Hanging with the Hoyas: Part 7

Posted on February 2, 2022 by Jon Teitel

HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel will spend the upcoming weeks covering some Georgetown basketball home games, with (hopefully) a very special reward coming in March. Part 6 was published last month:
https://hoopshd.com/2022/01/23/hanging-with-the-hoyas-part-6-2
He continues his series with Part 7 featuring the Hoyas’ matchup last night against Seton Hall:

I arrived starving for the pregame meal because it was a late tip time…but there was only popcorn/soda available. The good news is that some chicken tenders/nachos were served shortly thereafter…but the bad news is that just as I was heading for my seat I saw bags and bags of PF Chang’s being delivered: son of a bee-sting! On the plus side, there is a Hall of Famer in the house, as Dikembe Mutombo stood courtside to see his son Ryan play for Georgetown:


An 8:30 PM EDT game on a Tuesday night in February for a team that has lost 8 in a row against an opponent who was missing its 2nd-leading scorer in Bryce Aiken (who sat out due to concussion protocol) meant that there were plenty of good seats available:


The Big East is celebrating Black History Month in February by partnering with the Black Fives Foundation to host 22 games honoring Black athletes/coaches/communities who played a critical part in the history of basketball in the US. Georgetown came out in warmup shirts featuring the logo of the Washington Bears, an all-Black pro basketball team from the 1940s whose roster included Hall of Famers such as Pop Gates/Tarzan Cooper/John Isaacs:


Let’s tip it off with some truly tall men (7′ Timothy Ighoefe vs. 7’2″ Ike Obiagu!):


Georgetown coach Patrick Ewing wore his Washington Bears shirt all night long while Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard opted for a suit/tie:


Pirates sophomore Kadary Richmond went scoreless against the Hoyas last year as a freshman at Syracuse but got things going early with a floater in the lane, a pretty jumper, and a 3:


His teammate Jared Rhoden has only made about 25% of his 3-PT attempts this year but looked quite comfortable in the 1st half as he knocked down a pair of shots from behind the arc in his pink sneakers:


Aminu Mohammed (left) and Dante Harris (right) tried their best to keep it close via a series of layups/jump shots but it looked like they were going to be trailing by double-digits heading into the locker room:


However, the Hoyas got the ball to Kaiden Rice at the end of the half and he made a tough 3 at the buzzer to cut the deficit to 35-28 at halftime:


The last time there was a basketball game on this floor was a Clippers-Wizards NBA affair last week featuring a center matchup of 7′ Ivica Zubac vs. 6’10” Daniel Gafford. Tonight we have a college game featuring a pair of 7’2″ big men going at it (Obiagu vs. Mutombo). Mutombo was very active off the bench with 6 PTS/6 REB/3 BLK, but while Obiagu only had 2 PTS/2 REB he showed why he is 1 of the best interior defenders as he had more blocks (5) than the entire Georgetown team (4):


Seton Hall F Tray Jackson only scored 21 PTS in his previous 3 games combined but apparently he is out of his slump. He had a big follow-dunk early in the 2nd stanza and then took care of business outside, finishing with a career-high 5 3PM and tying his career-high with 21 PTS:


Hoyas’ captain Donald Carey did not play a single game from December 19-January 19 due to illness but appeared pretty healthy with a team-high 15 PTS including a baseline drive that resulted in a circus shot/foul/&1:


Georgetown actually took a 5-PT lead with under 9 minutes to play but just ran out of steam as Seton Hall won by a score of 70-63…followed by the tallest handshake that I have ever seen in person featuring the Mutombo men:


That is a wrap on the Hoyas’ 1st game in February, I will not be at tomorrow night’s game on-campus at McDonough Arena, but check back in the weeks ahead as there are still 4 games at Capital 1 Arena left on the schedule.

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News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Wednesday, Feb 2

Posted on February 2, 2022 by David Griggs

NEWS AND NOTES:

-It was a great night of hate!!  For the 9pm est slate of games we had Chris Beard’s return to Texas Tech where the Red Raider fans were (not) waiting to great him with open arms and show their appreciation for all he’d done, as well as Alabama visiting Auburn.

