UCLA behind Duke and Oklahoma?

ok

6/23/2008 3:37:42 PM

Duke is way too high, they might start out 18-0 or something similar like they typically do but will get exposed in conference play, I'm still not convinced they fixed their interior scoring problems

6/23/2008 3:58:16 PM

nice to see Davidson get some love, they earned it

6/23/2008 4:05:30 PM

Quote :

"60% of the Top 5 is Big East. 33% of the Top 25. Yikes... WVU without Alexander? Highly suspect..."

I agree that WVU won't be there. Also there won't be that many Big East teams ranked in the Top 5. They'll end up beating up on each other and their distribution will end up being more uniform throughout the entire top 25.

6/23/2008 4:17:35 PM

Teams state faces are bolded along with Herb's team.

http://www.sportsline.com/collegebasketball/story/10871330

1. North Carolina - The Tar Heels are returning the top six scorers -- including at least two probable first-round draft picks in Tyler Hansbrough and Ty Lawson -- from a team that was No. 1 much of last season. There's not a program in America that can touch that roster, and it's hard to imagine this group not returning to the Final Four and putting Roy Williams in position to win his second national title.

2. Louisville - Losing Derrick Caracter is probably addition by subtraction, and incoming freshman Samardo Samuels should fill the void left by the departure of David Padgett just fine. Meanwhile, Terrence Williams, Earl Clark, Jerry Smith, Edgar Sosa and Andre McGee return from a 27-win team, and last March's Elite Eight matchup of Louisville and North Carolina wouldn't be a bad national title game next April.

3. Connecticut - Hasheem Thabeet shunned the NBA Draft and pushed the Huskies up the rankings. As long as A.J. Price returns from ACL surgery OK, Jim Calhoun could make another Final Four run based upon the strength of his veterans and talent of his incoming recruits, among them Kemba Walker.

4. Duke - Yes, the Blue Devils will be light in the middle, just like last season. But for as poorly as Duke closed, it's important to remember Mike Krzyzewski still won 28 games and that the only relevant piece missing from that roster is DeMarcus Nelson, who should be replaceable provided McDonald's All-American wing Elliot Williams meets expectations.

5. Notre Dame - The inside-outside duo of Luke Harangody and Kyle McAlarney should have the Irish competing for the Big East title. Harangody and McAlarney combined to average 36 points per game last season, making them one of the country's greatest tandems.

6. Purdue - It would've been nice had Scott Martin not transferred, but the development won't damage Purdue too much. Three double-digit scorers are still returning, among them Robbie Hummell and E'Twaun Moore.

7. UCLA - How do you lose Kevin Love, Russell Westbrook and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute and remain the favorites in the Pac-10? You sign the No. 1 recruiting class in the country -- starring Jrue Holiday and J'Mison Morgan -- and watch the talented young guys dominate alongside veterans Darren Collison and Josh Shipp.

8. Pittsburgh - Sam Young and DeJuan Blair up front form a formidable tandem built around size and toughness. So the Panthers will be good even if the NCAA doesn't grant Mike Cook another year of eligibility.

9. Michigan State - Eventually Tom Izzo will stop rejecting overtures from the NBA and make the jump, I think. But it's easy to see why he was perfectly content to remain at Michigan State this offseason, what with Raymar Morgan returning and Delvon Roe enrolling.

10. Tennessee - The theory that the Vols would slip considerably upon the graduation of Chris Lofton will be proved wrong. McDonald's All-American Scotty Hopson should fill any scoring hole, and Tyler Smith and Wayne Chism up front will make the Vols the obvious pick to win the SEC again.

11. Texas - There's no way the Longhorns won't miss D.J. Augustin, but Dogus Balbay is a talented replacement. Still, Augustin's supporting cast is back, including A.J. Abrams and Connor Atchley, meaning a Big 12 title should be the goal.

12. Gonzaga - The Zags have been consistently good for a while, but this might actually be the year they break through and make a Final Four. The return of Jeremy Pargo was crucial in that regard. But now that he's back there's no reason to expect Mark Few's WCC dominance to stop.

