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College Basketball Random Chatter

  • ironman02
    Thanks, S&L. Hopefully he goes to UNLV. :)
  • Azubuike24
    Actually there is a recent article stating the leader for Shabazz might be USC. Apparently, his father has been heavily involved in his recruiting and is a USC alum. While I disagree with even considering USC, they are in a huge market and Shabazz would absolutely be "the man" from the get go.

    Of course, OJ Mayo tried this, USC got busted for cheating, put on probation and Mayo ended up being ousted in the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament and got drafted 3rd overall, which was about on-par or even lower than where he was projected to go prior to even going to college.

    Just an FYI. Sounds like Bazz isn't close to deciding, other factors are heavily involved in his recruitment and the teams on the west coast have a distinct advantage.
  • ironman02
    His Dad has a lot of influence on him, maybe even to the point of not really letting Bazz make his own decision. At least that's what I've heard throughout his recruitment.
  • Azubuike24
    I think we can all agree that he can go to any school in the country. He has offers from what I would say, are the top 5 programs of all-time. To even consider USC after that, is ridiculous, especially when a similar precendent was set by O.J. Mayo just a few years ago at the same school and in a better situation than that school is currently in now.
  • Laley23
    Azubuike24;956549 wrote:I think we can all agree that he can go to any school in the country. He has offers from what I would say, are the top 5 programs of all-time. To even consider USC after that, is ridiculous, especially when a similar precendent was set by O.J. Mayo just a few years ago at the same school and in a better situation than that school is currently in now.
    Im pretty sure OJ got what OJ wanted though. Limelight in the biggest city (celeb wise) for a year and off to the NBA.
  • Azubuike24
    Then go to UCLA...which has been said to be a leader...
  • Laley23
    Azubuike24;956807 wrote:Then go to UCLA...which has been said to be a leader...
    Cause you gotta work there. Come on, you know as well as the next person that some of these kids are looking for the ticket to the NBA. That route might as well be the one where you run the asylum and not the doctors.
  • Azubuike24
    I disagree. Maybe at USC under Tim Floyd. Not USC under Kevin O'Neill. Not USC after serious infractions and probation for basketball and football. Not USC with Pat Haden as the AD. If he thinks he's gonna go to USC, get the OJ Mayo/Reggie Bush treatment, run the asylum and live the glamourous life for a year, he's seriously mistaken. Kevin O'Neill is a hard ass, and actually a decent coach.

    Now, this is just my take and opinion, which I think is pretty spot-on in this case and I'd say most would agree, but still. Maybe this is what Bazz and his dad think and it may end up happening, who knows. I just think, regardless of whether UK loses out on their top target, as a college basketball fan it would be a shame if someone goes there with these expectations because we will get cheated on seeing the best talent in the 2012 class for the little time he plays in college.
  • Mulva
    Season is officially underway tonight. No great games, but William & Mary @ St. John's and Valpo @ Arizona will be on ESPNU. I'll probably tune it to the Zona game too see Josiah Turner and the recruiting class.
  • Laley23
    Mulva;962147 wrote:Season is officially underway tonight. No great games, but William & Mary @ St. John's and Valpo @ Arizona will be on ESPNU. I'll probably tune it to the Zona game too see Josiah Turner and the recruiting class.
    Is ESPN doing the 24 hours of games again this year? I havent seen any promos for it and Im too lazy to Google at the moment.
  • Mulva
    Laley23;962412 wrote:Is ESPN doing the 24 hours of games again this year? I havent seen any promos for it and Im too lazy to Google at the moment.


    http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/blog/_/name/katz_andy/id/6895746

    November 15th. Lineup in link.
  • GOONx19
    UK currently up 102-28. They broke their record for halftime lead with a 61 point difference. Granted, it's Morehouse, but Shabazz is watching.

    [INDENT]@phenom15ballashabazz muhammad[/INDENT]


    86-18 with 16 mins to go all I can sa is wowwwww lol !!!!

  • wildcats20
    GOONx19;962578 wrote:UK currently up 102-28. They broke their record for halftime lead with a 61 point difference. Granted, it's Morehouse, but Shabazz is watching.
    That's just wrong.
  • reclegend22
    I saw that it was 68 to 6 at one point. I bet Morehouse will never agree to this again. Kentucky appears to be beginning the season on fire.

    Az, this is just an exhibition, correct?
  • GOONx19
    ^ Correct. They start the season this weekend against Marist.
  • reclegend22
    Thanks. I thought I heard Fran in the ESPN studio say that, but then I wasn't sure. My goodness, though, a 60-plus lead at the half. That's incredible.
  • Laley23
    Thanks.
  • Azubuike24
    Many were disappointed with the first exhibition. Not tonight. 125-40 final score. Many guys under the radar by most appear to be bigger pieces than thought (Kyle Wiltjer, Eloy Vargas) while others have struggled a bit (Doron Lamb and Darius Miller).