Starting with Auburn, they opened up a big lead and Alabama actually cut into it, but in the latter stages of the game Auburn blew it open again.  The other night on the Hoops HD Report I had mentioned that I thought Alabama was shooting at the moon in this one, and everyone else disagreed.  While they disagreed with my choice of words, I don’t think they disagreed with the point I was trying to make.  Teams that go to Final Fours and win National Championships oftentimes do not have a true road win against a top five team during the regular season.  It’s damn hard to win at Auburn.  No one, not even a protected seeded caliber team, would be EXPECTED to win there.  Alabama has a great resume.  They’ve beaten Gonzaga in Seattle, and Baylor and Houston at home.  They could use a few more true road wins, and they are certainly good enough to pick those up between now and the end, but I wouldn’t look at the game at Auburn and think “hmmm…that’s a game the Tide should win!”  It isn’t, and they didn’t.

As for Texas, they had been playing better, but they still didn’t look to be as good as Texas Tech, much less good enough to beat Texas Tech on the road.  So, it wasn’t really that much of a surprise that the Red Raiders pretty much controlled the game from tip to buzzer.

-Michigan State escaped from Maryland with a tip in at the buzzer for a 65-63 win.  They had to sweat a lot more than expected in this one.

-Creighton had been in a bit of a tailspin, especially after completely blowing it in the second half against Xavier, but they went on the road to UConn last night and picked up a very impressive and very much needed 59-55 win.  It is a bit of a setback for UConn, but not a significant one.  They’re still very safely in the top half of the bracket, and still have a path to a protected seed if they can finish strong.

-Ole Miss, who doesn’t appear to be anywhere close to the bubble, won at LSU yesterday.  LSU is a team we were all big on, but I’m less big on them now.  They’ve lost five of their last six, and the loss last night was at home to a non-tournament caliber team.

-Davidson bounced back after looking kind of sluggish in their last few games with an impressive win at Saint Bonaventure.  The Bonnies made a run late to make the score look close, but Davidson appeared to be in control for pretty much the entire game.  Our friend and colleague Bracket Miller from Rocketeer.Org was on hand for the action!

-If you want to see some really awful officiating and an absolutely enraged group of fans, check out the final minute of overtime between North Carolina and Louisville!!  It was comical.  There was a tie-up situation at a key moment in the game where both players were going for the ball, and understandably REALLY going for it!  The momentum of the play sent a player from Louisville to the floor, which prompted another Louisville player to shove (if it even qualified as a shove) the Louisville player.  A flagrant foul was called.  It was a poor decision to call it (IMHO), but you could at least understand the thought process in doing so.  What the refs did next there was no thought process whatsoever.  It was one of the worst foul calls I’ve ever seen.  But, all that aside, North Carolina went on the road and won a game that was not easy to win, which is something that their resume very much needed.  It was arguably their best win of the year on paper.

 

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-FLORIDA AT MISSOURI (SEC).  The Gators are straddling the bubble and are on the road against a weak Mizzou team.  They need to hold serve in this one.

-PURDUE AT MINNESOTA (Big Ten).  Purdue looks to be a solid protected seed who could even end up as high as a #1 seed with a strong finish.  Minnesota is a team that’s played well at times, but is still outside the bubble.  It’s not easy to win there, though.

-VANDERBILT AT KENTUCKY (SEC).  Kentucky is looking as good as anyone in the country right now and should roll at home.

-BUTLER AT XAVIER (Big East).  There aren’t that many easy games in the Big East, but a home game against a struggling Butler team is about as easy as it’s gonna get.  Xavier is in very good shape, especially after their road win at Creighton.

-NOTRE DAME AT MIAMI FL (ACC).  Notre Dame had strung together several wins, but kind of crapped the bed against Duke in their last game.  It wasn’t so much that they lost to Duke, but rather how bad they looked in that game.  I like Miami’s team and resume and think they will make the field, so this is another chance for the Irish to pull off a quality win.

-PITTSBURGH AT WAKE FOREST (ACC).  Wake is right on a lot of people’s bubbles, so this is obviously a game where they need to hold serve.

-FLORIDA STATE AT CLEMSON (ACC).  After an impressive stretch where Florida State won six in a row, they’ve now dropped two straight to teams that aren’t being projected into the field.  They need to avoid dropping a third one tonight.

-ARKANSAS AT GEORGIA (SEC).  After a really nasty stretch over a month period in December/early January, Arkansas has really been playing well.  They’ve won six in a row, gotten themselves back inside the bubble (at least according to our forecasting), and have another winnable road game tonight.

‘-TULANE AT HOUSTON (American).  This should be an easy win for Houston.  Tulane’s program is showing signs of moving in the right direction very quickly, but they aren’t quite there yet and are way overmatched on the road tonight.

