcott
Song
Any non-injured CB
I used to like the old AW strategy in the CC. Play the kids and take the results. It's not that important other than to develop players.
Peace brah
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Thursday March 3
Championship Week started tonight on the ESPN family of networks. I've always viewed a week as seven consecutive days but the people at ESPN obviously have a different understanding of the word. Their week goes from Thursday March 3rd to Sunday March 12th.
That's 10, count 'em, 10 days.
I watched parts of both semi-final games in the Big South but it just isn't that much fun when you don't know the players.
The Big South final is set. UNC-Asheville vs Coastal Carolina. Georgetown beat both of those schools this year. If you are going to schedule mid-majors, it's smart to make sure they are the good ones.
Ok back to the real games.
I can't believe Jordan Theodore is playing tonight for Seton Hall. News came out yesterday that Theodore is up on gun charges due to some incredible circumstances.
Here's a recap of his "situation" from earlier in the week: Theodore is facing gun charges.
A few weeks ago Seton Hall played Villanova in a home game. Before that game, Seton Hall guard Keon Lawrence was kicked off the team. Well at that Villanova game the boyfriend of Lawrence's mom found Theodore's mom in the stands and beat her up. Apparently Lawrence's family was upset at some of the comments that Theodore said when Keon was kicked off the team.
Theodore's mom ended up being taken away from that Villanova game by an ambulance. Later that night Theodore and two other guys wearing ski masks went to Lawrence's dorm room with guns. Nothing really happened until these recent gun charges.
Just another day at a Catholic Institute of higher learning in New Jersey.
Unbelievable. The mess that was Bobby Gonzalez (former coach) lives on.
This game is a little too close for St. John's liking. A loss means that they basically pass the double-bye to Syracuse.
And Lavin just got tossed. I've never seen a coach ejected and then be allowed to huddle up with his team for a few minutes. I've never seen that. This game is over and so is the double-bye for the Johnnies.
Wow the end of this game just keeps getting better. It's turned into something that resembles an AAU affair.
Kennedy just got flipped over by Auda near the baseline. Moments later Okoloji got crushed as he went streaking down the court for a meaningless lay-up with under 10 seconds to go. Burrell was the culprit and was promptly ejected. You could see that coming a mile away especially after what Auda did.
Old school Big East Basketball. I love it.
I'm going to watch the last half of the Wisconsin - Indiana game. I imagine that it might be one of the last times I'll ever have the honor of seeing Jeremiah Rivers play basketball. I wouldn't give the former Georgetown Hoya reserve guard so much grief if he hadn't had so many ridiculous comments to say on his way out the door.
In his three years with the Hoosiers, not only has he failed to improve, but he has regressed. Ironic for a kid who claimed that the Georgetown offense was holding him back. What a clown.
Well Championship week continues tomorrow. Until then.
Peace brah
That's 10, count 'em, 10 days.
I watched parts of both semi-final games in the Big South but it just isn't that much fun when you don't know the players.
The Big South final is set. UNC-Asheville vs Coastal Carolina. Georgetown beat both of those schools this year. If you are going to schedule mid-majors, it's smart to make sure they are the good ones.
Ok back to the real games.
I can't believe Jordan Theodore is playing tonight for Seton Hall. News came out yesterday that Theodore is up on gun charges due to some incredible circumstances.
Here's a recap of his "situation" from earlier in the week: Theodore is facing gun charges.
A few weeks ago Seton Hall played Villanova in a home game. Before that game, Seton Hall guard Keon Lawrence was kicked off the team. Well at that Villanova game the boyfriend of Lawrence's mom found Theodore's mom in the stands and beat her up. Apparently Lawrence's family was upset at some of the comments that Theodore said when Keon was kicked off the team.
Theodore's mom ended up being taken away from that Villanova game by an ambulance. Later that night Theodore and two other guys wearing ski masks went to Lawrence's dorm room with guns. Nothing really happened until these recent gun charges.
Just another day at a Catholic Institute of higher learning in New Jersey.
Unbelievable. The mess that was Bobby Gonzalez (former coach) lives on.
This game is a little too close for St. John's liking. A loss means that they basically pass the double-bye to Syracuse.
And Lavin just got tossed. I've never seen a coach ejected and then be allowed to huddle up with his team for a few minutes. I've never seen that. This game is over and so is the double-bye for the Johnnies.
Wow the end of this game just keeps getting better. It's turned into something that resembles an AAU affair.
Kennedy just got flipped over by Auda near the baseline. Moments later Okoloji got crushed as he went streaking down the court for a meaningless lay-up with under 10 seconds to go. Burrell was the culprit and was promptly ejected. You could see that coming a mile away especially after what Auda did.
Old school Big East Basketball. I love it.
I'm going to watch the last half of the Wisconsin - Indiana game. I imagine that it might be one of the last times I'll ever have the honor of seeing Jeremiah Rivers play basketball. I wouldn't give the former Georgetown Hoya reserve guard so much grief if he hadn't had so many ridiculous comments to say on his way out the door.
In his three years with the Hoosiers, not only has he failed to improve, but he has regressed. Ironic for a kid who claimed that the Georgetown offense was holding him back. What a clown.
Well Championship week continues tomorrow. Until then.
Peace brah
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Tuesday Feb 22
Well there is only one Big East game tonight but it does involve a team that I want to lose as Louisville travels to Rutgers. I'm not going to hold my breath
Rutgers opened up with a very interesting strategy tonight. They started the game with four consecutive offensive possessions without taking a shot. They might want to re-think that one before their next conference game.
Louisville is shooting a frigid 18% midway through the 2nd half. It's been over seven minutes since they made a field goal.
I've been rooting for Rutgers for a little over an hour now and I'm ready to consider a life filled with crime and drugs. I can't imagine what it's like to do this over an entire season.
Tonight's game is a home game for Rutgers. Red is their main color. Most of their fans are wearing red. Most of the markings on the court are red. The only thing inside the RAC that isn't red is the Rutgers uniforms. They are white. But Louisville is wearing red. It's sort of confusing.
Well Louisville just made a shot. It had been over 9 minutes since they last made one but they are still up 15. That's on you Rutgers.
I wonder if Mike Rice wishes he was still at Robert Morris right now.
Ok we are at the under four minute TV timeout. I'm calling it.
I wonder how things are going for Michigan State up in Minnesota tonight. Let's find out.
The best part about the Big Ten Network is Gus Johnson. It's not even close.
The Spartans are down one with over 2 minutes remaining. I expect Minnesota to blow this one. The last time I saw Minnesota they beat UNC in Nov or Dec. They must be missing people tonight because they have zero guard play tonight.
Well from one raised court to another, what is happened to Vanderbilt? I think Tennessee has closed this game on a 10-1 run. Yikes. I really don't want to see the Vols anywhere near Georgetown's bracket next month. D-A-N-G-E-R-O-U-S.
Well I'm going to close out my sports day by watching some Concacaf Champions League. In a langauge that I can't really understand. Spanish.
Peace brah
Rutgers opened up with a very interesting strategy tonight. They started the game with four consecutive offensive possessions without taking a shot. They might want to re-think that one before their next conference game.
Louisville is shooting a frigid 18% midway through the 2nd half. It's been over seven minutes since they made a field goal.
I've been rooting for Rutgers for a little over an hour now and I'm ready to consider a life filled with crime and drugs. I can't imagine what it's like to do this over an entire season.
Tonight's game is a home game for Rutgers. Red is their main color. Most of their fans are wearing red. Most of the markings on the court are red. The only thing inside the RAC that isn't red is the Rutgers uniforms. They are white. But Louisville is wearing red. It's sort of confusing.
Well Louisville just made a shot. It had been over 9 minutes since they last made one but they are still up 15. That's on you Rutgers.
I wonder if Mike Rice wishes he was still at Robert Morris right now.
Ok we are at the under four minute TV timeout. I'm calling it.
I wonder how things are going for Michigan State up in Minnesota tonight. Let's find out.
The best part about the Big Ten Network is Gus Johnson. It's not even close.
The Spartans are down one with over 2 minutes remaining. I expect Minnesota to blow this one. The last time I saw Minnesota they beat UNC in Nov or Dec. They must be missing people tonight because they have zero guard play tonight.
Well from one raised court to another, what is happened to Vanderbilt? I think Tennessee has closed this game on a 10-1 run. Yikes. I really don't want to see the Vols anywhere near Georgetown's bracket next month. D-A-N-G-E-R-O-U-S.
Well I'm going to close out my sports day by watching some Concacaf Champions League. In a langauge that I can't really understand. Spanish.
Peace brah
Monday, February 21, 2011
Monday Feb 21
We are down to the final two Big Monday's of the season. Tonight's game between Syracuse and Villanova is both good and bad. It's good because one of them is definitely getting a loss. It's bad because one of them is getting a win which means that there will only be one message board meltdown later on tonight.
Villanova is currently 1 for 17 from the field. It's been about 8 minutes since they made a shot yet they only find themselves down by 6. That's bad news for Syracuse and good news for the rest of humanity.
The refs are really letting them play tonight. I like it. I'm waiting for Jay Bilas proclaim this one a good old fashioned Big East Rock Fight.
