Posts Tagged ‘college basketball’

« Newer Entries
Older Entries »
h1

Mac’s College Basketball Rankings: January 10th, 2011

January 10, 2011

TOP 25:

1. Duke (15-0)
Key Wins: Marquette, Kansas State, MSU, Butler, Miami, UAB, Maryland
Key Losses:
Last Week: #1

2. Ohio State (16-0)
Key Wins: Florida, FSU, South Carolina, Oakland, Minnesota
Key Losses:
Last Week: #2

3. Kansas (14-0)
Key Wins: Arizona, UCLA, Memphis, USC, @Cal, UNT, @Michigan
Key Losses:
Last Week: #3

4. Syracuse (16-0)
Key Wins: MSU, NC State, Notre Dame
Key Losses:
Last Week: #4

5. Pittsburgh (15-1)
Key Wins: Maryland, Texas, UCONN, Marquette
Key Losses: Tennessee
Last Week: #5

6. San Diego State (17-0)
Key Wins: @Gonzaga, St. Mary’s,Wichita St., @Cal
Key Losses:
Last Week: #6

7. Villanova (14-1)
Key Wins: UCLA, Temple, Cincinnati
Key Losses: Tennessee
Last Week: #9

8. BYU (16-1)
Key Wins: Utah St., St. Mary’s, @Vermont, Arizona, UTEP, @UNLV
Key Losses: @UCLA
Last Week: #12

9. Purdue (15-1)
Key Wins: Oakland, @V-Tech, @Michigan, N’western, @Penn St
Key Losses: @Richmond
Last Week: #13

10. Notre Dame (13-2)
Key Wins: Cal, Georgia, @Wisconsin, Gonzaga, Georgetown, UCONN, St. John’s
Key Loses: @Kentucky, @Syracuse
Last Week: #16

11. Connecticut (12-2)
Key Wins: Wichita State, MSU, Kentucky, @Texas
Key Losses: @Pitt, @NDU
Last Week: #7

12. Texas A&M (14-1)
Key Wins: Temple, Washington, Arkansas
Key Losses: BCU
Last Week: #15

13. Kentucky (12-3)
Key Wins: @Portland, Washington, Notre Dame, @Louisville
Key Losses: @UCONN, @UNC, @Georgia
Last Week: #10

14. Washington (12-3)
Key Wins: Portland, @USC, @UCLA, Oregon
Key Losses: @MSU, @Kentucky, @Texas A&M
Last Week: #23

15. Missouri (14-2)
Key Wins: @Oregon, Vanderbilt, Illinois, ODU
Key Losses: Georgetown, @Colorado
Last Week: #11

16. Illinois (13-3)
Key Wins: @Maryland, UNC, @Gonzaga, Northwestern
Key Losses: @Texas, @Ill.Chicago, @Missouri
Last Week: #22

17. Texas (12-3)
Key Wins: Illinois, @UNC, @MSU, Arkansas
Key Losses: @Pitt, @USC, UCONN
Last Week: #14

18. Georgetown (12-4)
Key Wins: NC State, @ODU, @Missouri, Utah State, @Memphis
Key Losses: @Temple, @Notre Dame, @St. John’s, WVU
Last Week: #8

19. UNLV (13-3)
Key Wins: @Murray St., Wisconsin, @Virginia Tech, @KSU
Key Losses: @Louisville, UCSB, BYU
Last week: #20

20. UCF (14-1)
Key Wins: Florida, @Miami
Key Losses: @Houston
Last Week: #18

21. Temple (11-3)
Key Wins: Georgetown, @Georgia, @Maryland
Key Losses: @Cal, @Texas A&M, @Villanova
Last Week: Unranked

22. St. John’s (10-4)
Key Wins: ASU, Northwestern, @WVU, @Providence, Georgetown
Key Losses: @St. Mary’s, St. Bonaventure, @Fordham, @Notre Dame
Last Week: Unranked

23. Louisville (13-2)
Key Wins: Butler, UNLV
Key Losses: Drexel, Kentucky
Last Week: #24

24. Kansas State (12-4)
Key Wins: Gonzaga, Virginia Tech, @WSU
Key Losses: @Duke, @Florida, UNLV, @OK St
Last Week: #17

25. Florida (12-3)
Key Wins: @FSU, KSU, Xavier, RIU, Ole Miss
Key Losses: OSU, @UCF, Jacksonville
Last Week: Unranked

DROPPED OUT:

19. Memphis (11-3)
Key Wins: Miami, @LSU
Key Losses: @Kansas, Georgetown, @Tennessee
Last Week: #19

21. Minnesota (12-4)
Key Wins: @UNC, @West Virginia
Key Losses: Virginia, @Wisconsin, @MSU, @OSU
Last Week: #21

25. Michigan State (10-5)
Key Wins: Washington, Oakland, Minnesota, @N’western
Key Losses: @UCONN, @Duke, @Syracuse, Texas, @Penn St
Last Week: #25

NEXT FIVE:

Butler (12-5)
Key Wins: @Siena, Stanford, FSU, @WSU, Cleveland St
Key Losses: @Louisville, Evansville, @Duke, @Xavier, @Wisc-Mil

Gonzaga (11-5)
Key Wins: @Marquette, @Baylor, Xavier, OK St., Portland
Key Losses: @KSU, SDSU, Illinois, @WSU, @Notre Dame

Vanderbilt (10-3)
Key Wins: UNC, Marquette
Key Losses: WVU, Missouri, @South Carolina

West Virginia (10-4)
Key Wins: Oakland, Vanderbilt, Cleveland St., @Georgetown
Key Losses: Minnesota, @Miami, St. John’s, @Marquette

Wisconsin (12-3)
Key Wins: @BCU, NC State, @Marquette, Minnesota, Michigan
Key Losses: @UNLV, Notre Dame, @Illinois

BUBBLE:

Arizona (14-3)
Key Wins: @NC State, @Oregon
Key Losses: @Kansas, @BYU, @Oregon St

Baylor (11-3)
Key Wins: ASU
Key Losses: Gonzaga, @WSU, FSU

Boston College (12-4)
Key Wins: Texas A&M, Cal, Maryland, South Carolina
Key Losses: Yale, Wisconsin, RIU, Harvard

Cincinnati (15-1)
Key Wins: Dayton, Xavier
Key Losses: @Villanova

Georgia (12-2)
Key Wins: UAB, @Georgia Tech, Kentucky
Key Losses: @Notre Dame, Temple

North Carolina (11-4)
Key Wins: Kentucky, @Virginia
Key Losses: Vanderbilt, Minnesota, Illinois, Texas

Oklahoma State (13-2)
Key Wins: Murray St., Stanford, KSU
Key Losses: @VTU, @Gonzaga

Old Dominion (12-3)
Key Wins: Xavier, Clemson, Richmond, Dayton, George Mason
Key Losses: Georgetown, @Delaware, @Missouri

St. Mary’s (14-2)
Key Wins: St. John’s, Texas Tech, Miss State
Key Losses: BYU, SDSU

Tennessee (10-5)
Key Wins: VCU, Villanova, @Pittsburgh, Memphis
Key Losses: Oakland, @Charlotte, USC, Charleston, @Arkansas

-No reason the Mountain West won’t have two top ten teams tomorrow. Siiiiiiick.

-Notre Dame has been impressive as hell. No one has more quality wins.

-Glad to see Cincinnati get pounded. I don’t care if you’re undefeated…when your strength of schedule ranking is in the 300s, you’re not legit.

