Those are some telling numbers. Everyone keeps talking about all of the parody in college basketball this year, but I really think it's largely a result of some of the "BCS" conferences being down. In particular, the Big East and the ACC are having really down years. The ACC's down year is largely a result of the schizophrenic play of N.C. State and UNC, but the Big East is just down overall. They're really only surviving in the rankings because of the self-fulfilling prophecy of being in that hype machine. I was actually defending the Zags recently against the bullshit assumptions that go along with playing in a mid-major conference. Honestly, it's like Syracuse and Duke are playing in mid-major conferences this season. Louisville, in particular, is getting too much credit. Everyone always talks about how great their backcourt is, but I think the Siva/Smith backcourt is a recipe for disaster. They've both have the same problems in their game. They're both always going for the home-run plays, make questionable decisions, and always try to put the team on their backs, even when they don't need to. Smith, in particular, is very shaky decision maker on defense. If both those guys make the right gambles, they're unstoppable, but it's like they're playing Russian roulette every time they play.
Do you think Memphis is prime for a decent run this March? Is Pastner doing a good job with that team? I haven't been able to see them play much.
I'm in the minority in the city on this, but I think Pastner has done a horrible job. He keeps his job by bringing in great recruiting classes every year, but the players basically run the program. Calipari was pretty much just a recruiter himself, but at least he would be able to command a certain level of respect out of his players. Guys like Joe Jackson, Tarik Black, and Adonis Thomas seem to have no respect for Pastner. Essentially, he's got a lot of guys with unstable temperaments, and the program goes as their temperaments go. They're easily rattled, play undisciplined, can't hit free-throws, and most importantly, they don't listen to their own coach. From a talent perspective, they've got one of the best teams in the country, but their record is really largely a factor of a very weak year for C-USA. The C-USA is usually in the same class as the WCC, A-10, or WAC, but they're having a down year just like some of the power conferences. March is a coin-flip for the Tigers right now, because like I said, they're one of the most talented programs out there, but they run still run an even looser version of Calipari's offense with less discipline, if that were possible, and a lot of personalities that will mesh alright in C-USA play but will wind up shooting the team in the foot when they face competition on their level in March. BTW - I'm not 100% on this stat, but I think that Josh Pastner has yet to beat a Top-25 opponent yet at Memphis. Pretty damning if true...
ESPN's latest POY poll is pretty interesting - http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/76785/oladipo-keeps-pace-in-poy-straw-poll Looks like the consensus is either Burke or Oladipo, with McDermott, Plumlee, and Olynyk being the only legit competition.
Funny they have Olynyk as Forward. People on these boards say he'll never be a Forward. I don't agree with those rankings.
I'm surprised Burke is still the favorite given their 2-3 record in their last five games. Not that Burke hasn't played great in the losses, but I'm just surprised that with a knee-jerk media, they're still holding onto their mid-season favorite. I also don't like McDermott over Olynyk. I think a lot of the McDermott votes simply come from his preseason hype, but honestly, Creighton's not having that great of a season. They've only got the #47 RPI for fucks sake, and they also have a 2-3 record in their last five, like Michigan, except their three losses were to Indiana State, Illinois State, and Northern Iowa. I don't see how anyone would put him in their top three, much less how six voters actually have him as their overall POY. Plumlee should be out of the picture as well, for the moment at least. He was the hands down favorite at the beginning of the season, but Duke has been skittish since Kelly got hurt. If you're really the POY, the injury of one of your team's auxiliary players shouldn't have that big of an effect on your team's performance. If I had to vote today, it'd be a close call between Oladipo, Burke, and Olynyk. I wouldn't even really consider McDermott or Plumlee. BTW - What happened with Grant Gibbs at Gonzaga? I don't even really remember him playing there.
He was too passive and saw the writing on the wall when Bell and Pangos signed. He was too good of a recruit not to get any burn.