13. Memphis - The Tigers lost three starters and two assistants and are still a solid Top 15 pick. That's the result of John Calipari signing a top five recruiting class -- led by McDonald's All-American Tyreke Evans -- and luring Josh Pastner from Arizona and Orlando Antigua from Pittsburgh to place beside John Robic on his staff -- and any C-USA program waiting for Memphis to come back to the pack had better devise a new plan.

14. Marquette - Tom Crean might've inherited a mess at Indiana, but he left a pretty nice situation behind for Buzz Williams. Jerel McNeal, Dominic James, Wesley Matthews and Lazar Hayward are all back, meaning there is no reason for Williams to not win in his first season in charge.

15. Georgetown - A tandem of DaJuan Summers, Austin Freeman, Chris Wright, Jessie Sapp and Greg Monroe provides John Thompson III with a talented nucleus. Sure, the Hoyas will miss Roy Hibbert and Jonathan Wallace. But if Monroe plays like an elite-level freshman, Georgetown won't slip much.

16. Villanova - The bulk of the team is back, including Scottie Reynolds and Corey Fisher. If the Wildcats make the Sweet 16 again it probably won't surprise anybody.

17. Miami - Jack McClinton and Miami's four other top scorers return from a team that nearly made the Sweet 16. Consequently, the Hurricanes could very well spend February competing with North Carolina and Duke for the ACC title, odd as that sounds.

18. Arizona State - James Harden snubbing the NBA Draft was huge for ASU. Teamed with Jeff Pendergraph, the sophomore should take the Sun Devils back to the NCAA tournament.

19. Ohio State - It would've been fun to watch Kosta Koufos and B.J. Mullens play beside each other. Alas, that's not happening because Koufos turned pro. But the reigning NIT champions still have a gifted roster thanks to another stellar recruiting class, not to mention the return of David Lighty, Evan Turner and Jon Diebler.

20. Southern California - The losses of O.J. Mayo and Davon Jefferson will show. But another one-and-done star is about to enroll (DeMar DeRozan), and Daniel Hackett and Taj Gibson should provide enough experience to make USC a factor in the Pac-10.

21. Wisconsin - Personnel losses never seem to matter much to Bo Ryan. He belongs in the Top 25 (and one) until he proves he doesn't, and he almost never proves he doesn't.

22. UNLV - Lon Kruger is a little like Ryan in that he seems to always field a good team regardless of what he loses. This season he doesn't lose much, and the addition of Memphis transfer Tre'Von Willis could be a boost.

23. Florida - Billy Donovan has managed to string back-to-back strong recruiting classes post back-to-back national titles. Nick Calathes is a budding star, and if any of the freshman big guys have an impact, it's likely the Gators will compete for the SEC title.

24. Oklahoma - The only projected top 10 pick who returned to college was Oklahoma's Blake Griffin. That's good for Oklahoma. And if Willie Warren is a solid teammate, then Jeff Capel should have a great team.

25. Arizona - It's crucial that Brandon Jennings is cleared by the NCAA to compete as a freshman, and that hasn't happened yet. But assuming everything is OK there, everything will be OK in Tucson, where a core of Jennings, Chase Budinger, Nic Wise and Jordan Hill should make Lute Olson's return enjoyable to watch.

26. Baylor - Scott Drew's rebuilding job will take another step forward this season given how the Bears return the best parts of an NCAA tournament team. Put another way, those tragic (and embarrassing) days that haunted Baylor in 2003 are now officially in the past, and a Big 12 title is a realistic possibility.

Five teams that just missed the cut:
Kansas, Syracuse, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, West Virginia.

6/23/2008 9:07:48 PM

http://blogs.newsobserver.com/accnow/wakes-skeen-suspended

Wake's Skeen suspended
Submitted by jpg on Tue, 06/24/2008 - 18:23
Tags: ACC Now | Wake Forest

Wake Forest won't have the services of forward Jamie Skeen for the first half of the basketball season. The school announced Tuesday Skeen, a junior, will miss the fall semester due to an academic suspension.

Minutes could be scarce for Skeen, who averaged 5.6 points and 4.1 rebounds last season, when (if?) he does return. The Deacs are adding three top-rated freshmen forwards to their roster for Dino Gaudio's second season.

Plus, James Johnson, Chas McFarland and David Weaver return.