-I only caught the last quarter of the UCONN-Texas game, but it was pretty fucking awesome. Kemba continues to show he’s the best player in the country: that 3 in OT w/ the shot clock expiring and then the game-winner…

-Had to move my Huskies way up with everyone else taking losses and UW just looking good as fuck. Every game we got a different star. Does anyone still think the PAC-10 is wide open? Maybe for every place but first. @ UCLA. @ Ego making me hate a team I used to like.

-Georgetown had a rough week. They dropped ten spots, but I still think their resume is impressive as shit.

-St. John’s could have been a top 15 team if they found a way to beat Notre Dame on Saturday. As it stands, they still should get a top 25 ranking after a sick run the last couple weeks.

-I don’t think Louisville has staying power in the top 25 going through the Big East schedule. They are the team I have ranked that I like the least.

-I don’t know what to make of Kansas State and Michigan State. At full physical and mental health, these are clearly top ten teams… but MSU can’t go a week without losing and KSU has been following just behind the Spartans’ footsteps.

-Florida gets a ranking from me again which means they’ll probably take a brutal loss this coming week.

-Vanderbilt would have cracked my top 25 for the first time with a win over South Carolina Saturday, but with the loss, they remain near the top of my bubble.

-Gonzaga and Butler are headed in the right direction. Gonzaga has been super hot and Butler has been hot too, but took a disappointing loss to Wisconsin-Milwaukee this past week.

-Georgia hops onto my bubble with a win over Kentucky and a 12-2 overall record.

Posted in poker | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

h1

Weekly College Basketball Rankings 12/27

December 27, 2010

I’ve been sick this past holiday weekend, so I’m just doing a fast update today. No team-by-team analysis. I copied and pasted the rankings from my Word document, so I have every team’s important wins and losses listed as well. Last Week’s Ranking in brackets:

Top 25

1. Duke (11-0) [1]
Key Wins: Marquette, Kansas State, MSU, Butler
Key Losses:

2. Ohio State (12-0) [2]
Key Wins: Florida, FSU, South Carolina, Oakland
Key Losses:

3. Kansas (11-0) [3]
Key Wins: Arizona, UCLA, Memphis, USC, Cal
Key Losses:

4. Connecticut (10-0) [4]
Key Wins: Wichita State, MSU, Kentucky
Key Losses:

5. Syracuse (13-0) [5]
Key Wins: MSU, NC State
Key Losses:

6. Georgetown (10-1) [6]
Key Wins: NC State, ODU, Missouri, Utah State, Memphis
Key Losses: Temple

7. Pittsburgh (12-1) [7]
Key Wins: Maryland, Texas
Key Losses: Tennessee

8. San Diego State (14-0) [9]
Key Wins: Gonzaga, St. Mary’s,Wichita St., Cal
Key Losses:

9. Villanova (10-1) [10]
Key Wins: UCLA
Key Losses: Tennessee

10. Kentucky (9-2) [11]
Key Wins: Washington, Notre Dame
Key Losses: UCONN, UNC

11. Minnesota (11-1) [14]
Key Wins: Siena, W.Kentucky, UNC, West Virginia
Key Losses: Virginia

12. Missouri (11-1) [15]
Key Wins: Vanderbilt, Illinois
Key Losses: Georgetown

13. BYU (12-1) [18]
Key Wins: Utah St., St. Mary’s, Arizona, UTEP
Key Losses: UCLA

14. Purdue (11-1) [13]
Key Wins: Oakland, Virginia Tech
Key Losses: Richmond

15. Texas (10-2) [22]
Key Wins: Illinois, UNC, MSU
Key Losses: Pitt, USC

16. Notre Dame (11-1) [21]
Key Wins: Cal, Georgia, Wisconsin, Gonzaga
Key Loses: Kentucky

17. Texas A&M (11-1) [23]
Key Wins: Temple, Washington, Arkansas
Key Losses: BCU

18. Kansas State (10-3) [8]
Key Wins: Gonzaga, Virginia Tech, WSU
Key Losses: Duke, Florida, UNLV

19. West Virginia (8-2) [25]
Key Wins: Oakland, Vanderbilt, VMI, Cleveland St.
Key Losses: Minnesota, Miami

20. Memphis (9-2) [12]
Key Wins: Miami, LSU
Key Losses: Kansas, Georgetown

21. Illinois (10-3) [16]
Key Wins: Maryland, UNC, Gonzaga
Key Losses: Texas, Ill.Chicago, Missouri

22. Louisville (10-1) [unranked]
Key Wins: Butler, UNLV, W.Kentucky
Key Losses: Drexel

23. UCF (11-0) [unranked]
Key Wins: Florida, Miami
Key Losses:

24. UNLV (11-2) [unranked]
Key Wins: Wisconsin, Virginia Tech, KSU
Key Losses: Louisville, UCSB

25. Tennessee (8-3) [17]
Key Wins: VCU, Villanova, Pittsburgh
Key Losses: Oakland, Charlotte, USC

Dropped Out:

19. Baylor (8-3)
Key Wins: ASU
Key Losses: Gonzaga, WSU, FSU

20. Michigan State (8-4)
Key Wins: Washington, Oakland
Key Losses: UCONN, Duke, Syracuse, Texas

24. Florida (9-3)
Key Wins: FSU, KSU
Key Losses: OSU, UCF, Jacksonville

Bubble:

Boston College (10-2)
Key Wins: Texas A&M, Cal, Maryland
Key Losses: Wisconsin

Butler (9-4)
Key Wins: Siena, Stanford, FSU, WSU
Key Losses: Louisville, Evansville, Duke, Xavier

Old Dominion (9-2)
Key Wins: Xavier, Clemson, Richmond, Dayton
Key Losses: Georgetown, Delaware

Temple (9-2)
Key Wins: Georgetown, Georgia, Maryland
Key Losses: Cal, Texas A&M

Washington (8-3)
Key Wins: Texas Tech, Portland
Key Losses: MSU, Kentucky, Texas A&M

Washington State (10-2)
Key Wins: Gonzaga, Miss. St., Baylor
Key Losses: Kansas State, Butler

Notes:

-College basketball was mostly dormant this weekend, but the first half of the week saw a lot of top 25 teams taking losses, which lead to major shuffling in the rankings.

-What’s it going to take for Michigan State to fall out of the national rankings? They were #12 last week with 3 losses… what does 4 losses get you?

-Biggest losers of the week were Tennessee, Kansas State, and Baylor. Who knows what’s going on with the Volunteers, but at least KSU can point to the absence of their top two scorers. They are both on the verge of falling out of the rankings, but these are both teams I’d have a hard time betting against in March. Same goes for MSU. Baylor was a team I’ve had question marks about all season. Heading into this past week, they were ranked #15 in the national polls, but didn’t even crack the top 100 of the RPI. They’ve played three good teams and taken three losses. Consider them exposed.

-Biggest winners of the week were Texas and Butler. Texas knocked off Michigan State and Butler won the tournament in Hawaii, taking down Florida State and Washington State in the process. Texas could be as high as #12 in the national rankings and I wouldn’t be surprised if Butler found itself ranked again. Butler cracks the top 10 of the RPI and rank #3 in strength of schedule; not bad for a team that was having columns written about its dismal tournament chances a couple weeks ago. For now, Butler is good enough to be at the top of my bubble.

-When I updated my rankings in the middle of the week, I had Washington State @ #19. They’ve been impressive lately, but they got smoked by Butler on Christmas and cost themselves a top 25 spot. If they win that game, they probably get a national ranking.

-With Baylor, Tennessee, Illinois, and Florida all possibly exiting the top 25, there’s a chance Washington cracks the national rankings today. They were 27th in votes last week, and if four teams drop out, it’s likely they take a spot. Personally–even as a homer–I don’t think they deserve it. Much like Baylor, Washington has played against three good teams and lost all three games. One difference, Washington was in all three of those games until the last couple minutes. I still think UW is a top 15 team when it comes to talent and depth, but I’m basing my rankings on performance, not potential, and Washington has been disappointing so far.