-ILLINOIS STATE AT LOYOLA CHICAGO (Missouri Valley).  Loyola is going through a stretch where they have lost games they should have won, and when they’ve won games the haven’t looked all that good doing it.  They can’t afford to keep playing with their food or they’ll fall all the way outside the bubble.

-WISCONSIN AT ILLINOIS (Big Ten).  Both teams are good, both have good profiles, and both appear to be improving as the season goes along.  It wouldn’t shock me at all if both ended up as protected seeds, so tonight’s game should be a fun litmus test as well as a chance at a resume building win.

-OKLAHOMA STATE AT KANSAS STATE (Big 12).  I still don’t think K State is entirely out of the picture, but every game has a pivotal feel to it and they need this one tonight.

-DAYTON AT VCU (Atlantic Ten).  VCU is clearly outside the bubble, but they’ve been playing really well lately, and appear to be good enough to win out.  If that happens they will at least be in the discussion.

-VILLANOVA AT MARQUETTE (Big East).  What a game this could be!!  Marquette is coming off a close loss to a very good Providence team, but outside of that they have absolutely been on fire.  Nova at times has looked like a Final Four caliber team, but only at times.  At other times they’ve merely looked like a solid top 25 team.

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News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Tuesday, Feb 1

Posted on February 1, 2022 by David Griggs

By David Dorman – Hoops HD Senior Staff Writer

NEWS AND NOTES:

CLICK HERE for the latest HOOPS HD REPORT Video Podcast

-West Virginia hadn’t looked good at all for the last couple of weeks, but they really played well against Baylor yesterday and were in a position to win it all the way until the very end.  They couldn’t hold on (and to be fair, Baylor was not at full strength), but had they played like that for the last couple of weeks they wouldn’t be on the losing streak that they’re on.

-Duke won at Notre Dame.  Given the streak the Irish were on we thought they might be able to make a run at the bubble.  After watching them yesterday I’m starting to wonder how they ever beat anyone.

-Wyoming knocked off Colorado State in an 84-78 overtime thriller.  The game was close all throughout, the atmosphere was intense, and the Cowboys picked up a big win.  It isn’t so much that the loss hurt the Rams, but a win would have really helped and when you start to look at Colorado State’s profile and see that they’re now three games behind the conference leader, there is some cause for alarm.

-TCU is heading in the right direction.  They picked up a road win against an Oklahoma team that is…well…NOT heading in the right direction.

 

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-CREIGHTON AT CONNECTICUT (Big East).  There are some standout wins on Creighton’s resume, but overall their resume is slumping a little bit and a win like this could really give it a boost.  UConn keeps getting better and better and should probably be ranked a little higher than what they actually are.  They are looking to pick up their sixth straight Big East win tonight.

-KANSAS AT IOWA STATE (Big 12).  Both teams are in the rankings, and Kansas is on a pace that will land them on the top two lines despite their blowout loss to Kentucky in their last game.  A big road win like this will offset that.  Iowa State has been a surprise team this year and it should be a crazy atmosphere tonight.

-MICHIGAN STATE AT MARYLAND (Big Ten).  I still think that Michigan State is one of the better teams in the Big Ten and will likely end up as a protected seed.  They should be able to pick this one up on the road tonight.

-TEXAS A&M AT TENNESSEE (SEC).  Texas A&M is outside the bubble, but they’re close enough to it to where if they win a game like this on the road they will be in the picture.  Tennessee is looking to bounce back after their loss at Texas over the weekend.

-DAVIDSON AT SAINT BONAVENTURE (Atlantic Ten).  Davidson has had a really good season, but they’ve struggled their last few times out.  They will likely really be tested tonight against a Saint Bonaventure team that has been a disappointment this year, but that can still play up to a high ceiling, especially if they are at home for a big game.

-TOLEDO AT EASTERN MICHIGAN (MAC).  The path to landing inside the bubble is narrow for Toledo, but if they can win out they should at least be in the discussion.

-SOUTH CAROLINA AT MISSISSIPPI STATE (SEC).  Both teams are pretty far outside the bubble, but both have a path to it if they can put together a long string of wins between now and the end of the season.

-NORTH CAROLINA AT LOUISVILLE (ACC).  North Carolina’s resume is flimsy at best.  In fact if they win this game tonight it would arguably be their best win of the season so far.  They are still on a lot of people’s boards, but from where I sit it seems like they have a ton of work to do.