There aren't many commercials that immediately make me crave their product but pizza does it every time. I recently ate dinner but one sight of a Papa John's pizza in HD and I'm ready to kill a large pizza. By myself.
There was a lot of unintentional comedy at the first half. It all started with a horrible pass by Jardine. Naturally he made matters worse by immediately picking up his 3rd foul and giving 'Nova an and-one opportunity. Villanova missed the FT but Pena got the rebound. Pena missed but there was a Syracuse lane violation. He missed again but there was another lane violation - both on Keita. But it didn't stop there because Keita picked up a Technical. Did I mention that Boeheim complained during the entire sequence? Well he did.
There's a player on the end of the Syracuse bench that stands up and goes crazy after every play. It's really annoying even by Orange standards.
When will teams figure out that you need to make Syracuse work on offense instead of letting them get easy buckets in transition? They aren't super talented in the half court.
I don't think Villanova can continue to call themselves Guard U if they are going to shoot like a Girl's JV squad. It doesn't seem appropriate anymore.
Well we are at the under 4 minute TV timeout and Villanova is down 5. I don't think they can score enough points to win this one. It's gonna take around 68.
Denny's and IHOP have a lot of ads tonight. The Syracuse fan base is mainly obese so it's good to know your market.
Corey Fisher is 0 for 9 from deep. That is disgusting.
Villanova has a chance down 3 with 34 seconds left. Stokes better be the one that takes this.
And Armwood is going to the line. Brick City right here boy.
Syracuse is going to win this one. Villanova has a lot to fix before the Big East Tournament starts. They looked dreadful tonight. They are going to finish this game shooting less than 30% from the field. That is pitiful.
So Kansas is the 2nd part of Big Monday. Big surprise.
Big XII Basketball is pretty generic.
Aside from Kansas, I get the impression that the other schools don't even care all that much. I also get the feeling that Kansas fans are just fans of Kansas. What I mean is that I don't think Jayhawk Nation is living and dying with Big XII basketball like Big East and ACC fans do. I just can't see many Kansas fans getting excited for the Baylor - Iowa State game. I just can't.
I really like listening to Bobby Knight but he's always doing some horrible game such as Oklahoma State at Kansas.
Seriously how does Kansas recruit east coast kids? I don't get it.
I love when Brent Musburger tries to talk about non-basketball related topics, such as Robinson's recent loss of family, only to have Knight completely ignore the comment and transition right into the footwork of a post player. It's equally awkward and entertaining at the same time.
Ok I'm out for awhile.
Peace brah
Villanova is currently 1 for 17 from the field. It's been about 8 minutes since they made a shot yet they only find themselves down by 6. That's bad news for Syracuse and good news for the rest of humanity.
The refs are really letting them play tonight. I like it. I'm waiting for Jay Bilas proclaim this one a good old fashioned Big East Rock Fight.
There aren't many commercials that immediately make me crave their product but pizza does it every time. I recently ate dinner but one sight of a Papa John's pizza in HD and I'm ready to kill a large pizza. By myself.
There was a lot of unintentional comedy at the first half. It all started with a horrible pass by Jardine. Naturally he made matters worse by immediately picking up his 3rd foul and giving 'Nova an and-one opportunity. Villanova missed the FT but Pena got the rebound. Pena missed but there was a Syracuse lane violation. He missed again but there was another lane violation - both on Keita. But it didn't stop there because Keita picked up a Technical. Did I mention that Boeheim complained during the entire sequence? Well he did.
There's a player on the end of the Syracuse bench that stands up and goes crazy after every play. It's really annoying even by Orange standards.
When will teams figure out that you need to make Syracuse work on offense instead of letting them get easy buckets in transition? They aren't super talented in the half court.
I don't think Villanova can continue to call themselves Guard U if they are going to shoot like a Girl's JV squad. It doesn't seem appropriate anymore.
Well we are at the under 4 minute TV timeout and Villanova is down 5. I don't think they can score enough points to win this one. It's gonna take around 68.
Denny's and IHOP have a lot of ads tonight. The Syracuse fan base is mainly obese so it's good to know your market.
Corey Fisher is 0 for 9 from deep. That is disgusting.
Villanova has a chance down 3 with 34 seconds left. Stokes better be the one that takes this.
And Armwood is going to the line. Brick City right here boy.
Syracuse is going to win this one. Villanova has a lot to fix before the Big East Tournament starts. They looked dreadful tonight. They are going to finish this game shooting less than 30% from the field. That is pitiful.
So Kansas is the 2nd part of Big Monday. Big surprise.
Big XII Basketball is pretty generic.
Aside from Kansas, I get the impression that the other schools don't even care all that much. I also get the feeling that Kansas fans are just fans of Kansas. What I mean is that I don't think Jayhawk Nation is living and dying with Big XII basketball like Big East and ACC fans do. I just can't see many Kansas fans getting excited for the Baylor - Iowa State game. I just can't.
I really like listening to Bobby Knight but he's always doing some horrible game such as Oklahoma State at Kansas.
Seriously how does Kansas recruit east coast kids? I don't get it.
I love when Brent Musburger tries to talk about non-basketball related topics, such as Robinson's recent loss of family, only to have Knight completely ignore the comment and transition right into the footwork of a post player. It's equally awkward and entertaining at the same time.
Ok I'm out for awhile.
Peace brah
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Saturday Feb 19
College Gameday really needs to be more flexible with their traveling road show. Illinois v Michigan State might have seemed like a killer idea when the schedules came out over the summer but it's a complete dud right now.
We have two Big East games at Noon today. Well more like one and a half since DePaul in involved.
Obviously the game between Pitt and St. John's at MSG will be getting almost all of my attention. I'm tired of Lavin in the white sneakers. He looks like a dope. I'm sort of conflicted in this game because I want Georgetown to finish with the double bye but I really hate all things Pitt.
Just as I was complaining that it was hard for coaches to pick up technical fouls, both Dixon and Lavin have been T'd up in the first half.
Gibbs is looking good so far after his MCL induced hiatus.
St. John's is really tough to beat when they are able to drive. Georgetown learned that the hard way and was able to stay in front of their man and force jumpers in the rematch. Hardy was the main problem in that first encounter. He got to the cup and lived at the line. Not so much in round two.
It seems like in every Big East game involves a crazy scoreless streak. Pitt just went 4 minutes without a bucket.
What in the world is going on in the Villanova - DePaul game? Blue Demons up 1 with 5 minutes left.
Look a lot of schools name the court after a former great coach. I get that. However at DePaul they have named the court after both Ray AND Marge Meyer. That's weird.
I love the fans chanting Brittney Griner after McGhee. That's awesome. I think the fans also did it at Villanova.
So DePaul and Villanova are tied with 1:12 left. I guess I'll watch it now.
Nova down 1 with 20 seconds left. Get excited. I love how DePaul took two 3's on their last possession. Overtime is for losers. Don't you dare foul.
And Fisher forces overtime in Chicago. I think we all know who is going to win this game.
Back to MSG and Pitt just let Hardy get to the line late in the game. There is no need to get up on him. I really think that defenders should give him the jumper.
Johnnies up 2 with 27.6 to go.
You know I was cool with it when Doris Burke first started doing color on men's games awhile ago. Now the problem is that it seems as if she does every freaking Big East game possible. Her fake excited voice/laugh is like fingernails on a blackboard.
Pitt up 1 with 11.3 left. I'd make Hardy shoot a jumper.
And Hardy drove and won it on a layup. I guess St. John's should be an early favorite at the BET taking their home form into account. I'd love for them to be the 4 seed that plays Pitt in the semis.
The Big East Standings are getting awfully crowded at the top. The race for a double bye is getting kind of crazy. Hoyas, Redmen, Wildcats, and Cardinals all at 9-5.
Well by the time I got to the WVU - ND game, it was basically over. I'm not sure how it got to be a WVU victory, but it did. I did, however, tune in just in time to see both Huggins and Brey get T'd up. Good. I'm glad. It's about time these high priced complainers get put in their places a little bit.
There is one assistant coach on the ND bench that I want to knock out. I don't know who he is but he just looks like somebody you want to punch in the face.
Hoyas at USF at 7pm
Peace brah
We have two Big East games at Noon today. Well more like one and a half since DePaul in involved.
Obviously the game between Pitt and St. John's at MSG will be getting almost all of my attention. I'm tired of Lavin in the white sneakers. He looks like a dope. I'm sort of conflicted in this game because I want Georgetown to finish with the double bye but I really hate all things Pitt.
Just as I was complaining that it was hard for coaches to pick up technical fouls, both Dixon and Lavin have been T'd up in the first half.
Gibbs is looking good so far after his MCL induced hiatus.
St. John's is really tough to beat when they are able to drive. Georgetown learned that the hard way and was able to stay in front of their man and force jumpers in the rematch. Hardy was the main problem in that first encounter. He got to the cup and lived at the line. Not so much in round two.
It seems like in every Big East game involves a crazy scoreless streak. Pitt just went 4 minutes without a bucket.
What in the world is going on in the Villanova - DePaul game? Blue Demons up 1 with 5 minutes left.
Look a lot of schools name the court after a former great coach. I get that. However at DePaul they have named the court after both Ray AND Marge Meyer. That's weird.