Posted in poker | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

h1

College Basketball Rankings 12/13

December 13, 2010

Last week’s rankings in brackets:

Will finish updating throughout Monday.

TOP 25

1. Duke (10-0): Duke lost Kyrie Irving indefinitely this past week–a big blow–but Duke’s one of the few teams in the nation that can suffer such a loss and still be okay. Their chances of ending the regular season undefeated have been diminished, but I still don’t see anyone challenging them as the top team in the country. [1]

2. Ohio State (8-0): I believe in OSU as a top five team, but their resume isn’t incredibly impressive so far: none of the teams they’ve played are currently ranked. I can’t wait for Big 10 play to start and see what these guys are really made of. Jared Sullinger made a statement concerning the question of who the best freshmen in the country is by dropping 40 points in a game last week. [2]

3. Kansas (9-0): The Jayhawks had a big week with wins over Memphis and Arizona and Josh Selby is eligible for their next game. I expect them to be the #2 team in the country before long. [4]

4. Kansas State (9-1): [5]

5. Connecticut (8-0): [6]

6. Syracuse (10-0): After watching The Orange demoralize MSU last week, my doubts about this team have been erased. They are legit. [7]

7. Tennessee (7-0): For the first time this year, I made a change in my rankings after the national polls came out by switching Tennessee and Pittsburgh around. When my dad is calling me out and saying “you’re going to rank Tennessee behind Pittsburgh after they crushed them?” I know I made a mistake. [10]

8. Pittsburgh (10-1): The loss to Tennessee is worse than it looks. Not only did they lose decisively, they got beat that bad on a “neutral” court in Pittsburgh. [3]

9. Georgetown (9-1): The Hoyas lost to Temple and took a drop in the national polls, but it’s hard to overlook what Georgetown has accomplished so far and say Illinois or Baylor deserve to be ahead of them. Georgetown has four wins over top 50 teams and rank #2 in the RPI, plus Temple’s stock is starting to rise again. [9]

10. Illinois (10-1): [11]

11. Baylor (6-0): I really think Baylor is a good team–maybe even top 10 good–but the lack of games played and a weak schedule makes me wince to have them so high. [12]

12. San Diego State (10-0): SDSU will likely be 17-0 by the time they face off with UNLV on January 12th. [14]

13. Villanova (8-1): [15]

14. Kentucky (7-2): [16]

15. Memphis (7-1): Memphis dropped to Kansas and lost Wesley Witherspoon for five weeks. With some surprisingly good teams in Conference USA, Memphis could find themselves unranked by the time their leading scorer returns. [9]

16. Purdue (9-1): [17]

17. Minnesota (9-1): [19]

18. BYU (10-0): I thought Arizona was going to beat BYU, or at least challenge them, but it looks like Jimmer and Co. are a national force. [22]

19. Missouri (8-1): [20]

20. Michigan State (7-3): MSU still has top 5 talent and experience, but they’ve struggled against top level teams, posting three losses against teams currently in the top 6 and narrow victories over now unranked Washington and a small, but talented school from Oakland. The Spartans are ranked #14 in today’s AP Poll, a ranking that’s clearly based more on potential than recent history. [13]

21. Louisville (8-0): I had Louisville near the top of my bubble last week and a win over ranked UNLV proved they belong here now. [Unranked]

22. Notre Dame (9-1): Losing to Kentucky, but beating Gonzaga is about a break even week for The Fighting Irish. [24]

23. UNLV (9-1): UNLV lost to Louisville, but maintain their spot in the top 25 because no one below them has accomplished as much. [23]

24. Texas A&M (9-1): Not only did A&M knock off Washington, but their win over Temple earlier this season is starting to look better and better. [Unranked]

25. Texas (7-2): Texas holds on to their top 25 spot, but all they’ve done since the an impressive run in the 2K Sports Classic is beat mediocre teams and lose to a middling USC team. Their ranking will be in jeopardy on Saturday when they face off against a resurgent North Carolina. [25]

DROPPED OUT

Washington (6-3): It’s painful for me to drop the Huskies out of my rankings, but it’s also painful to watch them lose to every good team they play. I still think we have top 10 level talent and depth, but it’s going to be hard to fight our way back into the national rankings now that the PAC-10 doesn’t have a single ranked team. Embarrassing. [18]

Florida (7-2): Florida didn’t lose any games this week, but their resume isn’t nearly as impressive as the teams that are currently ranked. [21]

BUBBLE

Arizona (8-2)
Boston College (8-2)
Cincinnati (8-0)
Cleveland State (12-0)
North Carolina (7-3)
Old Dominion (8-2)
Oklahoma State (9-1)
Temple (7-2)
UCF (8-0)
Washington State (7-1)
West Virginia (7-2)
Wisconsin (8-2)

Posted in poker | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

h1

Weekly College Basketball Rankings

December 6, 2010

Last week’s rankings in brackets:

TOP 25

1. Duke (8-0): Writers are already starting to make “Will Duke go undefeated posts?” Seems overboard to me, but this is clearly the best team in the country. They could arguably lose a game and still be ranked #1. They were a near consensus preseason favorite, they’re undefeated, and they’ve already beat four teams that are almost certainly tournament bound. No one else in the country can say that. [1]

2. Ohio State (6-0): Well, at least the Buckeyes have been up on a couple solid teams from Florida. [2]

3. Pittsburgh (9-0): Pitt has been untested since a tough early schedule and I’m not even sure they’re the best team in the Big East anymore. [3]

4. Kansas (7-0): Josh Selby is eligible next week, an addition that could arguably make Kansas the #2 team in the country. [4]

5. Kansas State (7-1): Washington State tested them, but KSU is a gritty, grind-it-out squad. [5]

6. Connecticut (7-0): Well, UCONN didn’t shock the world this past week but they did add two more wins to their resume and Kemba Walker continued to display his brilliance with a triple-double. [6]

7. Syracuse (8-0): Maybe this will end up being a great team because of all the wins they picked up in close games against mediocre teams. Their signature win so far this season is vs. North Carolina State–a fringe tournament team–and they were getting beat almost the entire game. I was shocked to see them get the win. I just doubt The Orange are even a top 15 team after they get through the Big East schedule. [8]

8. Georgetown (8-0): The Hoyas went surging up my rankings this week with wins over ranked Missouri (pulling off the upset based on national polls) and a Utah State team that’s heavily favored to win their conference. With Old Dominion and NC State already falling to Georgetown, the Hoyas have one of the more impressive early season resumes. [14]

9. Memphis (7-0): Memphis is cruising right now, but Conference USA could be more of a challenge for them than expected: UTEP, Southern Miss, and UCF could all be solid. [10]

10. Tennessee (6-0): It’s arguable that the Vols could be at #9, but if I didn’t rank them above Memphis last week, I don’t have any reason to now. [15]

11. Illinois (8-1): For whatever reason, the Illini have been unfairly ranked by the national polls the past couple weeks, but after posting wins over North Carolina and Gonzaga this past week, their national standing should improve immensely. [13]

12. Baylor (6-0): Arizona State is the best team they’ve beat. They have the talent to be top ten good, they just haven’t really proved much yet. [12]

13. Michigan State (6-2): The widely picked preseason #2 team in the country was easily handled by #1 Duke. [7]

14. San Diego State (8-0): Can’t wait to see how the Aztecs hold up against the good Mountain West teams. So far they have shown dominance as the best non-Big 6 Conference team in the nation with wins over St. Mary’s, Gonzaga, and Wichita State. [21]

