whitesoxfan99

QUOTE (Jake @ Mar 23, 2013 -> 10:07 PM) Indeed. This tourney has been a ton of fun so far. How so? There have been like 6 good games in 3 days.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Mar 23, 2013 -> 10:05 PM) Gonzaga is who I thought they were. Too be fair, Witchita St. is a bad 3 pt shooting teams that shot out of their ass and the whole game changed when the refs ignored an obvious foul when Olynyk went up for a dunk and then ignored a travel by WSU on the other end which ended up in a 3 for WSU. Plus Bell was hurt and missed basically the whole 2nd half.

The more college basketball watch the more I'm convinced college refs just don't know what a charge is.

QUOTE (zenryan @ Mar 22, 2013 -> 03:00 PM) It was clean. The ref didnt see the foul based on him blowing the whistle after the ball was rebounded by NCST. he just figured it had to have been a foul. College refs are completely incompetent. Play s***ty defense, slide over late and be rewarded with them calling a charge. Make a great block and get penalized for contesting a shot. Makes for awesome basketball.

Kentucky lands Julius Randle to go along with their 5 other 5* players for the 2013 class and unlike the 2012 class which was absolutely horrible nationally, the 2013 class is supposed to be a really strong class. Unfortunately Kentucky will be just fine and likely the overwhelming favorites to win the NCAA title at this time next year, especially if they somehow land Wiggins.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Mar 17, 2013 -> 07:13 PM) Well, I'm glad Illinois got a 7 instead of the dreaded 8/9, but I really doubt we can keep up with Miami. Here's to hoping Griffey, Richardson, and Paul all shoot lights out in the tournament. I don't think it really mattered much this year. There just isn't really any difference between the quality of the #1 seeds and #2 seeds this year.

QUOTE (Soxbadger @ Mar 15, 2013 -> 01:09 PM) Illinois was imitating Wisconsin when they get down in games. Just jack up 3s because that always is a good idea. Well it isn't like we have a post threat (in fact throwing the ball inside to our big men is a terrible idea and I would flat out ignore them if I was a guard) and only Abrams and Paul can break someone down off the dribble on even a semi-consistent basis and neither is great at it. Not a ton of offensive options on this team other than to take and hope to make a lot of threes. I just hope that in the tourney against teams that don't have Illinois as well scouted they can have a couple of hot shooting games and maybe make the second weekend.

QUOTE (Jake @ Mar 15, 2013 -> 11:32 AM) Way too much offensive talent on Illinois to continue having this much trouble scoring. Coach them! Lol. What offensive talent?

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Mar 15, 2013 -> 10:33 AM) I think it's easier to win in football without top recruits than in basketball. You can find lower-ranked players that fit your scheme, some high-energy players that slipped through the recruiting rankings. When there are so many more players out there, it's easier to find diamonds in the rough. As much as they are both "team" games, one star player makes a way bigger difference in basketball than in football. Schemes and coaching are also infinitely more important in football than in basketball.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Mar 14, 2013 -> 01:52 PM) Rice is a PG right? That should help Abrams, who can dribble the ball but can't set anyone up. Egwu needs to be more consistent and stay out of foul trouble. He didn't show much growth this year. Henry is probably the most improved, especially the last month. I was surprised he didn't get more playing time today, but I didn't get to watch the whole game so maybe there was a good reason. IMO he's the key for next year. If he can make a jump defensively and be more confident on the offensive end they're a tourney team. If not, Illinois will be terrible next year. Rice is a wing who is built like an NFL linebacker. Solid scorer at Rice but wasn't particularly efficient.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Mar 14, 2013 -> 01:50 PM) Truth be told, lack of big wins or not, Iowa right now is just as good of a basketball team as Illinois or Minnesota and they are in. Iowa has to beat NU, beat MSU and win another to get in. If Iowa is 9-9 in the Big 10 without beating anybody, the 8-10 teams who have beaten good teams have some brutal losses. But that is how it is. Its not like any of them are going to win. Many years ago, back when Jalen was playing and Digger was coaching, that was a general rule. If you weren't at least .500 in your conference, you were NIT bound at best. Illinois and Minnesota also didn't play a ridiculously weak non-conference schedule and despite playing better schedules in the non-conference had fewer losses coming into Big 10 play than Iowa. Iowa has only themselves to blame for horrific non-conference scheduling. Seriously, most people on this board could have put together a smarter schedule than what Iowa played this year.

QUOTE (Boogua @ Mar 14, 2013 -> 01:30 PM) It's way too early to say that. Rice is going to be pretty big addition and I think Egwu is going to be a force next year. We also don't know about transfers (5th year seniors), how the freshmen will be, and other player progressions (Henry, Abrams, etc). Fine. Sucks is too strong of a word but we are looking at a bubble team at best with the current roster and recruits. You add a really good 5th year transfer and Desmond Lee is really good than maybe it is different but otherwise you need Henry, Egwu and Abrams to make massive jumps to make the tourney.