I love the fans chanting Brittney Griner after McGhee. That's awesome. I think the fans also did it at Villanova.
So DePaul and Villanova are tied with 1:12 left. I guess I'll watch it now.
Nova down 1 with 20 seconds left. Get excited. I love how DePaul took two 3's on their last possession. Overtime is for losers. Don't you dare foul.
And Fisher forces overtime in Chicago. I think we all know who is going to win this game.
Back to MSG and Pitt just let Hardy get to the line late in the game. There is no need to get up on him. I really think that defenders should give him the jumper.
Johnnies up 2 with 27.6 to go.
You know I was cool with it when Doris Burke first started doing color on men's games awhile ago. Now the problem is that it seems as if she does every freaking Big East game possible. Her fake excited voice/laugh is like fingernails on a blackboard.
Pitt up 1 with 11.3 left. I'd make Hardy shoot a jumper.
And Hardy drove and won it on a layup. I guess St. John's should be an early favorite at the BET taking their home form into account. I'd love for them to be the 4 seed that plays Pitt in the semis.
The Big East Standings are getting awfully crowded at the top. The race for a double bye is getting kind of crazy. Hoyas, Redmen, Wildcats, and Cardinals all at 9-5.
Well by the time I got to the WVU - ND game, it was basically over. I'm not sure how it got to be a WVU victory, but it did. I did, however, tune in just in time to see both Huggins and Brey get T'd up. Good. I'm glad. It's about time these high priced complainers get put in their places a little bit.
There is one assistant coach on the ND bench that I want to knock out. I don't know who he is but he just looks like somebody you want to punch in the face.
Hoyas at USF at 7pm
Peace brah
That's the Uconn I know...
I wish it had happened a few nights earlier but I did get to see Calhoun act like the classless tool that he is this week as the Huskies got run by Louisville on Friday night. Somebody needs to put him out of his misery. I'm sure that his players tune him out because his sideline blowups are so frequent.
I watch a lot of college basketball and I have a major problem with the way technical fouls are called. There are some coaches, Calhoun, that bitch all game at officials yet they rarely get hit with the T. Conversely, some players can get a T for screaming after a dunk or even looking at somebody the wrong way. It's horrible and I hate it. The games should be more about the players than the coaches.
What went wrong in Hartford on Wednesday:
1. Getting to the rim. Connecticut shot better than 60% from 2 in both halves because they got a large number of layups, put-backs, dunks, etc.
2. Walker's Friends. This is kind of an extension of #1 but once Walker made some shots he got 2 and 3 defenders collapsing on him. I wasn't worried about Kemba getting his 30 plus. I was worried about him getting others involved. He had 9 assists to go with his points. That was a disaster.
3. Freeman. Austin had a bad shooting night. He's actually in what you might consider a 3 point shooting slump.
For as poorly as Georgetown executed on both ends, they had a chance to win the game late. Instead of getting blown out they actually came back and took the lead with under 4 minutes remaining. From that point they didn't make another shot.
The game reminded me a lot of the loss at St. John's. Both the Huskies and the Redmen got too many good looks around the rim and Freeman struggled in both contests. In the St. John's game Freeman missed a late, wide-open 3 that would have pushed the lead to 4. In the Connecticut game his shot would have put the Hoyas up 2. You can't survive with that kind of late game performance from your ace on the road. You just can't when the margins are so tight.
But all is good in the world tonight knowing that Calhoun is upset.
Peach brah
I watch a lot of college basketball and I have a major problem with the way technical fouls are called. There are some coaches, Calhoun, that bitch all game at officials yet they rarely get hit with the T. Conversely, some players can get a T for screaming after a dunk or even looking at somebody the wrong way. It's horrible and I hate it. The games should be more about the players than the coaches.
What went wrong in Hartford on Wednesday:
1. Getting to the rim. Connecticut shot better than 60% from 2 in both halves because they got a large number of layups, put-backs, dunks, etc.
2. Walker's Friends. This is kind of an extension of #1 but once Walker made some shots he got 2 and 3 defenders collapsing on him. I wasn't worried about Kemba getting his 30 plus. I was worried about him getting others involved. He had 9 assists to go with his points. That was a disaster.
3. Freeman. Austin had a bad shooting night. He's actually in what you might consider a 3 point shooting slump.
For as poorly as Georgetown executed on both ends, they had a chance to win the game late. Instead of getting blown out they actually came back and took the lead with under 4 minutes remaining. From that point they didn't make another shot.
The game reminded me a lot of the loss at St. John's. Both the Huskies and the Redmen got too many good looks around the rim and Freeman struggled in both contests. In the St. John's game Freeman missed a late, wide-open 3 that would have pushed the lead to 4. In the Connecticut game his shot would have put the Hoyas up 2. You can't survive with that kind of late game performance from your ace on the road. You just can't when the margins are so tight.
But all is good in the world tonight knowing that Calhoun is upset.
Peach brah
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Super Tuesday Feb 15
Lots of interesting games tonight.
I love how valuable basketball time isn't ruined by hockey on any the ESPN channels. Growing up there was something called "National Hockey Night" on either ESPN or ESPN2. It was the worst.
I was looking forward to getting a look at George Mason tonight in their big CAA game against VCU but apparently HD cameras are illegal in Richmond. I tuned in for awhile because I have the feeling that the Patriots could be a possible 2nd round opponent for the Hoyas should either school get that far.
On VCU's second possession, they missed 5 shots. It never got better from there. Mason in a rout.
I started to believe that Kentucky was a quality team about 3 weeks ago. Since then they have let me down to the tune of 3-4. Included in those 4 losses are some very questionable losses like Alabama and Ole Miss. Their numbers on offense and defense are still pretty good on KemPom.com but I'm not a believer.
Tonight they have Mississippi State at home and they are probably going to hang on for the W. Right before the half I saw one of the worst examples of home cooking in a long time.
With about a second left before halftime, Kentucky guard Brandin Knight looked to be making a pass to a teammate. The refs decided to really insert their control over the game by not only calling a foul, but calling a shooting foul. MSU coach Rick Stansbury went berserk, and deservedly so. If it hadn't been called a shooting foul there wouldn't had been any free throws at all since UK wasn't in the bonus. So Knight hit 4 out of 5 shots as the Wildcats were completely gifted 4 points "just because".
Greg Monroe picking up a Technical Foul while he was on the bench and didn't say anything at Cameron is still the worst call I have seen in my entire life. Apparently the ref heard somebody behind the bench say something.
It wouldn't be so hard to watch SEC games if the players were better and Jimmy Dykes didn't exist. He's like the Hillbilly version of Dick Vitale.
VA Tech had a great start on Maryland. I stopped watching for awhile and somehow the Terps are up at the half. A loss tonight for Gary would go a long way towards securing a bid in the NIT.
Corey Stokes is out again for Villanova as they take on Seton Hall. I'm going to watch more of that game in the 2nd half but the lack of HD cameras makes it tough. Hazell should set the record for most 3 pointers made in conference games tonight.
St. John's and Marquette just tipped off. With apologizes to Newborn, I'm going all in on Marquette tonight. I'd like to see the Redmen pick up their 6th conference loss tonight.
Villanova - SHU and Maryland - VT are both coming down to the wire. My thumb is really starting to hurt.
A private number just called me. There isn't a chance in the world that I would answer that. I dare them to leave a message.
I wonder how many people are tuning into my20 right now only to find themselves upset that Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader isn't on yet? Sorry Folks. Tech needed a few extra minutes to dispose of the Terps.
Hazell just took an awful shot. I wonder if that's what they talked about in the last timeout. I doubt Pena makes both of these FT's. Rattled in the first one. Missed the 2nd one. Hazell with another miss although this time it was a good shot.
Villanova eeks out a win by not allowing back-to-back four point plays in New Jersey.
Every time I find myself feeling bad for Seton Hall I remember their fans chanting N-I-T at the end of the Georgetown game in the 1993 Big East Tournament. Child Please.
Back to the Marquette game. It's on ESPNU so you get the scores of ridiculous sports on the bottom scroll such as Men's Lacrosse.
Most teams have their coaches wear shoes to promote Coaches vs Cancer one game per season. St. John's has been doing it for a few weeks now. If I had to guess it's because they beat Duke with Lavin and Keady sporting Nike's. They figured it was lucky and are continuing to roll with it through the end of the season.
There is still some time left but I'm calling it in favor of St. John's. Buzz Williams and Co. lost this game on the free throw line and the offensive glass.
Peace brah
I love how valuable basketball time isn't ruined by hockey on any the ESPN channels. Growing up there was something called "National Hockey Night" on either ESPN or ESPN2. It was the worst.
I was looking forward to getting a look at George Mason tonight in their big CAA game against VCU but apparently HD cameras are illegal in Richmond. I tuned in for awhile because I have the feeling that the Patriots could be a possible 2nd round opponent for the Hoyas should either school get that far.
On VCU's second possession, they missed 5 shots. It never got better from there. Mason in a rout.
I started to believe that Kentucky was a quality team about 3 weeks ago. Since then they have let me down to the tune of 3-4. Included in those 4 losses are some very questionable losses like Alabama and Ole Miss. Their numbers on offense and defense are still pretty good on KemPom.com but I'm not a believer.