15. Villanova (6-1): Wildcats improve their ranking with an uneventful week. [17]

16. Kentucky (6-2): Kentucky takes another loss, this time to North Carolina. This is a talented team, but clearly not as good as last year’s squad. [11]

17. Purdue (7-1): Purdue rebounded from last week’s loss to Richmond with a win over Virginia Tech. [18]

18. Washington (5-2): Washington continued to display its dominance over teams that aren’t nationally ranked with blowouts over Long Beach State and a Texas Tech team that beat them last year. I think it’s a question of confidence with this team… they destroy the teams they should beat and find a way to lose against teams that are supposed to beat them. [20]

19. Minnesota (7-1): After a surprisingly strong start, the Golden Gophers lose to a Virginia team that is picked to finish last in the ACC. [16]

20. Missouri (5-1): Missouri lost their first game of the year and still moved up in my rankings. Why? Because they showed they can play against good teams taking Georgetown to the buzzer. [22]

21. Florida (6-2): Florida took one of the more embarrassing losses of the year in a game against UCF, which sends them tumbling down my rankings and possibly out of the national polls. [9]

22. BYU (8-0): Jimmer Friddette and BYU continue to dominate the non-conference schedule. [24]

23. UNLV (8-0): Yes… that’s three teams from the Mountain West that remain undefeated and ranked in the top 25. Anyone think the PAC-10 is still the better conference this year? [25]

24. Notre Dame (8-0): The Fighting Irish nearly made my top 25 last week and find a spot now thanks to Gonzaga’s early struggles. [Unranked]

25. Texas (6-2): Texas can be pretty inconsistent. Remember how they were ranked #1 at one point last year and had to fight for a spot in the NCAA tournament? Well, they started this season playing solid against ranked Illinois and Pittsburgh, but lose to a subpar USC team last night. Could be more of the same for the Longhorns in 2010-11. [23]

DROPPED OUT

Gonzaga (4-3): Credit the Bulldogs for playing a tough schedule, but they need to beat some of these teams to stay in the top 25 and that’s not happening so far. It could be March before these guys find themselves ranked again.

NOTES

*It was tempting to drop Texas out of the top 25, but the teams I have on the bubble aren’t really screaming at me to crack the rankings. Oklahoma State (7-1), Vanderbilt (7-1), Cleveland State (10-0), Louisville (6-0), and Cincinnati (7-0) all have impressive records, but none of them have faced a tough schedule. Cleveland State hasn’t even played a team from a Big 6 Conference, let alone a ranked team. Louisville has beaten Butler and Vanderbilt took out North Carolina, but neither of those teams are as good as originally thought. I still like Texas’ performance a bit better so far.

Posted in poker | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

h1

College Basketball Rankings

November 22, 2010

Previous ranking in brackets:

1. Duke (3-0) – Easy going so far for the reigning champs. First week of December looks tough though: Michigan State and Butler. [1]

2. Michigan State (2-0) – Part of the Maui Invitational this week in a field that features Kentucky, Washington, Connecticut, and Wichita State. [2]

3. Ohio State (3-0) – Just as strong as I thought they’d be. They already crushed #9 Florida. [3]

4. Pittsburgh (5-0) – A big jump up the rankings for the Panthers. Not only do they have five wins already, but they’ve notched victories over tough Maryland and Texas teams. [9]

5. Kansas State (3-0) – The Wildcats already own a decisive win over a ranked team from Virginia Tech. [5]

6. Kansas (3-0) – Josh Selby has been declared eligible (after nine games I think) and the Jayhawks have been crushing teams without him… including North Texas, a tournament team last year. [6]

7. Kentucky (2-0) – I’m iffy about this ranking… KU has looked dominant so far, but they haven’t played anybody and losing Enes Kanter drops them in this week’s rankings. Brandon Knight and Terrance Jones have been great though and this week’s Maui Invitational will determine if this team is legit. [4]

8. Syracuse (4-0) – The Orange move up in the rankings, but they’re pretty lucky to do so. William & Mary gave them a run for their money and shooting 36.7% from the field isn’t going to get the job done against good teams. Plus Fab Melo has been a non-factor. [10]

9. Purdue (3-0) – Oakland put up a good fight against the Boilermakers today and we probably won’t really know what this Purdue team is made of without Robbie Hummel until they face off against Virginia Tech on Dec. 1st. [7]

10. Villanova (4-0) – I think I missed the mark on this one in my initial rankings; ‘Nova is deep and talented. [14]

11. Washington (2-0) – The Huskies have been putting up some serious points and look to be severely underrated on the national level. Beating Virginia and Kentucky in the Maui Invitational would change that… and a win over MSU in the championship would open a lot of eyes. [12]

12. Florida (3-1) – Losing to Ohio State doesn’t hurt that much and it’s not like the Gators didn’t play them tough most of the game. [13]

13. Memphis (4-0) – Already have two victories over schools from major conferences (Miami and LSU). [15]

14. Baylor (3-0) – The Bears get a bump because my initial rankings assumed LaceDarius Dunn wouldn’t play this year. He’s back next week and the core of this team looks great so far.

15. Illinois (4-1) – I had Texas ranked before the season, so an overtime loss to them isn’t terrible, plus the Illini bounced back with a win over Maryland. [17]

16. Gonzaga (2-1) – Losing to San Diego State isn’t a good look, but it’s not a travesty either. It’s not going to get any easier for the Bulldogs: they have games against Kansas State, Illinois, and Baylor in the next three weeks. [10]

17. Georgetown (5-0) [20]

18. Tennessee (3-0) – Hoyas jump ahead of the Volunteers because Tennessee is untested so far and Georgetown has wins over ODU and North Carolina State. [18]

19. Minnesota (5-0) – The Golden Gophers boast the best resume in college basketball right now with wins over North Carolina, West Virginia, and Western Kentucky, all of whom could be NCAA tourney teams come March. Yikes. [unranked]

20. North Carolina (2-2) – Wow. Is this a repeat of last year? I doubt the Tarheels will fall this far in the AP rankings, but they should with two losses against unranked teams already. I saw UNC play Hofstra the other night, and even though it was a decisive win, the Heels looked pretty sloppy outside of Harrison Barnes, and then Barnes went 0-12 from the field against Minnesota. Will the real Tarheels please stand up? I don’t think this team is going to lose 17 games, but this is a bad start. [8]

21. Butler (2-1) – I’ve already heard people gunning for Butler to be dropped out of the top 25, but that seems harsh. It’s not like Louisville is a bunch of slouches and the Bulldogs still boast Shelvin Mack and Matt Howard on their roster. I think Duke is going to destroy them on December 4th, but wins over Siena and Xavier would help make up for the Louisville loss. [16]

22. Missouri (2-0) – I’m still unsure of what to think of this team and I haven’t seen them play yet. Everyone else has them ranked much higher, but I need them to prove it first. [22]

23. San Diego State (4-0) – I had BYU ranked #25 and the Aztecs unranked in my preseason rankings, but after some thought, I decided that San Diego State is going to be the better team and win the Mountain West. With a win over Gonzaga under their belt already, leap-frogging BYU in this week’s rankings not only makes up for my previous mistake, it makes sense too. [unranked]

24. Texas (3-1) – The Longhorns have been impressive so far. Unranked by a lot of publications in the preseason, they’ve already upset #13 Illinois and took #5 Pittsburgh to the buzzer, losing by two points. [24]

25. Virginia Tech (2-1) – A loss to Kansas State doesn’t hurt their stock too much. [21]

Dropped Out:

Wisconsin (2-1) – Lost to unranked UNLV.
BYU (3-0) – Shouldn’t have been ranked in the first place, but they’re right there.