    We'll see Friday night. Season opener.
  • Mulva
    Not a great first half of college basketball for Josiah Turner. Shot 1/6 and then hit the bench with 2 fouls.

    Zona up 32-30 on Valparaiso, looking pretty sluggish.
  • reclegend22
    After the recent misfortune that has struck the Homer Drew family, it's especially nice to see Valpo back doing well on the national stage with Bryce at the helm.
  • GOONx19
    [LEFT] Per CBS.
    The college basketball season has officially arrived.

    The games are starting.

    And so now we have five months of basketball ahead of us -- roughly four months until the Field of 68 is revealed on Selection Sunday. Between now and then we'll get buzzer-beaters and 40-point games, broken records and, yes, probably a scandal or two. With that in mind, CBSSports.com college basketball experts Gary Parrish, Jeff Goodman,Jeff Borzello and Matt Norlander assembled a list of 68 Things To Watch this season. The list starts with an aircraft carrier, ends with a busted bracket and touches on most of the nation's relevant programs. Take a look. Get excited. We're closing in on tipoff.


    1. Hoops on the high seas: The Carrier Classic between Michigan State and North Carolina on Veteran's Day will be historic because they're playing a basketball game on top of an aircraft carrier -- the same one that was used to bury Osama bin Laden at sea. And, oh yeah, President Obama will be there, too. -- Jeff Borzello

    2. Coach K's quest: Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski will break his former mentor Bob Knight's mark as the all-time wins lead in men's Division I basketball. It could come as early as Nov. 15 in the Champions Classic at Madison Square Garden. -- Jeff Goodman

    3. The sophomores:     Harrison Barnes, Jared Sullinger, Perry Jones and Terrence Jones are all back in school. Thank you, NBA Lockout. -- Gary Parrish

    4. NBA lockout:     The longer it drags on, the more attention the college game will get. We'll also be paying close attention because of what the new collective bargaining agreement means as far as the one-and-done rule is concerned and whether it reverts to high school kids being able to jump directly to the NBA. -- J.G.

    5. Injuries:         Connecticut's Andre Drummond, Louisville's Wayne Blackshear, Kansas' Thomas Robinson and Vanderbilt's Festus Ezeli all suffered preseason injuries of some sort and to different degrees. Somebody's Final Four hopes are always diminished because of a torn knee ligament or broken toe or something. Which school will be unlucky this season? -- G.P.

    6. John Calipari's continuing surge at UK:     The fans in Lexington are enjoying a lovefest with Calipari, and rightfully so. He has brought in elite talent each year, and he performed a magical coaching job a year ago in getting the Wildcats to the Final Four. This is the best combo of talent and character he has ever enrolled. Will it translate into a national title? -- J.G.5. Injuries: Connecticut's Andre Drummond, Louisville's Wayne Blackshear, Kansas' Thomas Robinson and Vanderbilt's Festus Ezeli all suffered preseason injuries of some sort and to different degrees. Somebody's Final Four hopes are always diminished because of a torn knee ligament or broken toe or something. Which school will be unlucky this season? -- G.P.

    7. Connecticut and Jim Calhoun continue:     Who would have thought we would be here? Yet Calhoun has a team that's just unfair, really. He can win another title, and if he does, seriously, Jim, retire. You will have done it all. -- Matt Norlander

    8. The fight to be the face of college basketball:     Jimmer Fredette developed into the sport's star last season. Will it be one player this season? And, if so, who? Harrison Barnes? Jared Sullinger? Terrence Jones? -- J.G.

    9. Butler going for a third straight title game:     Brad Stevens lost a lottery pick and still returned to the national title game. This time he lost a second-rounder and an overseas guy, so why can't he shock the world again? That's an unfair expectation since he'll now deal with life without Gordon Hayward, Matt Howard and Shelvin Mack. But the Bulldogs won't drop off the map, either, despite what a preseason loss to a Division II school might suggest. -- J.G.

    10. Shabazz Muhammad's recruitment:     Signing Day is this week, but it appears the nation's top prospect is a long way from deciding his future. Put me down as predicting UCLA. But watch out for Coach Cal and Kentucky, too. -- G.P.

    11. Dec. 3, 2011:     That's the date North Carolina travels to Lexington and faces Kentucky at Rupp Arena in what is a matchup of the nation's two top-ranked teams. This could be a preview of April's national title game. There will be no shortage of pros on the court. -- J.G.

    12. Harvard looks to end 65-year drought:     The Crimson nearly made the NCAA tournament last season but lost at the buzzer to Princeton in a one-game playoff for the Ivy League's automatic bid. With a healthy Kyle Casey, they won't fall short this year. -- J.B.

    13. John Calipari vs. Rick Pitino:     These guys despise one another and already have traded verbal jabs in the preseason. Their programs will go head-to-head on New Year's Eve. Louisville vs. Kentucky. Pitino vs. Calipari. There's not much better than this. -- J.G.