Tonight they have Mississippi State at home and they are probably going to hang on for the W. Right before the half I saw one of the worst examples of home cooking in a long time.
With about a second left before halftime, Kentucky guard Brandin Knight looked to be making a pass to a teammate. The refs decided to really insert their control over the game by not only calling a foul, but calling a shooting foul. MSU coach Rick Stansbury went berserk, and deservedly so. If it hadn't been called a shooting foul there wouldn't had been any free throws at all since UK wasn't in the bonus. So Knight hit 4 out of 5 shots as the Wildcats were completely gifted 4 points "just because".
Greg Monroe picking up a Technical Foul while he was on the bench and didn't say anything at Cameron is still the worst call I have seen in my entire life. Apparently the ref heard somebody behind the bench say something.
It wouldn't be so hard to watch SEC games if the players were better and Jimmy Dykes didn't exist. He's like the Hillbilly version of Dick Vitale.
VA Tech had a great start on Maryland. I stopped watching for awhile and somehow the Terps are up at the half. A loss tonight for Gary would go a long way towards securing a bid in the NIT.
Corey Stokes is out again for Villanova as they take on Seton Hall. I'm going to watch more of that game in the 2nd half but the lack of HD cameras makes it tough. Hazell should set the record for most 3 pointers made in conference games tonight.
St. John's and Marquette just tipped off. With apologizes to Newborn, I'm going all in on Marquette tonight. I'd like to see the Redmen pick up their 6th conference loss tonight.
Villanova - SHU and Maryland - VT are both coming down to the wire. My thumb is really starting to hurt.
A private number just called me. There isn't a chance in the world that I would answer that. I dare them to leave a message.
I wonder how many people are tuning into my20 right now only to find themselves upset that Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader isn't on yet? Sorry Folks. Tech needed a few extra minutes to dispose of the Terps.
Hazell just took an awful shot. I wonder if that's what they talked about in the last timeout. I doubt Pena makes both of these FT's. Rattled in the first one. Missed the 2nd one. Hazell with another miss although this time it was a good shot.
Villanova eeks out a win by not allowing back-to-back four point plays in New Jersey.
Every time I find myself feeling bad for Seton Hall I remember their fans chanting N-I-T at the end of the Georgetown game in the 1993 Big East Tournament. Child Please.
Back to the Marquette game. It's on ESPNU so you get the scores of ridiculous sports on the bottom scroll such as Men's Lacrosse.
Most teams have their coaches wear shoes to promote Coaches vs Cancer one game per season. St. John's has been doing it for a few weeks now. If I had to guess it's because they beat Duke with Lavin and Keady sporting Nike's. They figured it was lucky and are continuing to roll with it through the end of the season.
There is still some time left but I'm calling it in favor of St. John's. Buzz Williams and Co. lost this game on the free throw line and the offensive glass.
Peace brah
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Rankings: Week of 2-7-11
Another week and another eight Big East schools in the AP Top 25. That has become very common. What stuck out to me was how five of them were all bunched up together. I've never seen that before this week.
Pitt is still the highest ranked team at #4. Louisville shows up at #16 while WVU is hanging tough at #25. And then we have the back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back bff's from the Big East.
8. ND
9. Villanova
10. Connecticut
11. Georgetown
12. Syracuse
There should be some shuffling of this Big East deck in next week's poll since a few of those schools play each other this week.
Peace brah
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Monday Feb 7
Well the Christmas Tree is down. (I'm not counting the mini one at WTR's)
I have an idea for this year. I'm going to put it up on Halloween and take it down in early February again. If I do that I will have it up during parts of 5 months - Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan, & Feb. I just can't think of a "normal" way to make it touch 6 months. That's a problem for a different year I suppose.
I sent my mom flowers awhile ago. I got them from Pro Flowers. That was a really big mistake. They email me like 8 times a day. Unsubscribing doesn't work. I probably have to enter the witness protection program or get a new email address. I'm not sure which one is easier.
I used to watch How I Met Your Mother. My dvr still records it but I usually just delete it. I gave it another chance tonight. I'm still bored with it. The narration makes me want to fight Bob Saget.
Last night I eavesdropped on a couple arguing about which dvd to purchase at 7-11. Hey it's not my fault that the movies are in the candy aisle.
I don't know what her side of the argument was but his big selling point was that while they already owned a copy of the movie, the particular version at 7-11 had special features. Normally I wouldn't advocate buying a movie at 7-11 that you already own but who can argue with special features? I suspect that the female lost that debate. Weird.
Speaking of movies I'm trying to watch Jennifer's Body right now. It's not going that well. I don't get why she is trying to eat people all of a sudden after getting in the van with the band after that fire. Rocky is doing a really good job of snoring while Meghan Fox is killing high school kids. Amazing really.
Peace brah
I have an idea for this year. I'm going to put it up on Halloween and take it down in early February again. If I do that I will have it up during parts of 5 months - Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan, & Feb. I just can't think of a "normal" way to make it touch 6 months. That's a problem for a different year I suppose.
I sent my mom flowers awhile ago. I got them from Pro Flowers. That was a really big mistake. They email me like 8 times a day. Unsubscribing doesn't work. I probably have to enter the witness protection program or get a new email address. I'm not sure which one is easier.
I used to watch How I Met Your Mother. My dvr still records it but I usually just delete it. I gave it another chance tonight. I'm still bored with it. The narration makes me want to fight Bob Saget.
Last night I eavesdropped on a couple arguing about which dvd to purchase at 7-11. Hey it's not my fault that the movies are in the candy aisle.
I don't know what her side of the argument was but his big selling point was that while they already owned a copy of the movie, the particular version at 7-11 had special features. Normally I wouldn't advocate buying a movie at 7-11 that you already own but who can argue with special features? I suspect that the female lost that debate. Weird.
Speaking of movies I'm trying to watch Jennifer's Body right now. It's not going that well. I don't get why she is trying to eat people all of a sudden after getting in the van with the band after that fire. Rocky is doing a really good job of snoring while Meghan Fox is killing high school kids. Amazing really.
Peace brah
Monday, February 7, 2011
Rivalry Week...ESPN said so
Jay Bilas just referred to the Pitt - WVU game as an old fashioned Big East rock right. I don't even know what that means but I really like it. I like it a lot.
Seriously how lucky is WVU? They get to face Pitt without Ashton Gibbs - one of the few players currently in the running for player of the year in the conference.
The refs have completely lost control of this game. Dante Taylor just bumped into Tim Higgins (official) and Truck Bryant was just hammered (no call) on a fast break lay-up attempt.
A bunch of students at WVU are wearing cheese heads and Packer jerseys. Normally I would find that odd but I'm guessing they are doing it to get under the skin of Steelers fans. I fully endorse such a move.
I have a hard time watching Kansas. Ok that's not entirely fair. I have a hard time watching B12 basketball in general. Luckily Bobby Knight is doing the color so it's bearable tonight.
Hey maybe playing all "crazy" isn't the best move for Missouri. Saw a fan with a Mizzerable sign in the crowd. Not bad.
Tigers just gave up triple digits on the road. Pitt managed to survive without Gibbs. I was rooting for Pitt because I have come to grips with them winning the BE Regular Season title. It bothers me that ND fans think they can still win it. Oh how I want to see them in MSG next month.
Hey do you know who Maryland plays during Rivalry Week? Hint: they are from Virginia and currently ranked 333 in the RPI. Give up? It's Longwood. Apparently Gary is in the let's-get-as-many-wins-as-possible camp come Selection Sunday.
Peace brah
Seriously how lucky is WVU? They get to face Pitt without Ashton Gibbs - one of the few players currently in the running for player of the year in the conference.
The refs have completely lost control of this game. Dante Taylor just bumped into Tim Higgins (official) and Truck Bryant was just hammered (no call) on a fast break lay-up attempt.
A bunch of students at WVU are wearing cheese heads and Packer jerseys. Normally I would find that odd but I'm guessing they are doing it to get under the skin of Steelers fans. I fully endorse such a move.
I have a hard time watching Kansas. Ok that's not entirely fair. I have a hard time watching B12 basketball in general. Luckily Bobby Knight is doing the color so it's bearable tonight.
Hey maybe playing all "crazy" isn't the best move for Missouri. Saw a fan with a Mizzerable sign in the crowd. Not bad.
Tigers just gave up triple digits on the road. Pitt managed to survive without Gibbs. I was rooting for Pitt because I have come to grips with them winning the BE Regular Season title. It bothers me that ND fans think they can still win it. Oh how I want to see them in MSG next month.
Hey do you know who Maryland plays during Rivalry Week? Hint: they are from Virginia and currently ranked 333 in the RPI. Give up? It's Longwood. Apparently Gary is in the let's-get-as-many-wins-as-possible camp come Selection Sunday.
Peace brah
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Wednesday Feb 3 - Hoya version
Last weekend I took the Casual Hoya bus trip up to Philadelphia for the Villanova game. The Hoyas led for most of the game but had to hold on for dear life during the final 2 minutes. I have now seen Georgetown win at Villanova 4 times by some of the smallest margins possible. Unfortunately I did see them lose last year but let's not talk about it. Here are the results:
2011 - Hoyas 69 - Villanova 66
2009 - Hoyas 56 - Villanova 54
2007 - Hoyas 58 - Villanova 55
2005 - Hoyas 66 - Villanova 64
I will never, ever get tired of seeing Georgetown win in Philadelphia against Villanova. I promise. Now that I look at the list above, maybe I should only go during the odd numbered years.