Posted in poker | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

h1

NCAA College Basketball Preseason Top 25

October 21, 2010

I’m already in full college basketball mode and today we had our first official coach’s poll, which has inspired me to make my own list, along with the nagging of one of my co-workers. Along with my rankings, in parentheses I have the rankings from various publications in order of my perceived level of validity: Coach’s Poll, ESPN’s Andy Katz, Sporting News, and Lindy’s Sports. I wanted to post my full list, but i’ll add synopsis as time goes on, leading up to the opening game.

1. Duke (1, 1, 2, 1): Here’s your consensus preseason favorite and for good reason. Last year’s champs lose only two key components from this past season in point guard Jon Scheyer and center Brian Zoubek. Zoubek’s absence could be felt as the only knock on Duke is the lack of a big man to roam the post and grab rebounds. I doubt many people would rather have Scheyer over incoming freshman Kyrie Irving though, plus the Blue Devils add former Liberty guard Seth Curry, who averaged over 20 points a game as a freshmen and has bloodlines on his side. Most importantly, Duke returns the services of Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler, both of whom are legitimate All America candidates, with Singler a possibility for Player Of The Year honors. Duke’s backcourt is absolutely loaded and with Singler on the wing, this is the team to beat in 2011.

2. Michigan State (2, 2, 1, 3): It’d be silly to rank Tom Izzo’s Spartans much lower than this as they’ve reached the Final Four in consecutive seasons and they’ve consistently burned me in my own brackets. The Spartans return all five starters from last year’s Final Four team and Raymar Morgan is their only significant loss. Kalin Lucas has been dealing with an Achilles injury during the off-season and should be ready to play in November. A return to 100% may take some time for Lucas, but at any rate, he should be full speed by March, which is always when Izzo’s teams play their best. There’s been a lot of hype surrounding senior guard Durrell Summers taking a significant leap forward in production, while Delvin Roe, Draymond Green, and Korie Lucious round out a ridiculous starting five.

3. Ohio State (5, 5, 5, 7): No one has ranked OSU as high as I have here, yet everyone seems to think that incoming freshman big man Jared Sullinger is going to make a major impact in his only college season. While no one was as crucial to his team’s success as Evan Turner was last year, the same could ring true of Sullinger in the 2010-2011 season. Losing Turner is a major blow, but his run as Player Of The Year overshadowed an otherwise well-rounded team. Junior William Buford (14.4 ppg, 5.6 rbg, 3.1 apg) put up numbers that look a lot like Turner’s sophomore season and joins fellow guard Jon Diebler as a deadly 3-point duo. The Buckeyes return their other two starters in the frontcourt with seniors Dallas Lauderdale and David Lighty. The depth of this team remains a question mark as it relies heavily on untested freshman, but with Sullinger dominating the inside and Buford and Diebler bombing from outside, this team is going to be trouble for just about anyone.

4. Kentucky (10, 11, 8, 14): Again, another team I have ranked higher than anyone else, but betting against John Calipari has proven to be a mistake. No one recruits better than Coach Cal and this year’s class is again the best in the nation. This ranking is highly dependent on the eligibility of freshman center Enes Kanter, whose status is still in question. Much like Sullinger, Kanter has the ability to be a complete game-changer and his availability is probably the difference between a top 5 team and a top 15 team. Brandon Knight, Terrence Jones, and Doron Lamb round out this ridiculous freshman class, while returning players Darius Miller and DeAndre Liggins continue to provide support while playing a background role.

5. Kansas State (3, 4, 6, 4): Giants nation and closer Brian Wilson have popularized “Fear The Beard” this baseball season, but Jacob Pullen and Kansas State could argue they originated the concept in early 2010. Pullen returns as the Wildcats biggest offensive threat and should probably get some All America consideration this season. Losing Denis Clemente could be a big blow, but it sounds like Pullen is going to run the point (similar to how Evan Turner ran Ohio State’s offense last year) and that’s not so bad. Curtis Kelley was dominant in the NCAA tournament last year and the Wildcats are going to need him to continue putting up that kind of production to hold onto this ranking. Wally Judge’s development might be even more critical to the team’s success. Highly touted out of high school, Judge was a disappointment in his freshman season, but should look to take a big step forward in the upcoming season. Jamar Samuels was big in a reserve role last year and should move into the starting lineup this season. With Pullen at the helms and continued maturation from Kelley and Judge, KSU shouldn’t be too far off from their dominant showing last year.

6. Kansas (7, 6, 4, 17): Another team ranking that largely depends on the eligibility of one player. For Kansas, that player is point guard Josh Selby, #1 on Rivals.com’s list of incoming freshman. Like Kentucky, Kansas has top 5 potential with Selby playing a full slate, but is probably a top 15-20 team without him. Kansas did lose three players to the NBA draft and graduation, so the question is who is going to step up and replace the production that Sherron Collins, Cole Aldritch, and Xavier Henry, who combined for 40.2 points and 16.3 rbg, provided last year. One obvious answer is junior Marcus Morris, who improved immensely as a sophomore and made Sporting News’ First Team of preseason All Americans. Look for Morris to improve on the numbers (14.2 points, 7.3 rebounds per game) who put up in conference play last year. Outside of Morris and Selby, the Jayhawks will need a legitimate third scoring threat. Tyshawn Taylor averaged 7.2 points a game last year and will probably be the third option this year, with the other Morris twin, Markieff, crashing the boards and providing an additional inside threat. The Jayhawks have enough talent and depth to compete for the Big 12 title, but a lot of that success depends on if Selby is playing or not.

7. Purdue (8, 23, 3, 2): A few weeks ago, there were three teams that clearly stood atop the college basketball landscape: Duke, Michigan State, and Purdue. Owning three seniors with All America potential, the Boilermakers looked poised to make a run at a Big Ten title and a trip to the Final Four. And then Robbie Hummel blew out his ACL… again. The question is: how important is Hummel to Purdue’s success? With a skill set that is somewhat similar to Duke’s Kyle Singler, the answer is: pretty damn important. Hummel has had a solid college career, but has constantly been hampered by injuries and one wonders what he and Purdue could have achieved if he was consistently healthy. While the Hummel injury is a huge blow, I’m not so sure the team should go diving in the rankings (ESPN dropped them from #2 all the way down to #23). Most teams would be happy to have two potential All Americans and Purdue still has that in guard E’twaun Moore and center JaJuan Johnson. I’ve been keeping tabs on Johnson ever since he dominated Washington in the 2009 NCAA tournament and he lived up to that performance last year by averaging 15.5 points, 7.1 rebounds, and over 2 blocks a game…. still building strength on what used to be a pretty wiry frame, he can build on those numbers. Moore will aide Johnson in providing leadership and will probably be asked to do the bulk of the scoring with Hummel out. He’s got a great jump shot and will be asked to step up his defensive game with the departure of Chris Kramer. Outside of the big two, Purdue is deep, but inexperienced. Outside of the three seniors, no returning player averaged more than 3.4 points a game and this year’s roster has ten underclassmen. Moore and Johnson have enough talent to keep Purdue in the top ten, but without Hummel it’s extremely unlikely this team has a shot at winning the conference and making a run past the Elite 8.