6/25/2008 11:38:47 AM

http://blogs.newsobserver.com/accnow/summer-hoops-preview-part-iv

N.C. State

2007-08 record: 15-16, 4-12 ACC (12th)

Postseason: none

Projected starting lineup: G Farnold Degand, G Courtney Fells, F Tracy Smith, F Brandon Costner, F Ben McCauley

New additions: G Julius Mays, F C.J. Williams

Dave Telep's recruiting analysis: "These are two guys who are going to provide depth at their positions. They are not immediate impact players. Mays could possibly give them some scoring and steal some minutes at the point. ... Williams adds depth at the 3."

Outlook: A year after picking N.C. State to finish third in the ACC, there's going to be some over-correcting by the media with the Wolfpack this season, starting right here. I picked State to finish fourth last season. They're going off at 10th this time.

The reason? Point guard is the obvious answer but there's more. N.C. State, which lost the final nine games of the season for the first time in the program's history, was an inept offensive team, ranking last in the ACC in scoring (67.3 points per game) and a bad rebounding team, last in the ACC in rebounding margin, in 2007-08. There's no reason to believe either category will dramatically improve this season.

What made State so bad on offense was not only the lack of point guard — although even when Farnold Degand was healthy there were flaws — to make the other players in the offense better, notably Brandon Costner, but the counterproductive decision to stop and setup a halfcourt offense. Counterproductive in the sense that the team could not execute a functional halfcourt set yet insisted on running one, even when the only option was J.J. Hickson, who was double-teamed for nine-tenths of the season.

State refused to run last season. Coach Sidney Lowe said Thursday that would change this season. That's a smart move, assuming Lowe wants to see the end of his contract.

Transition points are free points and State has athletic enough players, Courtney Fells of note, to at least attempt to push the tempo.

Of course, a big part of transition is defense, which State — by choice — doesn't extend its perimeter pressure beyond the 3-point line. There's an element of daring-slash-allowing teams to shoot from the perimeter in Lowe's scheme because he doesn't believe the 3 is a high-percentage shot. There's a kernel of wisdom in that philosophy but it only works if you can rebound and don't allow second-chance points. Despite a conspicuous size advantage — particularly early in the nonconference schedule — State was out-rebounded in 18 games.

The good news is rebounding is a function of hustle and desire. Properly motivated, and conditioned, State's rebounding could vastly improve next season.

With all of their faults, State will still be a better team next season. Ostensibly, it has to be, certainly with a better, more consistent effort. There's a real possibility, despite the limitations and overpopulation at point guard, that Fells, Costner and Ben McCauley can find their form from the 2006-07 season. Production from those three alone would ensure a better record than 4-12 in the ACC.

The question is how much better can State really be? Seven ACC wins? Anything above four, or the five Lowe won his first season, is an improvement, which the coach needs to show in Year 3, not so much for the fan base but for recruiting.

The truth is there's going to be a gap between the top and bottom half of the league but not much difference between the last six teams. N.C. State will be huddled right there with Maryland and Boston College and the other flawed teams fighting for a spot at the grown-up table.

RETURNING PLAYERS Yr PPG RPG APG
G Courtney Fells Sr. 10.6 2.8 1.2
F Brandon Costner Jr. 8.5 4.6 2.0
G Farnold Degand Jr. 6.9 3.2 2.9
F Ben McCauley Sr. 6.1 3.7 1.5
G Javier Gonzalez So. 3.8 1.8 2.1
G Trevor Ferguson Jr. 3.6 0.7 0.4
F Tracy Smith So. 3.3 1.6 0.1
G Dennis Horner Jr. 3.2 1.2 0.5
G Marques Johnson Jr. 2.0 1.6 1.2
F Simon Harris Sr. 0.6 1.0 0.2
G Johnny Thomas (redshirt) Fr. 0.0 0.0 0.0

GONE PPG RPG APG
F J.J. Hickson (NBA) 14.8 8.5 1.0
F Gavin Grant 13.1 4.5 2.9

NEW Yr Ht Wt Rank
G Julius Mays Fr. 6-1 170 NR
F C.J. Williams Fr. 6-4 200 NR

6/25/2008 3:04:38 PM

sounds about right to me

6/25/2008 3:08:30 PM

Quote :

"the sophomore should take the Sun Devils back to the NCAA tournament."

back?