-SETON HALL AT GEORGETOWN (Big East).  Seton Hall is in a bit of a tailspin,, but Georgetown is an absolute train wreck, so if Hall can’t win tonight they’re really going to be in trouble even though this is a road game.

-ALABAMA AT AUBURN (SEC).  It’s a rivalry game between the #1 team in the nation and an Alabama team who has been inconsistent this year, but that has also managed wins against Gonzaga, Houston, and Baylor.  Winning at top ranked Auburn is a HUGE ask, though.  A loss really won’t set them back at all.

-TEXAS AT TEXAS TECH (Big 12).  Texas Tech is ready to welcome back Chris Beard and show how appreciative they are for everything he did for that program.  They are going to be so happy to see him!  Texas Tech has thrown some heavyweight punches this year and is really looking good.  Texas really didn’t have much on their resume until about a week ago, but they’ve put together a couple of impressive wins, so I wouldn’t count them out tonight.  This one is going to be FUN!

-PROVIDENCE AT SAINT JOHN’S (Big East).  Providence just keeps racking up win after win after win.  Winning on the road at Saint John’s isn’t the easiest thing to do, but Providence has been winning tough games all season long and should be able to add another road win to their resume tonight.

-CALIFORNIA AT STANFORD (Pac 12).  Stanford is outside the bubble, but could reach it if they finish strong and avoid bad losses.  Like…for instance…at home to Cal.

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The Hoops HD Report: January 31st

Posted on February 1, 2022 by David Griggs

We look back at the SEC/Big 12 Challenge, particularly Kentucky’s blowout win at Kansas and how it was probably the single most impressive showing by any team this season so far.  Baylor also suffered their third loss of the year as they fell at Alabama, and we look ahead to another busy week in both the Big 12 and the SEC.

From there we look at the Big East and how impressive Providence has looked this year, as well as Xavier’s big come from behind win at Creighton.  We look at the Pac 12 and how UCLA is continuing to dominate, and how Oregon is starting to slip again.  In the ACC we look at a lack of quality teams outside of Duke, and debate whether or not North Carolina and Wake Forest belong in at all.  We think as many as four teams from the Mountain West and the West Coast could make the field, and we discuss both of those leagues at length.  In the Atlantic Ten, Davidson has hit a bit of a skid, and VCU seems to be red hot and good enough to win out.  All that, and more!!

And for all you radio lovers, below is an audio only version of the show…

Posted in Hoops HD Report, Podcasts, Videocasts | 1 Comment

Happy Birthday!: HoopsHD interviews George Mason legend George Evans

Posted on January 31, 2022 by Jon Teitel

The Colonial Athletic Association almost ran out of awards during George Evans’ career at George Mason because he basically won all of them. In addition to joining David Robinson as the only 2 players in CAA history to be named conference POY on 3 separate occasions, he was also named 1st-team all-conference 3 times, conference DPOY 2 times, and CAA ROY in 1998. Additionally, he is 1 of a handful of college superstars to finish his career with 200+ STL/200+ AST/200+ BLK including legends such as Danny Manning/Lionel Simmons/Shane Battier. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with George about serving in the Army during the Persian Gulf War and playing pro basketball overseas. Today is George’s 52nd birthday so let us be the 1st to wish him a happy 1!

Before enrolling at George Mason you served several years in the Army, including a tour of duty in the Persian Gulf War: why did you choose to join the Army, and what did you learn from war that has helped you in life? I joined the Army because I had to do something to help my family out. The Army taught me about discipline/respect and to not take anything for granted, which translated well to the basketball court.

Your nickname at GMU was “Sarge”: who gave you that nickname, and how did you like it? 1 of my teammates gave me the nickname. I did not really like it because I wanted to close that chapter of my life. It was already tough enough to be 26 years old and starting college but I took it in stride.

You were recruited by Paul Westhead but played for Jim Larranaga: what did you like about each of them as coaches? Westhead was all about winning a championship. His game was fast-paced and the up-and-down tempo appealed to me. Larranaga showed interest in me even after Westhead was fired and was always there to support/show faith in me.

You were named to the All-CAA team 4 times and the All-CAA defensive team 3 times: how were you able to come in and contribute as a freshman, and how were you able to continue to dominate throughout the rest of your college career? It was a culture shock when I 1st started. There was an incident where several players got suspended so I got to jump in and play from the start. Once I built that confidence and continued to work with the coaches I got better and better.