8. North Carolina (9, 14, 9, 6): I feel risky saying that UNC will be a top ten team after their implosion last year. However, last year they didn’t have freshman Harrison Barnes, a ridiculously athletic wing that received more attention in high school than any other incoming recruit. Barnes is unlikely to experience the growing pains that plagued last year’s freshman class and should make an immediate impact in the ACC. Speaking of last year’s freshmen, no one on the team will be asked to produce more than big man John Henson. Henson averaged 5.7 points and 4.4 rebounds a game playing behind departed Ed Davis and Deon Thompson, but will have to carry a much larger load now that they’re gone. It’s not difficult to imagine Henson becoming the ACC’s Most Improved player and he has enough talent potential to be a lottery pick next June. The Tarheels have enough potential star in seven footer Tyler Zeller, who has had some injury problems so far in his career. Even though the Wear twins transferred to UCLA, the Heels still have plenty of McDonalds All American depth on the bench and another potential freshman star in Reggie Bullock. If Henson and Zeller live up to their potential and Barnes is as good as advertised, Duke could have a run for their money in the ACC.

9. Pittsburgh (4, 3, 6, 4): A consensus top five team that I’m not as sold on. Left off everyone’s radar last year, Pittsburgh turned out to be a team to be reckoned with. Ashton Gibbs and Brad Wanamaker sort of came out of no where to provide some pretty ridiculous numbers. Both those guys are back this year and sophomore Dante Taylor looks to prove that his disappointing freshman season was a fluke. Pittsburgh will be a tough team this year, and probably good enough to win the Big East, but while it’s usually a mistake to underestimate the Panthers, I don’t really see them as a Final Four squad.

10. Gonzaga (12, 8, 14, 16): Gonzaga won’t open the season as a top ten team, but as a nationally relevant mid major school, they’ll be there after running through conference play. The loss of Matt Bouldin hurts, but is easily relieved by the return of Elias Harris, who most projected as a lottery pick after his first week in college. Harris averaged 14.9 points and 7.1 rebounds a game as a frosh and is probably the most talented and athletic player in Gonzaga’s history (sorry John Stockton, the game has changed). The Zags have plenty of experience returning with center Robert Sacre and guard Steven Gray providing enough of an offensive threat to keep opposing defenses from zeroing in on Harris. The point guard position is the biggest question for Gonzaga. Demetri Gooden has proven to be unreliable, so JuCo transfer Marquise Carter may be asked to take the reigns. While the WCC has some solid teams from St. Marys and Loyola Marymount, Gonzaga could still run through league play undefeated… but the days of being the tournament’s Cinderella are over and the Bulldogs need to take advantage of what is likely the last year for Harris.

11. Syracuse (13, 10, 7, 21): The Orange return a solid core and add 7 foot freshman Fab Melo to the middle. Also, Kris Joseph could be this year’s Wesley Johnson.

12. Washington (17, 17, 23, 10): This is my team so I’m going to write a bit more about them. First off, the Dawgs are the best team in the Pac-10 and should run through conference play. Then again, I thought that last year and had they to fight tooth-and-nail for a NCAA berth. Losing Quincy Pondexter hurts, but UW recovered from the loss of Jon Broxton last year, and I’m looking for more improvement from Matthew Bryan-Amaning this year. He won’t provide Quincy’s production, but he should improve across the board. The backcourt is still crazy. Isaiah Thomas is underrated nationally, but he does have some glaring flaws. While he’s a great slashing guard, his decision-making needs work. Too many times I saw him drive hopelessly to the basket and come up empty, trying to force a basket through three defenders. If he can learn to dish out when he can’t get off a good shot and improve his outside game, he could be a beast. Venoy Overton is UW’s secret weapon. He’s known as a defensive pest, but he can also score when we need him to. Abdul Gaddy is still a question mark. Watching him as a freshman was painful most of the time. He showed flashes of brilliance every once in a while, but he usually looked uncomfortable on the court. He’s still regarded as one of the best NBA prospects in the Pac-10 and I think it all boils down to confidence for him, so if he can find that, he could be the difference-maker for this club. I don’t know much about Terrence Ross, but word is that he’s going to be a player for us. The Huskies have some depth on the bench. Justin Holliday is another underrated player that is solid defensively and I’m not sure what to expect from 7 foot center Aziz N’Diaye. If he has any type of talent in the middle, the Huskies could be a lot more dangerous than expected.

13. Florida (11, 9, 20, 11): Kenny Boynton had a great freshmen year and the Gators are long on experience and talent.

14. Villanova (6, 7, 11, 13):
15. Memphis (19, 15, 12, 34)
16. Butler (18, 18, 19, 8)
17. Illinois (16, 13, 15, 9)
18. Tennessee (20, 20, 22, 12)
19. Baylor (14, 16, 16, 15)
20. Georgetown (21, 19, 17, 27)
21. Virginia Tech (23, 26, 21, 18)
22. Missouri (15, 12, 13, 33)
23. Wisconsin (24, top 40, 18, 32)
24. Texas (25, top 40, unranked, 20)
25. BYU (27, top 40, unranked, 25)

Posted in poker | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

h1

What’s Wrong with the Pac-10?

January 22, 2010

Dear lord… it seems like it’s been forever since I’ve updated this blog. My access to the internet has been extremely spotty over the past 2-3 months due to moving and the cable bill continually changing hands. I’m finally settled now and I think I’m going to be here for a while… well, at least I have my connection set up for the time being.

So on to the question: what the hell is up with the Pac-10 in college basketball this year? It’s a brutally, ugly mess. Prior to the start of the season, we all knew it was going to be a down year in the conference, but I don’t think anyone saw it being this bad; Washington and California, at least, looked like nationally relevant teams. As we near February, with the first third of the conference schedule behind us, however, there’s not a single team in the Pac-10 that looks like they’re going to make an impact in the NCAA tournament. Cal and UW have gone from being ranked in the top 15 on every preseason poll in existence to not even registering a single vote in the latest AP poll. In fact, Arizona State, a team that looked like one of the conference’s worst teams in October, is the only Pac-10 team that got any AP love: a whopping three votes total.

As it stands, someone out of this mess of a conference HAS to make the NCAA tournament. We are guaranteed an automatic bid, thankfully. Is it really going to come down to whoever wins the conference tournament? Is the Pac-10 really a one-bid conference? Here’s a look at the current standings:














Team Conf. All
Arizona State 4-2 14-5
California 4-2 12-6
Washington State 4-3 14-5
USC 3-3 11-7
Arizona 3-3 9-9
Stanford 3-3 9-9
UCLA 3-3 8-10
Washington 3-4 12-6
Oregon 2-4 10-8
Oregon State 2-4 8-10

Wow.. someone needs to hone their HTML skills. As it stands, Cal looks like the best team in the conference. They are tied for first in the conference standings, have a decent overall record, and enough talent to justify their performance. What Cal doesn’t have is a single marquee win on their resume. The best team they’ve beat this year is Washington State and they’ve lost badly to any team worth winning against (UW, Kansas, Syracuse). They did at least give Ohio State a game when OSU was ranked #15.

I still think Washington has the best chance for an at large bid, but their conference performance has been miserable. They have notable wins over Texas A&M (ranked 19th at the time) and California, killed Portland (a top 25 team at one point), and lost a brutally close game to a pretty good (at the time) Texas Tech team. On top of some good wins on their resume, the Huskies have enough talent on the team to believe they can have a strong finish to the conference schedule. Unless something horrible happens, I still think they are tournament bound.

Arizona State and USC are the question marks in the league. Neither of these teams are supposed to be very good. ASU looked considerably weak after losing James Harden and Jeff Pendergraph, yet they embarrassed a good Washington team and beat Washington State. USC was supposed to be a disaster after a controversial off-season that left the program in shambles. However, since December 8th, they’ve gone 9-3 with a huge win over #9 Tennessee and respectable victories over St. Marys, UNLV, and Arizona State. Mike Gerrity has been a difference-maker for the Trojans and they’ve certainly been a different team since he’s been eligible. I’m not really sold on either of these programs, but they’re certainly making some noise in the conference right now.