6/25/2008 3:10:20 PM

as in "back for the first time since 1995, and back for only the 2nd time since 1981"

6/25/2008 3:40:28 PM

Didnt they make it with Ike Diogu?

[Edited on June 25, 2008 at 3:43 PM. Reason : diogu.. i think they lost to bc or something...]

6/25/2008 3:41:50 PM

i'm just going by wikipedia. i thought they made it with Eddie House and/or with Ike

Quote :

"ASU made the Sweet 16 in the 1995 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament*. Other tournament appearances include 1958, '61, '62, '63, '64, '73, '75, '80, and '81.[2] "

nevermind. it said they made it in '05 too

[Edited on June 25, 2008 at 3:46 PM. Reason : .]

6/25/2008 3:45:46 PM

Yeah I know it's hard to believe but Arizona State has made the NCAA Tournament before. In fact they've made it to tournament 12 times. Their most recent NCAA Tournament appearance was in 2003 with Rob Evans as the head coach.

Breakdown of ASU's NCAA tournament "success".

1958 - 1st round - lost to Idaho State 72-68
1961 - Elite Eight (remember you only had to win two games to get to the Elite Eight in these days) - lost to Utah 88-80
1962 - 1st round - lost to Utah State 78-73
1963 - Elite Eight - lost to Oregon State 83-65
1964 - 1st round - lost to Utah State 92-90
1973 - 2nd round - eliminated by UCLA 98-81, but final loss to Long Beach State in the game to determine the 3rd and 4th place teams in the Western regional 84-80.
1975 - Elite Eight - lost to UCLA 89-75
1980 - 2nd round - lost to Ohio State 89-75
1981 - 2nd round - lost to Kansas 88-71 (in this era of the tournament the first rounds were essentially play in games for the teams seeded 5 through 12 to play the top 4 seeds. ASU was the #2 seed of the Midwest Regional and was upset by 7th seeded Kansas)
1991 - 2nd round - lost to Arkansas 97-90
1995 - Sweet Sixteen - lost to Kentucky 97-73 (this would later be vacated)
2003 - 2nd round - lost to eventual runner-up Kansas 108-76

[Edited on June 25, 2008 at 4:00 PM. Reason : dammit do you know how long it took to research and type all of that shit up ]

6/25/2008 3:59:19 PM

Quote :

"the sophomore should take the Sun Devils back to the NCAA tournament."

the way its phrased, it makes it sound like James Harden led them to the tourney last year and is looking to lead them back there this year

6/25/2008 4:03:09 PM

Not if you can read

6/25/2008 4:06:51 PM

yeah, I didnt take it that way either, made sense to me

6/25/2008 4:10:35 PM

Objective reading comprehension

6/25/2008 4:13:06 PM

Quote :

"the way its phrased, it makes it sound like James Harden led them to the tourney last year and is looking to lead them back there this year"

Pro-Herb bias. Every type of media always trying to bring down NC State.

6/25/2008 4:27:27 PM

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/richard_deitsch/06/22/media.623/index.html

So I'm sure those that read PP regularly have seen this already, but HBO is planning on doing a documentary on the UNC-Duke rivalry, and HBO Sports President Ross Greenburg wants to have an advanced screening in Raleigh with one side of an auditorium being UNC fans, and the other side being Duke fans. That would be like HBO doing a documentary on the FSU-Miami rivalry and having an advanced screening in Gainesville. I say if they do have this advanced screening in Raleigh then we should organize a movement to have the place filled up with State fans and boo the shit out of them. I will drive all the way from Charlotte for this.