What do Utah State and Coastal Carolina have in common? Well they both lost to Georgetown early in the season and neither has lost a game since then.
Utah State is riding a 16 game winning streak since visiting the Verizon Center on Dec 4th. They Aggies are currently ranked in both the AP and Coaches Polls.
Since losing to the Hoyas on Nov 18th, Coastal Carolina has won 18 straight including their first win at a BCS school when they defeated LSU in Baton Rouge.
Now I'm not saying that Coastal Carolina and Utah State are world beaters but if you are going to play mid majors, play the good ones.
I'm going to have a mid-season look at the race to MSG and the BE POY competition tomorrow.
Peace brah
2011 - Hoyas 69 - Villanova 66
2009 - Hoyas 56 - Villanova 54
2007 - Hoyas 58 - Villanova 55
2005 - Hoyas 66 - Villanova 64
I will never, ever get tired of seeing Georgetown win in Philadelphia against Villanova. I promise. Now that I look at the list above, maybe I should only go during the odd numbered years.
What do Utah State and Coastal Carolina have in common? Well they both lost to Georgetown early in the season and neither has lost a game since then.
Utah State is riding a 16 game winning streak since visiting the Verizon Center on Dec 4th. They Aggies are currently ranked in both the AP and Coaches Polls.
Since losing to the Hoyas on Nov 18th, Coastal Carolina has won 18 straight including their first win at a BCS school when they defeated LSU in Baton Rouge.
Now I'm not saying that Coastal Carolina and Utah State are world beaters but if you are going to play mid majors, play the good ones.
I'm going to have a mid-season look at the race to MSG and the BE POY competition tomorrow.
Peace brah
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Tuesday Feb 1
Our Christmas Tree is still up. It's February.
I really gave a lot of thought to taking it down a few weeks ago but then I saw an opportunity for seasonal immortality. I mean anybody can keep their tree up for a few extra weeks in January but it takes a special kind of effort to have your bubble lights still bubbling during the month of Cupid's birthday. That's what Valentine's Day is right?
I'm giving a show on National Geographic about life in prisons a chance. It's called Hard Time. I had a hard time getting through my first episode. I'll be here all week. One of the worst parts is that all of the inmates are dressed up like Syracuse fans. No wonder they are so upset and pissed off.
Arsenal had a nice comeback win against Everton this afternoon to save their season for at least another weekend. Arshavin and Diaby made a difference upon entering the game. I hate looking at Fellaini. I wish Howard was on Arsenal. Van Persie had one of the best corner kicks I've ever seen. I think I could have scored on it. That's about all I have for that game.
There aren't any Big East games on tonight so I've been slumming it.
Kentucky at Ole Miss was fairly entertaining. I know most of the players on Kentucky but only 2 players on Ole Miss so that adds some serious unknown for me. The game went back and forth a little bit with Ole Miss winning at the end on a ridiculous shot. I was already bitching about the lack of quality on the last play coming out of a timeout but then it went in. Kentucky got a decent look 2 seconds later but missed.
Kansas at Texas Tech was a train wreck. I think it's time to say goodbye to Pat Knight in Lubbock.
UNC at BC was pretty awful as well. BC had two walk-ons in the game at one point. That's not so great for them or the viewer. You know how you know you are watching an ACC game? You see Food Lion commercials for the first time in forever.
Vanderbilt at Florida was decided by a horrible non-call on a three point attempt. I don't think Vernon Macklin has made much progress since leaving Georgetown. Bummer because they could have really used him the last two seasons. At least he hasn't regressed like his PIC (partner in crime) - Jeremiah Rivers.
Rumors are swirling about a point shaving scandal at Syracuse. I'd love for it to be true but I doubt it. I think the rumor got started by some Orange fans that are having a hard time dealing with the current 4 game losing streak. As if that's the most logical explanation as to why they are struggling.
The Wizards lost on the road again. I think that's 25 in a row. That's impressive.
Ok I'm out.
Peace brah
I really gave a lot of thought to taking it down a few weeks ago but then I saw an opportunity for seasonal immortality. I mean anybody can keep their tree up for a few extra weeks in January but it takes a special kind of effort to have your bubble lights still bubbling during the month of Cupid's birthday. That's what Valentine's Day is right?
I'm giving a show on National Geographic about life in prisons a chance. It's called Hard Time. I had a hard time getting through my first episode. I'll be here all week. One of the worst parts is that all of the inmates are dressed up like Syracuse fans. No wonder they are so upset and pissed off.
Arsenal had a nice comeback win against Everton this afternoon to save their season for at least another weekend. Arshavin and Diaby made a difference upon entering the game. I hate looking at Fellaini. I wish Howard was on Arsenal. Van Persie had one of the best corner kicks I've ever seen. I think I could have scored on it. That's about all I have for that game.
There aren't any Big East games on tonight so I've been slumming it.
Kentucky at Ole Miss was fairly entertaining. I know most of the players on Kentucky but only 2 players on Ole Miss so that adds some serious unknown for me. The game went back and forth a little bit with Ole Miss winning at the end on a ridiculous shot. I was already bitching about the lack of quality on the last play coming out of a timeout but then it went in. Kentucky got a decent look 2 seconds later but missed.
Kansas at Texas Tech was a train wreck. I think it's time to say goodbye to Pat Knight in Lubbock.
UNC at BC was pretty awful as well. BC had two walk-ons in the game at one point. That's not so great for them or the viewer. You know how you know you are watching an ACC game? You see Food Lion commercials for the first time in forever.
Vanderbilt at Florida was decided by a horrible non-call on a three point attempt. I don't think Vernon Macklin has made much progress since leaving Georgetown. Bummer because they could have really used him the last two seasons. At least he hasn't regressed like his PIC (partner in crime) - Jeremiah Rivers.
Rumors are swirling about a point shaving scandal at Syracuse. I'd love for it to be true but I doubt it. I think the rumor got started by some Orange fans that are having a hard time dealing with the current 4 game losing streak. As if that's the most logical explanation as to why they are struggling.
The Wizards lost on the road again. I think that's 25 in a row. That's impressive.
Ok I'm out.
Peace brah
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Saturday Jan 22
Cold without snow is like the movies without popcorn. What's the point? As I type this my phone says its 16 degrees outside. Yikes.
Every time I see one of these commercials with a "message" from the Foundation for a Better Life, I swear it's going to be fake. I keep waiting for it to be a spoof for some terrible beer like Miller Lite, but it seems to be a real foundation. Maybe it's just a really elaborate setup, with the punch line coming during the Super Bowl. *fingers crossed*
So tonight's US National Game is on a Telefutra (spanish), in standard definition, and features lesser known (upstarts if you will) players. Wow. What's not to love?
Around 30,000 morons dressed up in orange had their weekends ruined today by about 2pm today. That makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside.
I mean at least when Georgetown loses a home game you can walk outside the arena and, you know, do stuff. And by "do stuff" I mean go from bar to bar arguing about the Princeton Offense and Vee Sanford's lack of playing time. Look I've been to games in the Carrier Dome and that's not the case. You have to wait in a Kings Dominion type line to board a shuttle bus back to where your car is parked. Then you have to drive for awhile before you see a person as opposed to a polar bear.
There was a basketball game from JMU on one of the ESPN channels today for the first time since Lefty was the coach. They lost but it was kind of cool to flip to it and see the Electric Zoo on TV. Of course it would have been a lot cooler if it were in HD. I wonder if one day I will complain that stuff isn't always in 3D? I doubt it.
Ok there is a graphic in the bottom right corner with the Telefutra logo and the letters "HD" next to it. I'm not sure what else that could be trying to say other than High Definition. The problem is that it's not in High Definition.
Look it's always a big deal to be in HD but even more so when all of the players are new to most of us. I mean I'm familiar with their names but not with their faces. It's almost as if US Soccer doesn't want me as a fan. It's hard to think of a worse way to present your product than on a Saturday night in SD on a Spanish channel.
When does Roddick come on anyway? I'm out.
Peace brah
Every time I see one of these commercials with a "message" from the Foundation for a Better Life, I swear it's going to be fake. I keep waiting for it to be a spoof for some terrible beer like Miller Lite, but it seems to be a real foundation. Maybe it's just a really elaborate setup, with the punch line coming during the Super Bowl. *fingers crossed*
So tonight's US National Game is on a Telefutra (spanish), in standard definition, and features lesser known (upstarts if you will) players. Wow. What's not to love?
Around 30,000 morons dressed up in orange had their weekends ruined today by about 2pm today. That makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside.
I mean at least when Georgetown loses a home game you can walk outside the arena and, you know, do stuff. And by "do stuff" I mean go from bar to bar arguing about the Princeton Offense and Vee Sanford's lack of playing time. Look I've been to games in the Carrier Dome and that's not the case. You have to wait in a Kings Dominion type line to board a shuttle bus back to where your car is parked. Then you have to drive for awhile before you see a person as opposed to a polar bear.