Washington State has probably been the most consistent team in the conference. They are tied for the best overall record in the conference, have a winning league record, and have one of the nation’s most valuable players in sophomore superstud Klay Thompson. The Cougars aren’t going to be an easy win for anyone and Thompson, 6th in the nation in scoring, is good enough to keep them competitive in any game. I think if any team is going to surprise and win the conference tournament, it’s the Cougars.

Arizona has some potential, but the rest of the conference is only relevant by providing the occasional thorn in the side of the better teams. UCLA is arguably sporting the worst team I’ve ever seen from them, but somehow have managed to eek out wins over Arizona State, UW, and Cal. That’s pretty much been the story in the Pac-10 this year: everyone is beating up on everyone and, so far, no one is really pulling away from the pack. I think Oregon State has solidified themselves as the worst team in the conference, but other than that, everything else is still up in the air. The parity in the league is ridiculous this season, which is exciting for the conference, but on the national level, the Pac-10 has rendered itself a non-factor.

I’ve been reading a lot lately about the Pac-10 being a two-bid conference and that’s a pretty fair assessment. Cal is probably the only current lock to make the tournament and I think UW is still on track for an at large bid, but the Huskies definitely need to step it up in conference play to stay on that pace. I think the Pac-10 will probably end up being a three bid conference with Cal and UW getting in on their resumes and someone unexpected winning the league tournament.

Posted in poker | Tagged , , , , | Leave a Comment »

h1

College Basketball 2009-2010 ACC Preview

October 21, 2009

Okay, so I scrapped my idea of giving an analysis of the top 25 teams… instead, I’m going to give conference previews of the Big 6 (ACC, Big Ten, Big East, Big 12, Pac-10, and SEC). Standings and national ranks are courtesy of Athlon Sports. Analysis and awards are courtesy of me.

ACC

1. #5 North Carolina – Not many teams can overcome losing four players to the NBA draft, but the Tar Heels always have one of the best recruiting classes in the nation and this year is no different. John Henson is a top 5 recruit and Leslie McDonald, Dexter Strickland, and David & Travis Wear are all good enough to start on plenty of college teams. Ed Davis is back and is going to be a beast as a sophomore after playing second fiddle to last year’s studs… he will be a lottery pick in the next NBA draft. Deon Thompson will provide leadership and solid numbers and defensive whiz Marcus Ginyard is back after missing almost all of last year. So yes, the Heels lost plenty, but they are still loaded enough to win the ACC.

2. #13 Georgia Tech – Tech looks to be the most improved team in the nation after suffering through a 2-14 ACC debacle thanks to the signing of #1 recruit Derrick Favors and a solid returning core. Junior Gani Lawal (15.1 ppg, 9.1 rpg) is back after passing on the NBA draft. Iman Shumpert is a solid scoring guard and the rest of the recruiting class is nationally ranked. Going from last in the ACC to 13th in the nation is a pretty big leap, but GT just might have the parts to do it.

3. #18 Duke – Gerald Williams went pro and Elliot Williams transferred out, but Kyle Singler is back and he’s as good as anyone in the ACC. Even though Singler will be NBA ready after this season, Duke’s stud white boys have a tendency to stay four years, so I kind of expect him back for his senior year. John Scheyer will play the point this year and isn’t a bad scorer. Nolan Smith hasn’t progressed as expected and Miles Plumlee was irrevelant as a freshman last year and both players could be passed up by stud freshmen Ryan Kelly and Miles’ brother Mason. Duke isn’t as good as they were last year, but with Singler and a solid freshman class, they will be competitive in the ACC.

4. #22 Maryland – Almost all of the key components from last year’s squad that made it to the second round of the NCAA tournament return, but none more important than Greivis Vasquez, a stud that put up 17.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg, and 5.0 apg as a sophomore. Vasquez should compete with Kyle Singler and Ed Davis for Conference Player Of The Year and is a legitimate triple-double threat. The recruiting class is limited to two players, but both should find significant playing time. Vasquez is good enough to make Maryland the most underrated team in the ACC.

5. #24 Clemson – The Tigers lost three key players from last year’s squad, but return it’s most productive player in Trevor Booker (15.3, 9.7). Clemson is going to be young this year, but they don’t lack talent. A national ranking might be a bit overboard though.

6. Florida State – Toney Douglas and his 20+ ppg are gone, but 7’1″ center Solomon Alabi blocked 73 shots as a freshman and averaged 8.4 ppg and 5.6 rpg in 22.3 minutes; look for those numbers to improve with more playing time and experience. The Seminoles have a respectable squad and Athlon predicts them to make the tournament, but they look like a bubble team to me.

7. Boston College – BC returns everyone from a team that made the NCAA tournament last year… except their best player and leader Tyrese Rice. The Eagles didn’t sign any recruits, but they return a better core of players than FSU, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see them finish higher in the ACC.

8. Virginia Tech – The Hokies lost their top scorer but return a couple of solid juniors in Malcolm Delaney and Jeff Allen. The supporting cast is weak and the recruiting class is middle of the pack for the conference, so those two juniors are going to be shouldering a big load this season.

9. Wake Forest – No team was hurt more by the NBA Draft than the Demon Deacons; stars Jeff Teague and James Johnson both bolted. With that said, Wake was ranked as high as #1 nationally last year and return a more respectable team than some of the squads ranked ahead of them. Al-Farouq Aminu put up great numbers as a freshman and should be a lottery pick in the next draft. The recruiting class is weak, but I think Wake is underrated and I wouldn’t be shocked to see them finish as high as 6th in the conference.

10. Miami – The Hurricanes lost three starters, including All-Conference player Jack McClinton. Dwayne Collins is their only solid returner, but the recruiting class is decent. This should be a year of growing pains for Miami.

11. Virginia – Sophomore Sylven Landesberg is a proven stud after averaging 16.6 points and 6 rebounds per game in his rookie season. The Cavaliers also stole Tony Bennett away from Washington State and have some decent experience returning. It’s questionable whether or not that is going to be enough to make them competitive this year.

12. North Carolina State – NC State lost its three best players from a team that finished 6-10 in conference play last year. Outlook: not good.

All ACC First Team

Ed Davis, So., F, UNC
Al-Farouq Aminu, So., F, Wake Forest
Kyle Singler, Jr., F, Duke
Greivis Vasquez, Sr., G, Maryland
Sylven Landesberg, So. G, Virginia

Player Of The Year: Kyle Singler, Duke

Freshman Of The Year: Derrick Favors, Georgia Tech

Posted in poker | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

h1

College Basketball – 2009-2010 – A Brief Preview

March 23, 2009

With the 2008-2009 season winding down, I’ve been thinking about what players are graduating, what players are likely getting drafted, and what players will most likely be returning next season and thinking of what teams are looking to be strong next year.

In no particular order, these teams look like they are going to be beasts next year:

Kansas: Even if Cole Aldrich enters the draft and gets picked, which is very likely, Sherron Collins is probably coming back and so is every other piece of a young team that has played its way into this year’s Sweet 16. Kansas figures to lose no one from what was largely considered the #2 recruiting class this past season and already have a solid class this upcoming season that includes 5-star talent Thomas Robinson and top 30 recruit Elijah Johnson.

Bottom Line: I’m leaning towards Aldrich being gone, but even so, Kansas is going to have to be considered a top 10 team heading into next season. If Aldrich decides to come back, they jump to a top 3-5 team.