There's more to college basketball's history in NC than just UNC and Duke. Besides I think a documentary on the Tobacco Road teams, their rivalries, and their history would be a lot more interesting. It would basically be as if the two books "Four Corners: How UNC, NC State, Duke, and Wake Forest Made North Carolina the Crossroads of the Basketball Universe" and "Tobacco Road: Duke, Carolina, N.C. State, Wake Forest, and the History of the Most Intense Backyard Rivalries in Sports" came to life. It'd be something that everyone in North Carolina could appreciate and not just the Holes and Dookies. Besides would the UNC-Duke rivalry had been so big had Case not brought big time basketball to the South and came up with the idea for the ACC? They could mention Vic Bubas went to Duke and turned their program into one of the best of the 60s. With respect to the State-UNC rivalry they could mention the traditions that go on during the week building up to the big game. The UNC students trying to paint the Free Expression Tunnel Carolina Blue and the State students taking part in the tradition to protect the tunnel. Then they could have rode along with the trumpet players from the pep band as they go to Chapel Hill and blast the Fight Song and Red & White Song at the UNC dorms in the middle of the night. Basketball in North Carolina involves more than just the two teams in blue. Wake and State have some stake in it's history in the state too. One important piece they could do is on Jimmy V and his great friendship with K toward the end of his life.

6/25/2008 8:50:52 PM

nah why don't we just let the talented programs have their fun and not be assholes about it

oh wait

we're state fans

6/25/2008 11:01:04 PM

As I said it would be like HBO doing a documentary on the FSU-Miami rivalry and having an advanced screening in Gainesville. That shit wouldn't fly in Gainesville, and I hope it doesn't fly in Raleigh.

6/25/2008 11:15:49 PM

not quite... if Tallahassee and Miami were small cities and Gainesville was a much bigger city then it would be like this... and also, I am sure there were wanting to go to a "neutral" site

6/25/2008 11:37:29 PM

Take it to Greensboro or Charlotte then.

6/25/2008 11:39:29 PM

Greensboro has poop water, Charlotte is too far

6/25/2008 11:40:25 PM

Charlotte has plenty of Duke and UNC fans.

6/25/2008 11:49:40 PM

yeah, but too far from the campuses

6/26/2008 12:05:07 AM

I like 850 The Buzz Blog's commentary on the issue:

Quote :

"Sure, plenty of Tar Heel and Blue Devil faithful live in Raleigh. However, does Greenburg truly want to tempt fate with a mobilized Wuffie Nation? NCSU fans would likely pack the theatre just to boo the entire hour."

I personally plan to do this if the showing does happen here, this Greenburg dude is an idiot

6/26/2008 2:08:44 AM

Wesley Johnson, Iowa State transfer, to Syracuse

6/27/2008 1:11:35 PM

Jennings going to Europe.

Lute should just call it a career...

6/27/2008 1:38:57 PM

If Jennings' trip to Europe works out, it could be bad, bad news for the NCAA.

6/27/2008 1:45:36 PM

Whoa, is he really gone-source??? I heard rumors and saw a story about it.

I know he was supposed to get his (third try) standardized test scores back by today. I hope he doesn't set a precedent of 18 year-olds heading to Europe

[Edited on June 27, 2008 at 1:46 PM. Reason : s]

6/27/2008 1:46:18 PM

duke landed andre dawkins...arguably the top sg in the 2010 class yesterday.

6/27/2008 3:10:02 PM

Oh come on ref he's obviously fouling him.






I wonder which Tech we are playing here.





Current assistant head coach Monte Towe



Spud Webb


NC State shown here having the starting lineup introduced by spotlight, a tradition started at State by Everett Case and copied by many teams.

6/27/2008 8:30:12 PM

only 1 of those pictures worked for me

6/27/2008 8:33:52 PM

Well shit, they all worked for me. Even when I posted the image location in a new tab. Let me work on it.

[Edited on June 27, 2008 at 8:41 PM. Reason : ]

6/27/2008 8:41:21 PM

image location in new tab + shift+refresh

[Edited on June 27, 2008 at 8:42 PM. Reason : ]

6/27/2008 8:42:11 PM

nm don't want to get that person in trouble

[Edited on June 27, 2008 at 8:49 PM. Reason : ]

6/27/2008 8:46:31 PM

The key here is RELEVANT HISTORY


And we are nowhere near it, its a long hill we have to climb. It is a dilemma all State fans face...its not 1983 fellas.

But whatev, Lowe is peacing out soon we'll see what our sorry sack of shit AD can get for us next time around. I blame fowler for all of this.

6/27/2008 9:03:59 PM

^Mostly true....we will be as bad if not worse than last year so we will see what Fowler does.

