This week, for the first time since December 18, 1961, neither Duke, UNC, nor Kentucky is ranked in the AP's men's basketball poll. And you have to wonder how much longer all three teams will have the same coaches as they do now.
This week, for the first time since December 18, 1961, neither Duke, UNC, nor Kentucky is ranked in the AP's men's basketball poll. And you have to wonder how much longer all three teams will have the same coaches as they do now.
Here's the current top 10:
ReplyDelete1. Gonzaga: 14-0
2. Baylor: 12-0
3. Villanova: 8-1
4. Iowa: 12-2
5. Texas: 11-2
6. Tennessee: 10-1
7. Michigan: 11-1
8. Houston: 11-1
9. Kansas: 10-3
10. Wisconsin: 11-3
From what I've seen so far, Gonzaga is really good. I haven't seen enough of Baylor to judge, but Ken Pom thinks they're almost as good as Gonzaga.
With 11:56 left in the first half, Baylor leads Kansas 18-7.
ReplyDeleteI miss the other Philadelphia schools. Here's where the Big Five are ranked by Ken Pom:
ReplyDelete4. Villanova (8-1)
138. Temple (3-3)
179. La Salle (6-8)
186. Saint Joseph's (1-10)
191. Penn (0-0) (The Ivy Season has been cancelled)
Baylor up 37-21 with 4 minutes left in the first half. They look really good.
ReplyDeleteBaylor leads 41-28 at the half.
ReplyDeleteKansas trying to fight back, but Baylor continuing to hold them off. Bears lead 55-43 with 11:31 left.
ReplyDeleteI'm listening to this game on Baylor radio, and I think the Bears announcers are doing a solid job. They are hopeful and confident without being cocky, and respectful toward Kansas without sounding weak.
ReplyDeleteKansas goes on a 6-1 run, and Baylor leads 56-49 with 10 minutes left. Bears call time.
ReplyDeleteKansas cut the Baylor lead to 56-51, and then Baylor scored nine points in a row. Bears lead 65-51 with 7 minutes left. Very impressive.
ReplyDeleteBut Kansas comes back and scores 7 points in a row. Bears lead 65-58 with 4 minutes left.
ReplyDeleteBut the Bears calm down and close out Kansas, winning 77-69. Very solid win for Baylor. They and Gonzaga are the last two unbeatens.
ReplyDeleteFor Eric, here's my breakdown of the college basketball world as done in the form of an old Sports Illustrated issue:
ReplyDeleteEAST: 1. Villanova (8-1). 2. Virginia (9-2)
WEST: 1. Gonzaga (14-0). 2. USC (11-2)
MIDEAST: 1. Iowa (12-2). 2. Michigan (11-1)
MIDWEST: 1. Baylor (13-0). 2. Texas (11-2)
Tennessee, the number 6 team in the country (according to AP) is currently trailing Florida (at Florida) by a score of 53-35 with 14 minutes left in the game.
ReplyDeleteGators up 63-44 with 7:51 left.
ReplyDeleteGators up 68-44 with 6 minutes left, and according to Bill James's formula, that lead is safe.
ReplyDeleteTennessee will fall to 4-2 in the SEC. Next up, we have the two leaders in the league: (18) Alabama (6-0) at LSU (5-1). Should be a good one.
ReplyDeleteFlorida crushed UT 75-49. Meanwhile, John Petty has opened with 4 straight three's for the Tide, and Alabama leads 12-4 with 16:41 left in the first half.
ReplyDeleteAlabama is now 7-8 from three-point range, and the Tide lead 27-6 with 13:50 left in the first half. I'm so old, I can remember when UK used to make three-point shots -- and even have double-digit leads.
ReplyDeleteWith 11:41 left in the first half, Alabama leads LSU 32-12. This is a good time to remember that last month, Western beat Alabama at Alabama.