Syracuse: Syracuse will graduate three seniors from their 2009 Sweet 16 team, but none of those seniors are vital part of the team. Paul Harris, Eric Devendorf, Arinze Onuaku, Andy Rautins, and Rick Jackson (5 of the top 6 scorers) are all certainly coming back for next season. The question mark here is whether or not Jonny Flynn comes back. He’s easily the most talented player on the team, but he’s appearing on most mock drafts late in the first round, so there’s a solid chance he’ll be gone. ‘Cuse does not have a strong recruiting class next season.

Bottom Line: If Flynn doesn’t come back, a year of growth for everyone else should make Syracuse at least as good as they are now. If Flynn comes back, they have a championship caliber team.

Villanova: Scottie Reynolds hasn’t been appearing on many mocks, so I’m banking on him coming back for his senior season. Losing an immensely improved Dante Cunningham is going to hurt, but Nova is going to be returning both Coreys (Fisher and Stokes) and those kids can play. Despite graduating three seniors that get regular minutes, Nova should still have a good amount of depth next year as they are bringing in a remarkable freshman class that includes three top 25 recruits and another 4-Star power forward.

Bottom Line: Already a Sweet 16 team, Nova will bring back most of its scoring and add one of the best freshman classes in the nation. They should be better next year than Kansas was this year.

Ohio State: This is hard to call. Evan Turner wasn’t on anyone’s radar before the season started, but now I’m seeing his name regularly in the middle of the first round in most NBA mock drafts. I’d hate to see him go pro after this season, but it’s seeming more and more likely, and he was certainly one of the more impressive all-around talents I saw play all year. BJ Mullens has received the opposite treatment; he started the season near the tip top of most mocks, but his stock has dropped drastically after what most people would consider to be a disappointing freshman season that saw him start a mere two games and only show brief moments of brilliance. He is definitely someone that needs another year of seasoning in college, but it’s going to be hard for the pro teams to pass up a future top 5 pick when he slides to them in the mid-to-late first round. The Buckeyes will lose no one important to graduation and return Dallas Lauderdale, Jon Diebler, and William Buford, who was very impressive as a freshman. David Lighty, injured almost all season, will be back and healthy next year. The administration must have confidence in its current roster because no one has signed a letter of intent to play at OSU next year.

Bottom Line: It all depends on Turner and Mullens. If they don’t come back, OSU will still return a solid core of players that should make them competitive next year. If Turner and Mullens return, and the latter develops, this could be a championship caliber team.

Purdue: Another current Sweet 16 team that figures to lose no one important to the draft or graduation. I saw Purdue play twice this year and JaJuan Johnson looked NBA ready in both games (30 points vs Ohio State, 22 points 5 rebounds vs Washington). All indications point to him coming back for his junior season and improving even more. 5.6 rebounds per game from a 6’10” stud is probably the reason he’s not making regular appearances on draft boards. He could be next year’s Dante Cunningham. Robbie Hummel, the Big Ten Preseason Player Of The Year, will be back with something to prove after a year of inconsistency and injuries halted his progress a bit. Hummel’s skill set is pretty similar to Kyle Singler’s, whose name is appearing late in the first round of NBA mocks while Hummel has been completely absent. E’twuan Moore makes up the third part of the triumphant of stud players that Purdue will return next season. Chris Kramer, Keaton Grant, and Lewis Jackson will all be back and add depth next year. Purdue has a modest set of in-state prospects coming to the team next year.

Bottom Line: There’s no question marks here. Everyone from this year’s Sweet 16 team will be back next year and I expect significant growth from both Hummel and Johnson. The recruiting class isn’t very strong, but that won’t matter. Assuming OSU loses Turner and Mullens, Purdue has to be the team to beat in the Big Ten next year and should be considered a top 5-10 team overall.

Washington: The bad news is that Jon Brockman and Justin Dentmon will be graduating. The good news is that Isaiah Thomas and Quincy Pondexter will return. IT should continue to develop into one of the best guards in the Pac-10 and Q-Pon’s offensive output should increase dramatically. While UW can certainly function without Dentmon, filling the void left by Brockman is going to be tough. Matthew Bryan-Amaning has looked capable of taking on that roll at times, but he looked awful and confused a lot of the time this past season. An off-season focused on improving his skill set and confidence would do wonders for this team. Abdul Gaddy, the #2 high school point guard in the nation, will be a more than competent replacement for Dentmon and should take the table-setting pressure off of Thomas and allow him to focus on scoring. Tyreese Breshers, a 4-Star power forward whose season was lost to injury, could also help replace Brockman if he returns healthy. Elston Turner and Venoy Overton are great options off the bench.

Bottom Line: UW unexpectedly won the Pac-10 and was 3 points shy of making it to the Sweet 16 this year. Even with the loss of Brockman and Dentmon, expectations should be higher next season and their will be a target on this team’s back. Abdul Gaddy is a better prospect than Brockman ever was, but it’s unlikely he’s going to have the same kind of impact that the big guy did. I think the X-Factor here is Bryan-Amaning and how much he can grow as a player next season. Regardless, I like UW’s chances to repeat as Pac-10 champs.

Florida: This team that narrowly missed the NCAA tournament only had two upperclassmen and will only lose one player to graduation. While it boggles my mind that Nick Calathes isn’t on draft boards, it looks likely that he will be returning for his junior season. Calathes is one of the best all-around players and another year of growth should do wonders for his draft stock. Calathes is more likely to go off for a triple-double than anyone else in college basketball. Florida will return everyone else from a team that posted a 25 win season with only one senior.

Bottom Line: With Calathes returning and a solid recruiting class, Florida has to be the favorite in the SEC next year.

Posted in poker | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments »

h1

March Madness – Round 1 & 2 recap

March 23, 2009

While my bracket doesn’t look like complete shit after the first two rounds, I do feel like I made some unforgivable mistakes that someone with the basketball knowledge I’ve developed this year should have avoided (Boston College). How Barack Obama picked more Sweet 16 teams correctly than I did is beyond my comprehension. This year has been relatively straight forward as 13 of the top 16 teams on the last AP Poll have advanced to the Sweet 16 (with Florida State, Wake Forest, and Washington being the only victims). Purdue was ranked #17 and Xavier was ranked #20, so it’s not like those teams advancing are all that shocking, especially since Xavier (a 4 seed) was actually favored to do so. The only team that’s in the Sweet 16 that is surprising is Arizona, a team that almost everyone thought shouldn’t have made the tournament in the first place with their mediocre 19-13 record. Even so, Arizona has probably had the easiest path to the Sweet 16. Despite being a 12 seed facing a 5 seed in the first round, I don’t think the world was too startled to see a Pac-10 team with three legitimate stars topple Utah, a representative from a weaker conference with no household names. I wasn’t surprised at least, as I didn’t hesitate very long in predicting that upset in the first round. For the second round, Arizona faced the only Cinderella type team to advance (Cleveland State) and beat them rather easily. So, all in all, the representatives in the Sweet 16 are unsurprising and the only team I think is a clear top 16 team that is no longer in the tournament is Wake Forest, but they have been inconsistent all season.

1st Round: 23 of 32
2nd Round: 11 of 16
Elite 8 Teams Left: 7 of 8
Final 4 Teams Left: 4 of 4

This weekend is going to suck for me. I work Thursday, Friday, and Saturday and even though I might be able to get off early the first two days, I really can’t afford to. I need $$$$… so I’m likely going to miss 75% of the action this weekend after getting to see virtually all of the first two rounds. Fortunately, I scheduled myself off for all the Final Four games and the championship.

Performance Of The Tournament (so far): Cole Aldrich, 13 points, 20 rebounds, 10 blocks in 60-43 win over Dayton.

Posted in poker | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

« Newer Entries
Older Entries »