There was a basketball game from JMU on one of the ESPN channels today for the first time since Lefty was the coach. They lost but it was kind of cool to flip to it and see the Electric Zoo on TV. Of course it would have been a lot cooler if it were in HD. I wonder if one day I will complain that stuff isn't always in 3D? I doubt it.
Ok there is a graphic in the bottom right corner with the Telefutra logo and the letters "HD" next to it. I'm not sure what else that could be trying to say other than High Definition. The problem is that it's not in High Definition.
Look it's always a big deal to be in HD but even more so when all of the players are new to most of us. I mean I'm familiar with their names but not with their faces. It's almost as if US Soccer doesn't want me as a fan. It's hard to think of a worse way to present your product than on a Saturday night in SD on a Spanish channel.
When does Roddick come on anyway? I'm out.
Peace brah
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Tuesday Jan 18
I joked about the Christmas Tree still being up today. Twice actually.
Look who's kidding who here? Is anybody really dying for the room to go back to the way it uses to be pre-tree? I don't think so. It's not as if the couch lights up. The only plus is that Rocky can actually sleep on the couch. Not so much sleeping on the tree. At least I don't think he sleeps on the tree.
I made some tacos but I bought the wrong seasoning and they were terrible. If I wanted bad tacos I could have gone to Carlos O'Kelley's. They looked so good yet tasted like bad. What a cruel dining experience.
I've been up to my neck in the tennis over these first three days of the 2011 Australian Open and I love it. Nobody does sports like DirecTV. NOBODY.
I'm pretty jealous of Chris Fowler. He goes from covering college football to Grand Slam Tennis.
You know I bet I've watched more tennis in the last three days then I will watch of baseball and hockey for the rest of the year. COMBINED. And it won't even be close.
My NHL and MLB knowledge is really stuck in the 80's and 90's. I was questioning my hockey knowledge earlier tonight and, as I suspected, it has really slipped. So I tried to name as many players in the NHL as possible. I got 9 Capitals and 12 guys on other teams. That's it.
By comparison I was able to rattle off 40 high school seniors before I got tired of doing it. The pathetic part is that it that doesn't include juniors or sophomores. Hey high school basketball recruiting is kind of important to the future of the Hoyas program. Why wouldn't I be up to date on it?
Australian Open Day 3
Roddick: He got into the 3rd round without any real problems. Straight sets. He aced out the last game to kill it off. That was pretty fun to watch.
Venus: She was up 4-1 in the first and blew it to go down a set. Even worse is that on the last point during the tiebreaker she looked to have torn her groin. I really can't believe that she came back out to play, let a lone win the last 2 sets. Well she did both. She was in obvious pain but played smart and just got it done. I can't imagine she gets past the 4th round.
Future: Oh where oh where have the young American tennis players gone? Venus, Serena, and Andy are all on their last legs. Are we just waiting for the offspring of Agassi and Graf to grow up? I guess that's not the worst plan I've ever heard. It just seems kind of lazy.
Peace brah
Look who's kidding who here? Is anybody really dying for the room to go back to the way it uses to be pre-tree? I don't think so. It's not as if the couch lights up. The only plus is that Rocky can actually sleep on the couch. Not so much sleeping on the tree. At least I don't think he sleeps on the tree.
I made some tacos but I bought the wrong seasoning and they were terrible. If I wanted bad tacos I could have gone to Carlos O'Kelley's. They looked so good yet tasted like bad. What a cruel dining experience.
I've been up to my neck in the tennis over these first three days of the 2011 Australian Open and I love it. Nobody does sports like DirecTV. NOBODY.
I'm pretty jealous of Chris Fowler. He goes from covering college football to Grand Slam Tennis.
You know I bet I've watched more tennis in the last three days then I will watch of baseball and hockey for the rest of the year. COMBINED. And it won't even be close.
My NHL and MLB knowledge is really stuck in the 80's and 90's. I was questioning my hockey knowledge earlier tonight and, as I suspected, it has really slipped. So I tried to name as many players in the NHL as possible. I got 9 Capitals and 12 guys on other teams. That's it.
By comparison I was able to rattle off 40 high school seniors before I got tired of doing it. The pathetic part is that it that doesn't include juniors or sophomores. Hey high school basketball recruiting is kind of important to the future of the Hoyas program. Why wouldn't I be up to date on it?
Australian Open Day 3
Roddick: He got into the 3rd round without any real problems. Straight sets. He aced out the last game to kill it off. That was pretty fun to watch.
Venus: She was up 4-1 in the first and blew it to go down a set. Even worse is that on the last point during the tiebreaker she looked to have torn her groin. I really can't believe that she came back out to play, let a lone win the last 2 sets. Well she did both. She was in obvious pain but played smart and just got it done. I can't imagine she gets past the 4th round.
Future: Oh where oh where have the young American tennis players gone? Venus, Serena, and Andy are all on their last legs. Are we just waiting for the offspring of Agassi and Graf to grow up? I guess that's not the worst plan I've ever heard. It just seems kind of lazy.
Peace brah
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Doing the Talking and the Walking
There seems to be a lot of complaining going on about the Jets. Most of it is centered around the fact the some of their players and their coach engage in the fine art of talking trash.
So what?
They won the game. They went on the road and beat a team that had beaten them like a drum a month earlier to the tune of 45-3. Had they lost again after running their mouths they would have been a joke. But they didn't. They won. End of discussion.
What's the saying? Don't talk the talk unless you can walk the walk right?
I think Rex Ryan does a good job of deflecting a lot of the attention away from his team and on to him. It would have been very easy to lose that locker room after that 45-3 drubbing to a division rival. It could have killed their season but it didn't. Instead of fielding questions all week about having their lunch money stolen the last time they were in town, most of the buzz was about Ryan vs Belichick.
So far Ryan is 4-1 in the playoffs with back to back wins over Manning and Brady. That's not bad. And don't look now but Belichick has lost 3 straight playoff games including back to back at home. I don't think they have won a post season game since the 2007 AFC Championship game. Of course that's kind of deceiving because they had byes the last two seasons and the season before they were totally screwed by not making it at 11-5. But find me a stat that isn't deceiving right?
I also think that trash talk is great for the NFL. It's especially great in the playoffs because most of the fans watching the games have already seen their teams eliminated. The fact that I think that two teams genuinely hate each other makes me really want to watch the game. I mean these guys aren't out there curing cancer or breaking atoms. They are playing a game of "controlled" violence. I don't know how classy they have to be really. They are paid huge sums of money to knock the snot out of each other. I want my guys a little insane in the membrane.
I mean for example the last thing in the world I want to see immediately after a Redskins loss, and there are far too many of those unfortunately, is for Chris Cooley to be smiling and hugging Eli Manning like they are best friends forever. At that exact moment I'm probably pretty upset so I would appreciate it if the players acted like they cared. At least until they take off their pads. That's all I ask for really.
I read something today where Deion Branch was upset at the way some of the Jets celebrated after their win. Is this guy for real? I know a way to make sure that somebody's celebration doesn't make you sad. It's called winning the game.
You know New England was winning 31-3 in the 4th quarter the last time they played the Jets. They kept in their starters and they scored two more touchdowns to push the final tally to 45-3. One of those touchdowns was through the air. Some people might say that that was an example of being classless and running up the score. I wouldn't. I don't believe that there is such a thing as running up the score, especially in professional sports. If you don't like somebody scoring on you, stop them. Just like the celebration thing. It really is that simple.
I do know some Pats fans out there so please don't take offense to this entry if you somehow miraculously find yourself reading my blog. I just don't think the Jets should be getting criticized after backing up their talk. If they had lost they would be getting killed in the media.
And I really don't care who wins the Super Bowl. I just care who doesn't.
Peace brah
So what?
They won the game. They went on the road and beat a team that had beaten them like a drum a month earlier to the tune of 45-3. Had they lost again after running their mouths they would have been a joke. But they didn't. They won. End of discussion.
What's the saying? Don't talk the talk unless you can walk the walk right?
I think Rex Ryan does a good job of deflecting a lot of the attention away from his team and on to him. It would have been very easy to lose that locker room after that 45-3 drubbing to a division rival. It could have killed their season but it didn't. Instead of fielding questions all week about having their lunch money stolen the last time they were in town, most of the buzz was about Ryan vs Belichick.
So far Ryan is 4-1 in the playoffs with back to back wins over Manning and Brady. That's not bad. And don't look now but Belichick has lost 3 straight playoff games including back to back at home. I don't think they have won a post season game since the 2007 AFC Championship game. Of course that's kind of deceiving because they had byes the last two seasons and the season before they were totally screwed by not making it at 11-5. But find me a stat that isn't deceiving right?
I also think that trash talk is great for the NFL. It's especially great in the playoffs because most of the fans watching the games have already seen their teams eliminated. The fact that I think that two teams genuinely hate each other makes me really want to watch the game. I mean these guys aren't out there curing cancer or breaking atoms. They are playing a game of "controlled" violence. I don't know how classy they have to be really. They are paid huge sums of money to knock the snot out of each other. I want my guys a little insane in the membrane.
I mean for example the last thing in the world I want to see immediately after a Redskins loss, and there are far too many of those unfortunately, is for Chris Cooley to be smiling and hugging Eli Manning like they are best friends forever. At that exact moment I'm probably pretty upset so I would appreciate it if the players acted like they cared. At least until they take off their pads. That's all I ask for really.