ReplyDeleteSee, what some people don't realize is that if you make a shot from BEHIND the three-point line, you actually get three points instead of two. And three points are actually more than two points. Also, you're a lot less likely to have three or four guys hammering you when you are trying to shoot a three-point shot. A lot of times, if a team knows how to pass the ball and spread the floor, guys are left "wide open." Anyway, Alabama understands these principles. They've made 10-13 three-pointers, and they lead 40-20 with 8:24 left in the first half. Kentucky usually gets to 40 points with about 10 minutes left in the game.
ReplyDeleteBama now 12-17 from three-point range. Leads 52-27 with 2:07 left in the first half. We haven't seen basketball like this in the SEC since the glory days of Pitino and Nolan Richardson.
ReplyDeleteIn five SEC games, UK has made 30 three-pointers. Alabama just made 14 three's in the FIRST HALF against LSU.
ReplyDeleteUK scored 59 points in its loss to Auburn on Saturday. Alabama scored 60 points in the FIRST HALF against LSU. Tide leads 60-32 at halftime.
And, yes, it's true that in recent years I have given the Cats credit for shooting so few three-pointers. But that was because those teams had players who were terrible shooters, and I was glad that they didn't shoot themselves out of games (like UK did against WVU in 2010).
DeleteBut that was never my first choice. I'll take any version of UK that can win. But my favorite approach is to have a team with guys who can actually shoot, and then go bury the other team with a blizzard of points.
According to Twitter, Calipari said, "These are our guys, and I'm going to say this to all of you and to our fans: We can't trade them. This is who they are."
ReplyDeleteWell, it's hard to argue with any of that. In fact, that's pretty much what I've been saying for months. Apparently we fans should have done a better job on the recruiting trail. But it's still Cal's job to coach the talent he's got, and not mourn for the talent he'd like to have. For what it's worth, my guess is that every single player at Alabama -- and every player who took Auburn to the Final Four in 2019, and every player who took South Carolina to the Final Four in 2017 -- would have played for UK if Cal had asked them.
Alabama leads 78-44 with 15 minutes left, and Bill James's formula tells us that the Lead Is Safe.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, Pitt is beating Duke 55-42 with 15 minutes left in the second half. At some point, Pitt decided to go back to the old cursive "Pitt" logo from the Tony Dorsett years. I strongly approve of that decision. And Duke, for once, is actually wearing their traditional blue road uniforms. So this is a good uniform matchup.
ReplyDeleteAlabama leads LSU 81-46 with 13 minutes left. UK has scored 81 points once all year -- that was against Morehead State to open the season. But I think I've made my point by now.
ReplyDeleteKen Pom had LSU winning this game 82-81. So his rankings are going to change.
DeleteActually, let me clarify things one more time. I think Alabama's approach is the right one for any team trying to win the NCAA Championship. It's Coach K's approach, it's Jay Wright's approach, and it's worked pretty well down through the years. But there are other ways of winning, and I'll support any approach that works. From 2010 through 2020, Cal's approach has mostly worked. I liked his 2020 team a lot, and I really wish they could have played in the tournament.
ReplyDeleteBut what's happened this season is completely unacceptable. It's not that the UK players aren't trying. It's not that Cal hasn't tried. It's that these players cannot succeed at this level of basketball. They lack the basketball skills necessary to play for the University of Kentucky. There should never be a time where the talent level at UK is that low. And when it is, other complaints -- such as complaints about boring teams that don't score and five years without a trip to the Final Four -- are going to get more attention. After all, the Cats aren't able to distract us from our troubles -- they are just another trouble. And that tends to put UK fans in a grim mood.
I didn't want to watch Duke's comeback, so I'm watching Villanova, who leads Seton Hall 59-52 with 8 minutes left.
ReplyDeleteAlabama closes out LSU 105-74. The Tide goes 23-43 from three-point range.
ReplyDeleteThat's a record for most successful three-point shots in an SEC game.
DeleteSeton Hall and Villanova were tied and battling for a rebound with 2 seconds left when the officials called a foul on the Hall. That foul proved to be the difference as Villanova won at the line 76-74.
ReplyDeletePitt hangs on to beat Duke 79-73, and the Blue Devils fall to 3-2 in the ACC.
ReplyDelete