In November of 1999 you scored a career-high 37 PTS in an 8-PT loss at Toledo: was it just 1 of those scenarios where every shot you put up seemed to go in because you were “in the zone”? We were a defensive team but would create opportunities when we ran. That day I found myself with the good luck of getting open shots: once you get going it is hard for anyone to stop you.

What are your memories of the 1999 NCAA tourney (you went scoreless on 0-6 FG in a loss to Cincinnati)? Coming from a small conference and playing against a big-time team with guys like Kenyon Martin/Steve Logan in front of 19,000 people: it was overwhelming for us.

In the 2001 NCAA tourney you scored a tourney-school-record 27 PTS/10-15 FG but Tremaine Price’s bounce pass went through your legs with 6 seconds left in a 3-PT loss to Maryland: where does that rank among the most devastating losses of your career? It was definitely the worst loss of my career. Steve Blake was guarding the pass and tipped the ball so I could not get my hands on it. We played a great game against a great team but came up just short.

You and David Robinson are the only 2 players to be named CAA POY 3 straight years: do you feel like you are 1 of the best players in the history of the CAA? That is for other people to decide but it is nice to be mentioned in the same breath as a player like Robinson. I was just thankful to get an education and play basketball.

In the spring of 2001 you were the 1st overall pick of the Maryland Mustangs in the USBL draft: were you thrilled to be picked #1, or unhappy that you were not drafted by an NBA team, or other? It was an opportunity for me to continue my basketball career: my mother taught me never to take any opportunity for granted. I knew that it would be hard to make the NBA due to my age so I have no regrets.

You later played pro basketball in Belgium/Germany for a decade: what did you learn from the experience, and how did it compare to college basketball? There are some different rules and the crowds are more feisty. It is also a livelihood so it is important to view it as a job: if you play bad in college then you just head home and go to class the next day. I loved playing abroad and would love to stay involved even at the coaching level.

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Staff Bracket: January 31, 2022

Posted on January 31, 2022 by Chad

CLICK HERE for Monday’s News, Notes, and Highlighted Games

It is once again Chad’s turn to post the weekly staff bracket.  Below is his current Field of 68 through all games of Sunday, January 30.  Following the bracket are his comments on the field as well as (incorrect) criticisms from David Griggs and other staff members.  Feel free to tweet your own thoughts about the field to us @HoopsHD or to Chad directly at @csherwood_1973.

CHAD’S COMMENTS

– After some crazy results this weekend, putting together a field was a lot more difficult this week.  The top two teams were easy, but the rest was a total mess.  In the end, Kansas fell all the way down to the 3 line with the home loss to Kentucky while Baylor maintained a spot on the 1 line despite their loss at Alabama.  Kentucky actually leaped all the way up to the 2 line with one of the most impressive road wins any team will have all season.

– I really wanted to find a way to put Houston on the 2 line, but they stayed on the 3.  Their resume is not there, but this team just keeps finding ways to win games.  I honestly believe a 1 seed is within their grasp if they do not lose another game.

– Alabama made a huge leap with their win over Baylor, jumping back into protected seed range as a 4 seed.  Their collections of wins is flat out amazing, as they have now beaten three of last year’s Final Four teams!

– Connecticut is quietly sliding up my seed list as well.   The Huskies have won five games in a row and may be one of the most under-noticed teams in the nation right now.

– Saint Mary’s is up to my 7 line after their amazing come-from-behind win over San Francisco.  The Gaels have also very quietly put together a solid resume and (with what BYU did this past week) are looking like the second best team in the WCC.

– When it comes to road wins, the Puppet loves to say how “1 is infinitely better than none”.  Well 2 is twice as good as one, and that is what the Indiana Hoosiers now have after winning at Maryland, which is enough for their home wins over Purdue and Ohio State to make them a solid tournament pick, landing on my 9 line.

– BYU is on my 11 line.  Although the Cougars losses at Santa Clara and Pacific were awful, that is not the reason they fell so low.  They should have been a 9 seed, but bracketing rules that require them not to be in a region that plays games on Sunday required a 2 line drop down to 11, as no valid spots existed for them on the 7, 8, 9 or 10 lines.

– West Virginia has lost 5 in a row and has fallen all the way to the First Four.  The Mountaineers need to stop the bleeding immediately, and playing at Baylor Monday night is not exactly the way to do so.  A very good team was destined to lose a lot of games in this year’s stacked Big 12, and WVU may end up being that team.

– Notre Dame is my newest entrant to the field, as the Irish have won 4 in a row and their win over Kentucky just keeps looking better and better.