I read something today where Deion Branch was upset at the way some of the Jets celebrated after their win. Is this guy for real? I know a way to make sure that somebody's celebration doesn't make you sad. It's called winning the game.
You know New England was winning 31-3 in the 4th quarter the last time they played the Jets. They kept in their starters and they scored two more touchdowns to push the final tally to 45-3. One of those touchdowns was through the air. Some people might say that that was an example of being classless and running up the score. I wouldn't. I don't believe that there is such a thing as running up the score, especially in professional sports. If you don't like somebody scoring on you, stop them. Just like the celebration thing. It really is that simple.
I do know some Pats fans out there so please don't take offense to this entry if you somehow miraculously find yourself reading my blog. I just don't think the Jets should be getting criticized after backing up their talk. If they had lost they would be getting killed in the media.
And I really don't care who wins the Super Bowl. I just care who doesn't.
Peace brah
Rankings Monday January 17
Well the new polls came out and the Hoyas still find themselves in both of them. To be perfectly honest, I find that pretty shocking. I thought there was a slight chance that they might cling to the bottom of the Coaches Poll but that they would definitely be in the "others receiving votes" part of the AP Poll. I was way off as they comfortably made both. They are #23 in the AP and Coaches Polls.
Are they playing like one of the top 25 teams in the country right now? No. Do they have still have one of the best resumes in the country? Yes.
I think that their current ranking is more about the rest of the teams around them also struggling than it is about them standing out due to their own good play. In other words, the other teams around them didn't do enough to leap frog the Hoyas. They could have probably stopped this week's poll at 15 and it would have been very appropriate as the teams at the bottom just didn't seem to want it.
Whenever anybody says something like Team X shouldn't be in the tournament or shouldn't be in the Top whatever, I always ask them who should take their spot. You don't always get an answer.
So when the Polls come out I do three things.
1. Find the Hoyas
2. Find the rest of the Big East
3. Look at the bottom of the "others receiving votes" section and try and guess which schools were on Feinstein's ballot
We already have our answer to #1 above.
There are 7 Big East teams in the Coaches Poll and 9 in the AP. I think there is a real chance of 10 BE teams making the NCAA Tournament. That's sick.
Feinstein was very, very predictable this week. It wasn't even a challenge. I saw James Madison and Coastal Carolina at the bottom of the AP Poll and they had Junior written all over them. What's funny is that he wasn't the only one with JMU on their ballot. Even funnier is that JMU has more votes than UNC this week.
I know I give Feinstein crap for having such a crazy ballot but at least he isn't a mindless voter. For example, I hate it when a team ranked 17th loses a close game to a team and the Top 5 and then subsequently falls in the rankings just because they lost. If they are going to move at all after that loss, they should probably move up a little but the Polls don't work that way.
Luckily there is a tournament at the end of the College Basketball season so these Polls are really just something to talk about amongst nerds.
Peace brah
Are they playing like one of the top 25 teams in the country right now? No. Do they have still have one of the best resumes in the country? Yes.
I think that their current ranking is more about the rest of the teams around them also struggling than it is about them standing out due to their own good play. In other words, the other teams around them didn't do enough to leap frog the Hoyas. They could have probably stopped this week's poll at 15 and it would have been very appropriate as the teams at the bottom just didn't seem to want it.
Whenever anybody says something like Team X shouldn't be in the tournament or shouldn't be in the Top whatever, I always ask them who should take their spot. You don't always get an answer.
So when the Polls come out I do three things.
1. Find the Hoyas
2. Find the rest of the Big East
3. Look at the bottom of the "others receiving votes" section and try and guess which schools were on Feinstein's ballot
We already have our answer to #1 above.
There are 7 Big East teams in the Coaches Poll and 9 in the AP. I think there is a real chance of 10 BE teams making the NCAA Tournament. That's sick.
Feinstein was very, very predictable this week. It wasn't even a challenge. I saw James Madison and Coastal Carolina at the bottom of the AP Poll and they had Junior written all over them. What's funny is that he wasn't the only one with JMU on their ballot. Even funnier is that JMU has more votes than UNC this week.
I know I give Feinstein crap for having such a crazy ballot but at least he isn't a mindless voter. For example, I hate it when a team ranked 17th loses a close game to a team and the Top 5 and then subsequently falls in the rankings just because they lost. If they are going to move at all after that loss, they should probably move up a little but the Polls don't work that way.
Luckily there is a tournament at the end of the College Basketball season so these Polls are really just something to talk about amongst nerds.
Peace brah
Monday January 17
I thought about taking the Christmas Tree down today. I'm going to consider that a step in the right direction.
The Australian Open started Sunday at 7pm eastern time and I must say it was a pleasant surprise. DirecTV has the hookup for the first week of all of the Grand Slams with their mix channel and the ability to watch any of those 6 matches on it's own channel. All in HD.
I'm not going to lie when I say that the most interesting sporting event I saw yesterday was Monfils battling back from being down 2 sets to none and 5 to 2 in the 3rd to eventually win in 5 sets. It would have been a major bummer had he lost that early. He's pretty much the only non American I follow.
Speaking of Americans, I need Serena to get back in the mix by the next Slam. I don't just miss her singles, but she ruins the sister doubles as well. You know it's actually pretty embarrassing that her and Venus are the only good American women. They can't play forever.
I've watched a lot of college basketball in my life and I've never seen a game start the way that the Syracuse - Pittsburgh game did tonight.
Playing at home, the Panthers jumped out to a 19-0 lead. Syracuse then promptly responded with a 17-0 run of their own to cut the Pitt lead to 19-17. I've never seen that. I've never seen two teams take turns trading those types of blows to start a game. Never.
Besides the fact that both Pitt and Syracuse couldn't lose tonight, there was something else bothering me during the telecast. No it wasn't that I kept flipping the channel to see what was going on in the Australian Open. It was Dick Vitale. Dick doesn't the Big East game on Monday but since today was Gigantic Monday with games being played all day, I had he misfortune of listening to him run his mouth about evertying but the actual game going on right in front of him.
Example of Dick being Dick - late in the game with Syracuse trying to mount a comeback, he just keeps going on and on about how San Diego State has a chance to go undefeated before the NCAA Tournament starts.
I've been saying for awhile now that you can't win a Big East game scoring less than 60 points. Georgetown has failed to score 60 in all of their conference losses so far. Well earlier in the day both Connecticut and Villanova seemed really determined to prove me wrong. Connecticut went on to uphold my theory by just barely clearing the bare minimum hurdle in their 61-59 victory.
You know I love Jay Bilas and Bill Raftery doing games. I absolutely love them but I was pretty disappointed in them at the end of the UCONN game. Villanova got the ball with 2.5 seconds after Walker scored and had to go the length of the court. Jay and Bill went on about how surprised they were that Villanova didn't call a timeout. Well it wasn't all that surprising given the fact that they didn't have any. How was there not somebody in their ear telling them that?
And with that I'm calling a timeout. I have one left.
Peace brah
The Australian Open started Sunday at 7pm eastern time and I must say it was a pleasant surprise. DirecTV has the hookup for the first week of all of the Grand Slams with their mix channel and the ability to watch any of those 6 matches on it's own channel. All in HD.
I'm not going to lie when I say that the most interesting sporting event I saw yesterday was Monfils battling back from being down 2 sets to none and 5 to 2 in the 3rd to eventually win in 5 sets. It would have been a major bummer had he lost that early. He's pretty much the only non American I follow.
Speaking of Americans, I need Serena to get back in the mix by the next Slam. I don't just miss her singles, but she ruins the sister doubles as well. You know it's actually pretty embarrassing that her and Venus are the only good American women. They can't play forever.
I've watched a lot of college basketball in my life and I've never seen a game start the way that the Syracuse - Pittsburgh game did tonight.
Playing at home, the Panthers jumped out to a 19-0 lead. Syracuse then promptly responded with a 17-0 run of their own to cut the Pitt lead to 19-17. I've never seen that. I've never seen two teams take turns trading those types of blows to start a game. Never.
Besides the fact that both Pitt and Syracuse couldn't lose tonight, there was something else bothering me during the telecast. No it wasn't that I kept flipping the channel to see what was going on in the Australian Open. It was Dick Vitale. Dick doesn't the Big East game on Monday but since today was Gigantic Monday with games being played all day, I had he misfortune of listening to him run his mouth about evertying but the actual game going on right in front of him.
Example of Dick being Dick - late in the game with Syracuse trying to mount a comeback, he just keeps going on and on about how San Diego State has a chance to go undefeated before the NCAA Tournament starts.
I've been saying for awhile now that you can't win a Big East game scoring less than 60 points. Georgetown has failed to score 60 in all of their conference losses so far. Well earlier in the day both Connecticut and Villanova seemed really determined to prove me wrong. Connecticut went on to uphold my theory by just barely clearing the bare minimum hurdle in their 61-59 victory.
You know I love Jay Bilas and Bill Raftery doing games. I absolutely love them but I was pretty disappointed in them at the end of the UCONN game. Villanova got the ball with 2.5 seconds after Walker scored and had to go the length of the court. Jay and Bill went on about how surprised they were that Villanova didn't call a timeout. Well it wasn't all that surprising given the fact that they didn't have any. How was there not somebody in their ear telling them that?