Quote :

"The reason? Point guard is the obvious answer but there's more. N.C. State, which lost the final nine games of the season for the first time in the program's history, was an inept offensive team, ranking last in the ACC in scoring (67.3 points per game) and a bad rebounding team, last in the ACC in rebounding margin, in 2007-08. There's no reason to believe either category will dramatically improve this season."

So basically we couldn't score, couldn't rebound, and finished horribly after being terribly overrated?

[Edited on June 27, 2008 at 11:50 PM. Reason : If we had fired him this year we could have had Vinny Del Negro!]

6/27/2008 11:50:22 PM

Sweet I got an email from SI writer Richard Deitsch about an email I sent to him on that whole HBO documentary on the Carolina-Duke rivalry and them wanting to have an advanced screening in Raleigh. Here's what he wrote:

Quote :

"Patrick- Great email. Thanks for sending. Rest assured, I heard from many people in Raleigh suggesting it was the wrong place for an advanced screening. I found your email interesting. As a native New Yorker, I didn't know how deep all the Carolina rivalries extend. Maybe this is your documentary to do one day. Best, rd"

Hmm...maybe I should do a documentary on the Tobacco Road rivalries and their history. As something for fun I kind of started writing a fictional novel on 4 highly rated players coming to the four schools and what their year is like. I've only got one chapter written so far.

7/3/2008 12:20:27 AM

http://www.newsobserver.com/754/story/1129019.html

Degand may return in October

N.C. State point guard Farnold Degand, who tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee on Dec. 23, is on schedule to return to the court by the time practice starts in October, a team spokesman said earlier this week.

He will not play during the team's exhibition games in Toronto in late August and is currently running in the pool as part of his rehabilitation.

"His rehab has actually been very good," N.C. State coach Sidney Lowe said during a news conference last month. "It's actually ahead of pace, so he's doing pretty good, and we're hoping it's not going to affect who he is, which is quickness and speed.

"That's his advantage. So we're just hoping for the best on that. So right now he's doing pretty good."



Good to hear that he won't miss any of the regular season, but what's this about us having exhibition games in not just Toronto, but also in August?

7/3/2008 7:54:47 AM

Does anyone remember Panagiotis Fasoulas?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panagiotis_Fasoulas

He's the mayor of the third-largest city in Greece. How about that.

7/4/2008 12:34:19 AM

Costner was so underwhelming last year that it necessitated a wtf article from rivals.


http://collegebasketball.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=824000

7/4/2008 8:17:44 PM

Quote :

"So are the rest of his teammates. N.C. State was the only team to begin the season in the AP top 25 (it was ranked No. 21) not to make the NCAA Tournament or the NIT. The Wolfpack were arguably the biggest disappointment of the year, tying for last place in the ACC and ending the season on a nine-game losing streak."

ouch

7/4/2008 9:27:43 PM

http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080702/SPT0102/807020359/1065/rss10

Duke will play Xavier on December 20 this year at the Dookies home away from home, the Meadowlands Arena (I refuse to call it the Izod Center). I wonder what Duke's fascination with that place is. They've played a lot of OOC games there in the past. Does K feel that he has to repay the building for the karma he had on that fateful night against UConn in 1990?

Someone should photoshop this to say Cameron Indoor Stadium North

7/7/2008 8:46:03 PM

Quote :

"I wonder what Duke's fascination with that place is."

The check they get for selling the place out

7/7/2008 8:48:57 PM

And it's in Jersey. Gotta let the alums in the area see the game. It's kind of like the excuse Fowler gave for us scheduling the bball game at ECU. He said it allowed our fans in the eastern part of the state to catch a game.

7/7/2008 8:57:06 PM

Mike Brey got a 2-year extension to his contract with Notre Dame. His contract with the Irish now goes through the 2014-15 season.

http://www.wral.com/sports/basketball/ncaa/story/3164024/

7/7/2008 10:35:56 PM

Quote :

"Does K feel that he has to repay the building for the karma he had on that fateful night against UConn in 1990?"

I was at that game. Wasn't happy.

-----

Did anyone see that Dominic Cheek took an unofficial at UNC? Why would he still be considering them? I really hope him playing with Kemba Walker for the US-U18 team will sway him towards UConn...

7/9/2008 12:44:25 PM

I thought Roy rescinded his scholly offer anyways...

7/9/2008 12:50:20 PM