QUOTE (Soxfest @ Mar 14, 2013 -> 01:39 PM) Losing last 3 there could of been some doubt...................8 or 9 seed now! Not really. Illinois was a head of a ton of teams on the NCAA tourney pecking order.

QUOTE (farmteam @ Mar 14, 2013 -> 01:25 PM) Iowa is my dark horse to win the Big Ten next year. Depends entirely on who goes pro. The conference could be pretty bad next year if a lot of the underclassmen that will be first round picks leave. You could conceivably have Oladipo, Zeller, Thomas, Harris, Payne and Burke all go pro (and it wouldn't be completely shocking if guys like Hardaway or Robinson III take a crack either) which would leave you without a single top tier team in the Big 10 for next year.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Mar 14, 2013 -> 01:09 PM) I wonder if an Iowa win against NW gets them in, with Minnesota now out? Seems the Gophers are usually in the Top 20 at some point in a season and completely fade out. Probably, Iowa would need to be MSU to seal it, a huge task. If they would have only beaten Nebraska on the road or not had a ball that was halfway down rim out against WI and then go on to lose in double OT, it would already be a done deal unless they somehow managed to lose to the Wildcats. It would be the first time in the NCAA's since 2006, when we lost to one of those direction Lousiana schools with an almost 20 point lead in the 2nd half and a 3 seed (Horner, Brunner, Haluska team, can't remember if Tyler Smith was also on it). Minnesota is not out and is still ridiculously far ahead of Iowa. A win against NW does absolutely nothing for Iowa other than give them a chance at a good win tomorrow. They have to beat MSU to even be considered for the tourney and I'm not sure that does it. They may need to make the finals.

QUOTE (Soxfest @ Mar 14, 2013 -> 01:10 PM) llini should be 100% safe for NCAA tourney bid now! They were safe before that game but now they should be looking at a 7 seed or higher.

Paul was awesome in the stretches I watched today. Everyone else, not so much. Thanks for the win Brandon.

Illinois is going to suck next year unless the freshmen play well above their rankings. That is a really good class but none of those guys appear to be instant impact players. But the talent that will be left on the roster from Weber for next year is awful. Just absolutely dreadful.

I love that Bilas calls refs out for not knowing what a charge is.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Mar 11, 2013 -> 04:45 PM) He's kind of what he is in the college game at this point. IMO the NBA is alot less physical than the college game especially the Big Ten. He'll have a little more freedom for that jumper and his post game. That isn't even close to being true. The NBA doesn't allow the bulls*** holding and grabbing that you get away with in college but post play in the NBA is much more physical than in college. Really isn't even close.

QUOTE (Rex Hudler @ Mar 11, 2013 -> 04:57 PM) And he is being defended in the post much more aggressively and has scored from a distance, showing range, which was not in his repertoire last year. I think the guy got a ton of hype and has played and improved very well through it. He didn't improve as much as Oladipo and he still has a ways to go in many areas. I think at times he felt like he had to do too much and rushed things. All that said, I will say it right now, I think there is better than a 50% chance he comes back next year. He isn't going to improve his draft stock by coming back another year. This year's draft is remarkably weak and he will go in the top 10. We will see if it is good as the hype but the 2013 high school class is supposed to be really good so you would likely see a ton of freshman pass him on the NBA radar.

QUOTE (Rex Hudler @ Mar 11, 2013 -> 04:19 PM) That's the problem with numbers. They don't always tell the story. For Cody to have done the same thing as last year would have been a big improvement just based on how teams defended him. But by looking at the numbers, you'll miss that Cody has become a better passer, he has extended his range in a big way and he's a better defender. Cody doesn't care how much he scores if the team wins. They might not tell the whole story but improvement generally shows up in the numbers whereas Zeller's assist rate has gone down and his assist to turnover rate from last year is also worse. He is also scoring less efficiently than as a freshman while not seeing his usage rate go up much at all. I agree he has improved on defense though and he has also improved on the glass.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Mar 10, 2013 -> 05:20 PM) NO matter how the brackets end up, this year is going to be a b**** to pick. I have no idea who I like as champs this year. None. There isn't even anyone I feel comfortable picking to the Final 4.

QUOTE (Rowand44 @ Mar 6, 2013 -> 10:17 PM) Ya I'm not gtowns biggest fan either. I could see either losing in the rd of 32 but I think there's a better shot UM goes down the first weekend. Let's be honest, there really aren't any great teams this year. It wouldn't be shocking if anyone is gone before the Sweet 16.

Another missed charge call by the refs as McCabe clearly was still sliding when contact was made and Paul drifted to the side to avoid him. I haven't had too much of a problem with the refs besides those calls (Illinois has rightfully been called for more fouls) but it drives me nuts how often the refs blow the charge/block call. For f***s sake, just call it a block every time and you will more often than not be right.