And with that I'm calling a timeout. I have one left.
Peace brah
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
smoke 'em if you got 'em
Almost all teams, even the good ones, have their weak spots or their problem areas. Hopefully as the season goes on you will improve on those areas and take advantage of your strengths on your way to a successful season.
Georgetown is doing the opposite of that right now. They entered the season with two major weak spots:
1. Rebounding
2. Defense
Both of those problem areas seem to be a function of their 3 guard lineup.
So instead of improving on those weak areas, they have pretty much stayed the same while, at the same time, they have picked up other problem areas:
3. Outside Shooting
4. Turnovers
They are making it nearly impossible to win these close games. By not rebounding very well they are giving the opposition more chances to score. By turning it over they are giving themselves less chances to score. (Also remember that turnovers generally lead to easier scores for the other team.) Right now they are getting the negatives of playing small without the positives.
You can't win like that. And they aren't.
In their most recent loss their was a sequence where Vaughn and Benimon turned the ball over in the backcourt attempting to hand it off to a guard. The result? Back to back lay-ups for WVU. They just gave them 4 points. It was pure torture to watch. Not to be left out of the party Sims had a similar turnover later in the game.
As if that wasn't bad enough, the Hoyas, down by 3 late in the game, turned the ball over on their last 4 possessions.
FOUR.
It was so bad that I half expected them to drag out my dog after the final buzzer had sounded and have all of the players kick him while I was forced to watch. I wouldn't have been surprised.
Remember that whole not hitting jump shots thing? Well that was a large part of a 5 minute scoring draught in the first half. If you don't count free throws it was almost 7 minutes. 7 minutes is an eternity in a 40 minute games.
So even though I'm a little disappointed that the defense hasn't gotten better, I think they can survive so long as they start scoring more and giving it away less. It sounds simple but it's not.
Well it's almost time to see if they learned anything in practice since Saturday.
Peace brah
Georgetown is doing the opposite of that right now. They entered the season with two major weak spots:
1. Rebounding
2. Defense
Both of those problem areas seem to be a function of their 3 guard lineup.
So instead of improving on those weak areas, they have pretty much stayed the same while, at the same time, they have picked up other problem areas:
3. Outside Shooting
4. Turnovers
They are making it nearly impossible to win these close games. By not rebounding very well they are giving the opposition more chances to score. By turning it over they are giving themselves less chances to score. (Also remember that turnovers generally lead to easier scores for the other team.) Right now they are getting the negatives of playing small without the positives.
You can't win like that. And they aren't.
In their most recent loss their was a sequence where Vaughn and Benimon turned the ball over in the backcourt attempting to hand it off to a guard. The result? Back to back lay-ups for WVU. They just gave them 4 points. It was pure torture to watch. Not to be left out of the party Sims had a similar turnover later in the game.
As if that wasn't bad enough, the Hoyas, down by 3 late in the game, turned the ball over on their last 4 possessions.
FOUR.
It was so bad that I half expected them to drag out my dog after the final buzzer had sounded and have all of the players kick him while I was forced to watch. I wouldn't have been surprised.
Remember that whole not hitting jump shots thing? Well that was a large part of a 5 minute scoring draught in the first half. If you don't count free throws it was almost 7 minutes. 7 minutes is an eternity in a 40 minute games.
So even though I'm a little disappointed that the defense hasn't gotten better, I think they can survive so long as they start scoring more and giving it away less. It sounds simple but it's not.
Well it's almost time to see if they learned anything in practice since Saturday.
Peace brah
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Monday January 10
So tonight was the big night. The night of the "National Championship" game. Besides Rocky, I wasn't really sure who I was going to watch the game with tonight. But then the answer became very clear. Since football is so heavily tied to strategy and field position, I came to the conclusion that I should roll with somebody from the military. So I went with the General. I feel like I'm pregnant now. Thanks for nothing Gen. Tso.
I was on Oregon early as my number one in the KPI this past fall but I've been digging Auburn since the Cam Newton investigations started and then that comeback win over Alabama in the Iron Bowl.
If Valentine's Day were to be moved up from Feb 14 to Jan 14, CVS would have no problem accommodating anybody's needs for cards, candy, and over sized teddy bears. The CVS near my house is busting at the seams with red junk here, there, and everywhere.
And it's over in Glendale. Auburn wins on a kick. That's cool. I'm down with War Eagle. There is a pretty entertaining commercial out there right now with everybody saying "Roll Tide" after various types of everyday situations. I imagine that ad is pure torture for Auburn fans. I bet this moment more than makes up for it.
I guess I have to take down the Christmas stuff tomorrow. I feel like most people do that type of thing on New Year's Day and I get that. But I have a new policy half born out of laziness and half born out of a passive aggressive protest to Bowl Games. Basically I feel like as long as it's Bowl Season, it's still Christmas Season at my house.
All of the above being said, I feel like it might stay Christmas down at WTR's all year long. I mean it's an absolute given that the lights are staying up. The only real question is when, if ever, does the mini-tree come down. I kinda like where it is. Unless another TV replaces it, I think it stays.
Ho. Ho. Ho.
War Eagle brah
I was on Oregon early as my number one in the KPI this past fall but I've been digging Auburn since the Cam Newton investigations started and then that comeback win over Alabama in the Iron Bowl.
If Valentine's Day were to be moved up from Feb 14 to Jan 14, CVS would have no problem accommodating anybody's needs for cards, candy, and over sized teddy bears. The CVS near my house is busting at the seams with red junk here, there, and everywhere.
And it's over in Glendale. Auburn wins on a kick. That's cool. I'm down with War Eagle. There is a pretty entertaining commercial out there right now with everybody saying "Roll Tide" after various types of everyday situations. I imagine that ad is pure torture for Auburn fans. I bet this moment more than makes up for it.
I guess I have to take down the Christmas stuff tomorrow. I feel like most people do that type of thing on New Year's Day and I get that. But I have a new policy half born out of laziness and half born out of a passive aggressive protest to Bowl Games. Basically I feel like as long as it's Bowl Season, it's still Christmas Season at my house.
All of the above being said, I feel like it might stay Christmas down at WTR's all year long. I mean it's an absolute given that the lights are staying up. The only real question is when, if ever, does the mini-tree come down. I kinda like where it is. Unless another TV replaces it, I think it stays.
Ho. Ho. Ho.
War Eagle brah
Friday, January 7, 2011
Game 16: Georgetown v West Virginia
Nothing like a big home game at 11am with next to no students. Bring it.
Well if you can't win on the road, you better make damn sure that you win at home. The Hoyas are coming to Verizon for a nice two game homestand that they better take full advantage of if they want to make their lives a little easier come March.
The last time these two schools squared off it was for the conference championship at MSG last March. Now they both find themselves at 1-2 and desperate not to fall any further behind the pack.
It seems like every opponent in the league has guys that you swear must have used up their eligibility yet somehow still find their way on the roster every season. On WVU it's Flowers, Mazzulla, and Thoroughman that I'm talking about. I really can't believe Flowers is still playing.
My keys to the game:
**I believe that their shots will start falling at a higher percentage sooner rather than later. That being said, they have been making themselves too easy to defend. Clark, Freeman, and Wright are too good to just simply fade away with missed shots. They can all get to the rim or set up each other with better looks off the dribble.
**Vaughn needs to stay out of foul trouble and give a solid 25 minutes down low. He's all they have in terms of a low post scoring threat.
**More assists than turnovers. It's hard to score when you keep giving the other team the ball.
**Run, run, run. If you are going to be smaller, and quicker than other teams then you need to make the pay the price to go bigger than you.
**Who is going to guard Jones? He should be able to get his shot off over Austin. Is Hollis up to the task? Will Vee can more run than usual?
Ok less than 12 hours away. I'm out.
Peace brah
Well if you can't win on the road, you better make damn sure that you win at home. The Hoyas are coming to Verizon for a nice two game homestand that they better take full advantage of if they want to make their lives a little easier come March.
The last time these two schools squared off it was for the conference championship at MSG last March. Now they both find themselves at 1-2 and desperate not to fall any further behind the pack.
It seems like every opponent in the league has guys that you swear must have used up their eligibility yet somehow still find their way on the roster every season. On WVU it's Flowers, Mazzulla, and Thoroughman that I'm talking about. I really can't believe Flowers is still playing.
My keys to the game:
**I believe that their shots will start falling at a higher percentage sooner rather than later. That being said, they have been making themselves too easy to defend. Clark, Freeman, and Wright are too good to just simply fade away with missed shots. They can all get to the rim or set up each other with better looks off the dribble.
**Vaughn needs to stay out of foul trouble and give a solid 25 minutes down low. He's all they have in terms of a low post scoring threat.
**More assists than turnovers. It's hard to score when you keep giving the other team the ball.
**Run, run, run. If you are going to be smaller, and quicker than other teams then you need to make the pay the price to go bigger than you.
**Who is going to guard Jones? He should be able to get his shot off over Austin. Is Hollis up to the task? Will Vee can more run than usual?
Ok less than 12 hours away. I'm out.
Peace brah
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