– My top team out (according to this bracket) was Wake Forest, a team with a lot of wins but none of any real quality.  They should probably be playing Notre Dame in the First Four (three ACC teams in the First Four would make an intra-conference game permissible), but I think my choice of opponent for Notre Dame is much more deserving.

– My top four teams out (after Wake Forest) were VCU, San Francisco, Wyoming and (yes) North Carolina.  My next four were Cincinnati, Belmont, Florida and Michigan.  I also considered South Carolina (welcome to the Under Consideration Board), Saint Louis, Dayton, Texas A&M, Ohio U, Minnesota and Mississippi State.

– North Texas was ranked below my First Four teams, but now looks like the best team in CUSA after UAB suffered another inexplicable loss this weekend.  Jacksonville State, Hawai’i, Longwood and New Orleans are teams that are showing up in my field for the first time this week as well.  Plus, a First Four game between in-state foes New Orleans and Southern U would be a ton of fun!

STAFF COMMENTS

-COMMENTS FROM JOHN:

– Again, the triumvirate of Auburn/Gonzaga/Baylor has separated itself from the rest of the nation (last night’s Baylor-Alabama result nonwithstanding). While I can live with Duke being the last #1 seed for now, they’re not going to really have a chance to add as many Tier 1 wins the rest of the way as teams like Kentucky, Purdue, Kansas and UCLA to stay on the 1-line, especially if they have a few more slip-ups in the ACC.

– Alabama is one of the tougher teams to seed right now. Their wins against Gonzaga, Baylor and Houston were against 75% of last year’s Final Four (thanks, Teitel for pointing this out) and few teams are going to match that. But their losses range from bubblish (Iona, Memphis, Mississippi State) to downright atrocious (Missouri and Georgia?). I almost have a feeling that Chad wants them up here just to fall victim to a 4/13 upset in Round 1.

– Xavier is an example of a team that went 1-1 as reasonably expected last week, yet took a completely bizarre route to get there. They missed an opportunity to beat another potential protected seed against Providence, yet probably could be better off getting a road win against a possible NCAA Tournament team as well. I do say “probable” because Creighton (and Seton Hall, for that matter) are going in the wrong direction.

– I applaud Chad for his Notre Dame pick, and the Irish could make him look even better should they be able to beat Duke at home later tonight. I would also be fine with Stanford and Loyola-Chicago changing places on the bracket – the Ramblers are suddenly trending the wrong way and not playing like a team that should be above the cut line right now.

– I really wanted to make a case for Toccoa Falls to be in this field, but I can’t argue with Chad’s pick of Carver Bible this week. This is the kind of conversation we’re having only because teams like Wake, Florida and Mississippi State are squandering golden opportunities to play their way into the field right now.

COMMENTS FROM DAVID GRIGGS:

-I hate to admit it, but Chad did a lot of things I agree with.  I don’t entirely agree with the selection of Carver Bible College, but I at least understand the logic behind it.  Teams need to schedule tough, and they did.  It wouldn’t shock me at all if the committee awarded them with a spot in the field.

-I don’t think the committee would give Kentucky the #5 overall spot on the seedlist (in other words, the top #2 seed), but I also realize Chad isn’t trying to guess the committee, and this is another move that isn’t totally insane.  If you evaluate Kentucky within the realm of how good you think they are and who they are capable of beating (which is not what the committee really does), you look at how they lost at Auburn, but played well and didn’t have a key player in the second half, and then how they blew Kansas out of their own building when they did have all their key players.  That’s a team that can win the whole freakin’ thing.  When the committee looks at teams, I don’t think they are that subjective, though.  They are to a point, but only to a point.  Kentucky’s paper isn’t quite there.  But, their team is!

-I applaud the exclusion of North Carolina and Wake Forest.  I don’t understand why anyone thinks they belong in.  There are teams that aren’t all that good on the court, but have had some fluke wins and look good on paper.  There are other teams that look like crap on paper given their schedule, or bad luck, or whatever, but still look good on the court.  North Carolina and Wake both have crap paper, and they both look like crap on the court.  I don’t understand why people can’t see that.  Bravo Chad!

-Oklahoma is in  tailspin.  That’s really the only thing that pops out at me as being way off.  If the Sooners were one game against each of the 12 teams on Chad’s 9, 10, and 11 lines, then I suppose they could get lucky and win one or two of them.  But, of course, Chad has them on his 8 line!  IDIOT!!

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