    14. Kevin Stallings in the NCAA tournament:     Folks will continue to question the Vanderbilt coach until he makes a deep run in March. My guess is this is the season he does it. -- G.P.

    15. Kansas' Big 12 streak of dominance is in jeopardy: The Jayhawks simply don't have a lot of typical Kansas depth and talent this season. Outside of Thomas Robinson and Tyshawn Taylor, it's a nondescript group of players. Two of the top reserves are former walk-ons. -- J.B.
    16. Anthony Grant at Alabama:     Grant looked like a great hire when he went to Tuscaloosa, and he's living up to expectations. This should be his best team yet. The roster is good enough to make the NCAA tournament and advance. -- G.P.

    17. The former Alabama coach at N.C. State:     What Mark Gottfried lacked in press-conference-pop he has made up for in recruiting success. No, this wasn't the guy N.C. State fans were convinced they would get to replace Sidney Lowe; they wanted Jamie Dixon or Sean Miller or Phil Jackson or John Wooden. But they seem happy with how things are going under Gottfried, and they should be. -- G.P.

    18. VCU trying to make another NCAA tournament:     The Rams were one of the final teams allowed into last season's NCAA tournament, then they shot their way to the Final Four. They lost plenty of talent off that team, though. Can they even get back to the Field of 68? -- J.B.

    19. Mississippi State's chemistry or dysfunction:     The Bulldogs were a mess last season. Dee Bost missed half the year, Renardo Sidney brawled with a teammate and Ravern Johnson popped off on Twitter. They have talent -- especially with the addition of transfer Arnett Moultrie. But did they mature? -- J.B.

    20. Virginia Tech's annual Selection Sunday sweating:     It's always entertaining to watch Seth Greenberg squirm before the unveiling of the field. Will the Hokies even have a chance to sweat it out this year? Without Malcolm Delaney, Jeff Allen and now J.T. Thompson, Greenberg's team could struggle their way off the bubble. -- J.B.

    21. Conference musical chairs:     This game of conference realignment is equal parts fascinating and annoying. It's also far from over. -- J.G.

    22. The Big Least:     The Big East has already lost Syracuse and Pittsburgh to the ACC and is in danger of going from the most dominant hoops league in the country to one mired in mediocrity. Does it just patch up the holes or go the route of an all-hoops league and bid farewell to its remaining football members? To be continued, obviously. -- J.G.

    23. Good Joe Jackson/Bad Joe Jackson:     Will he be the Memphis point guard who won C-USA tournament MVP honors or the Memphis point guard who got benched in February? It's a key question for the Tigers. For what it's worth, I'm betting he's more good than bad. Lots more good than bad, in fact. -- G.P.

    24. Hoosier Hysteria:     It's Year 4 of the Tom Crean Era in Bloomington and IU fans are restless. He'll need to show progress this season or it may not matter who he has enrolling a year from now (or how much the buyout is). -- J.G.

    25. What's Bruin in Westwood: Ben Howland doesn't have UCLA back to what it was a few years ago, but he's inching closer. The front line might be as imposing as any in the nation with Reeves Nelson, Josh Smith and the Wear twins. And Howland's recruiting has the program headed in the right direction again. -- J.G.

    [/LEFT]



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  • Mulva
    Mississippi State lost to Akron tonight. They have a lot of talent if they gel with Sidney, Bost, and Moultrie. But I have no confidence that Sidney won't melt down and even less confidence in Rick Stansbury to bring the team together.
  • Azubuike24
    Agreed. Akron isn't a bad loss, heck, they may end up with a higher RPI than MSU. However, it's a missed chance for MSU to get a decent win, which has hurt other SEC teams not-named Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky and Vanderbilt recently with piss-poor strength of schedules.
  • Azubuike24
    Kentucky got another committment from Tennessee power forward Alex Poythress (Rivals #19 overall) today. He chose UK over Memphis, Vanderbilt and Florida. Quietly, after not having anyone committed a few months ago, Calipari has now signed a 5-star SF, PF and C. He's definitely preparing for the losses, at minimum, of Terrence Jones, Darius Miller and Eloy Vargas, and if the NBA doesn't adopt a 2-year rule, Anthony Davis and Michael Gilchrist.

    Appears that Calipari will likely attempt to sign 5 this year. They are still in the running for SG Shabazz Muhammad (rivals #1), SF Anthony Bennett (Rivals #7), SF Devonta Pollard (Rivals #9) and PF Jarnell Stokes (Rivals #11). The only thing missing is the elite point-guard, but they do have transfer Ryan Harrow eligible next year (former 5-star from 2010 class transferred from N.C. State).

    Obviously adding Shabazz would put UK probably with another #1 class, and getting any of the other 3 would be icing on the cake. In-terms of likelihood, I'd say 1. Muhammad, 2. Pollard, 3. Stokes, 4. Bennett.
  • cats gone wild
    You are too quick. Just came here to say Poythress committed.