Anyone watching this Kansas/Iowa St. game? Iowa State was absolutely robbed at the end of regulation. Elijah Johnson got away with a charge, and then when the ball was loose on the ground, Iowa St. got called for a phantom foul that wound up forcing OT. This would be their fourth loss that came from a last minute play or shot. They already lost once to Kansas because of a late three, as well as to Oklahoma State and Texas at the last minute. This hurts their bubble chances, but I still don't see 34 at-large candidates that actually look better on the floor than Iowa State. Korie Lucious is also one of the most underrated point guards in the country. His height limits his pro potential, but I think he's easily one of the ten best floor generals in all of college basketball right now.
I watched the end of it. The Cyclone crowd had the wind kicked out of their sails at the end there. Johnson was ridiculous hitting stuff that he had no business making. Yeah, that was a horrible non foul call at the end. Then Johnson with the tacky dunk when the game was clearly over. I don't think Hoiberg and Self like each other very much.
I wonder if too many coaches actually do respect Fred Hoiberg. I would have pegged him for a good guy when he was a player, but as a coach, he's sort of become the John Calipari of the Big 12. He keeps getting the shady recruits that most schools don't want to touch. Every year, their team is filled will talented guys like Royce White, Korie Lucious, and Chris Allen that got kicked off their previous teams, as well as poached transfers like Will Clyburn, Scott Christopherson, Chris Babb, and Anthony Booker. Not to mention Percy Gibson decommitting from Dayton and all of the JuCo guys they bring in. There's just a whole lot of sketchiness going on there that most of the respectable programs try to distance themselves from.
I think he's really just trying to fast-track the program and his career. Its a lot easier to add those guys than try to compete with the elite schools recruiting elite talent to Iowa State. Hes confident that he can get their respect, reign them in, and get them to play for him. Seems like its working so far. But I reckon it won't be too long before he moves on to a better gig.
I'm not saying I don't understand what he's doing. I understood what Coach Cal did too. I just don't respect it, nor do I imagine other coaches respect it.
The way recruiting is these days does he have any other chance to be successful in Ames if he doesn't gamble with shady recruits? Kids today don't remember Iowa St. ever being relevant (the Fizer and Tinsley days) and he doesn't have the resources to get players outside of the picked over midwest.
There are a lot of guys around the area that are decent recruits that would actually have a chance of going to Iowa State. Harrison Barnes is from Aimes, for one. His father even played there. Then there are all the white guys out of Iowa like Grant Gibbs that wind up out of state. The state isn't exactly a hotbed for recruiting, but there's talent there. It's also one thing to have a few guys who are JuCo's or transfers, but their entire program is based on the guys that other programs have blacklisted. It's John Calpiari's "program building 101." Ask Frank McCaffery how he feels about it. You think he has an easier time recruiting kids from the area? Why hasn't he stooped to the same tactics? Iowa has the same recruiting obstacles to overcome, yet somehow they beat Iowa State this year, have just as good of a resume, and don't have a single transfer or JuCo player on their roster.
Iowa is a very well established collegiate program. They can get top regional talent and pretty good non-regional talent. Iowa State has been very good lately but they still don't have the pedigree and I can only assume that all the kids growing up in that area didn't grow up dreaming of playing for Iowa State. I get that Hoiberg has had some shady practices, but I don't really blame him. Other coaches are pissed that hes picked up kids who they've cast out of the DI fraternity? Who cares? And have any of them been problematic in their time at Iowa State? Hes getting talented kids through a legal process and using his reputation as a former NBA player to his advantage. To my knowledge hes getting a lot out of these talented athletes as well and keeping them in line.
And they get another signature win... Man, don't look now, but the Vols are making a decent last-minute push for the tournament again.
How the hell is Iowa a more established basketball program than Iowa State? Since 2000, Iowa St.'s been to four tournaments, whereas Iowa's been to three. Not to mention the Hawkeyes haven't made the tournament once in the past seven seasons, and the Cyclones have also made the sweet 16 more recently. How is Iowa more established?
