Official College Basketball Thread

[He_Gawn]

Ahhhhh, f***. Great game, but we almost beat Duke without our returning leading scorer.

[illinilaw08]

I'd put 3 guys on Marco and 2 on White and hope their guards miss open shots i guess

 

I would zone the hell out of this Indiana team, make the guards beat you.

[ilsox7]

Well, frustrating game b/c it felt like we had a real good chance to win. But I'm encouraged we hung tough without DJ. Need a guard to step up and Daivs to get out of the way of Marco and DJ.

[Buehrle>Wood]

Strickloand is just awful. What a choke job by him.

[IlliniKrush]

Yeah no DJ, they also were out a guy.

 

These team will be great inside but the guards came up short tonight, and Vaden.

 

IU didn't capitalize on any breaks or chances to take the lead. f***.

[illinilaw08]

Pruitt would have to be on Killingsworth, Augie on White at the start

[ilsox7]

Yeah no DJ, they also were out a guy.

 

These team will be great inside but the guards came up short tonight, and Vaden.

 

IU didn't capitalize on any breaks or chances to take the lead. f***.

 

Key to IU may be AJ. If he comes back and shoots like he can, we'll have a chance.

[WHarris1]

Pruitt would have to be on Killingsworth, Augie on White at the start

Ya definitely.

Still not looking forward to matching up with these guys. They showed me a lot tonight.

[IlliniKrush]

Great effort by IU.

 

If they can get any kind of guard play, they can easily compete for the Big Ten title.

 

It's too bad they couldn't get any sort of real lead in the 2nd half after bring it even or hit any of the big shots. Duke hit a bunch of theirs.

[Jimbo's Drinker]

I hope teams dont start double teaming Marco..if so uh oh

[Palehosefan]

I'm amazed more and more each game at what Redick gets away with. If you are white and play at Duke, you can get away with murder. He hooks his man every single time he drives to the basket, and he whines and throws tantrums like nobody else. Can you imagine if Rashad McCants was seen throwing towels around on the UNC bench after a timeout? You would have never heard the end of the attitude comments.

 

I was still very impressed with IU, just not sure if they have enough shooting to compliment Marco. We will see.

[ilsox7]

I hope teams dont start double teaming Marco..if so uh oh

 

Doubling? Uh, hello triple teams. That's why DJ will help and we need AJ or Strickland to step up and make shots on a regular basis. Without that, it will be DJ White and Marco Killingsworth versus the other team.

[Jimbo's Drinker]

I'm amazed more and more each game at what Redick gets away with. If you are white and play at Duke, you can get away with murder. He hooks his man every single time he drives to the basket, and he whines and throws tantrums like nobody else. Can you imagine if Rashad McCants was seen throwing towels around on the UNC bench after a timeout? You would have never heard the end of the attitude comments.

 

I was still very impressed with IU, just not sure if they have enough shooting to compliment Marco. We will see.

 

I know this...paulus will not be a compliment to Reddick like Duhon or Ewing were.

 

I am really glad KU got Chalmers over this guy.

My hoosiers need a solid shooter though.

 

ESPN is jumping for joy...the ACC won

[whitesoxfan101]

Indiana will AWESOME inside with White and Killingsworth.....but their guards are awful, and Mike Davis blows as an in game coach.

 

Should be interesting to see what they do this season.

[ilsox7]

Indiana will AWESOME inside with White and Killingsworth.....but their guards are awful, and Mike Davis blows as an in game coach.

 

Should be interesting to see what they do this season.

 

The guards aren't awful. They're not great, but I think they will do the job they need to do, which won't be a ton with DJ and Marco.

[Jimbo's Drinker]

Marco equals Ike Diogu

 

anyone else see that??

[greasywheels121]

Best moment of the night was when Killingsworth made that dunk to put us on top for a little bit. The place erupted insanely; my ears ring, just thinking about it. I absolutely loved it, and had a great time, despite the outcome.

 

However, Killingsworth simply can't do it on his own. He made more mistakes than he's made against the lesser opponents, but he still had his best game, by far in a Hoosier uniform.

 

The guards weren't there tonight; we couldn't buy a basket outside of the paint. Killingsworth had half of our 3's; it won't work like that.

 

We definitely could have had this one. It didn't happen though.

[Rowand44]

Best moment of the night was when Killingsworth made that dunk to put us on top for a little bit.  The place erupted insanely; my ears ring, just thinking about it.  I absolutely loved it, and had a great time, despite the outcome.

 

However, Killingsworth simply can't do it on his own.  He made more mistakes than he's made against the lesser opponents, but he still had his best game, by far in a Hoosier uniform. 

 

The guards weren't there tonight; we couldn't buy a basket outside of the paint.  Killingsworth had half of our 3's; it won't work like that. 

 

We definitely could have had this one.  It didn't happen though.

Now will you please change that digusting sig and avy?

[Chisoxfn]

Iowa pulls off another win against a top 25 opponent. Thus far they are 2-1 against ranked teams and there only loss was to the #2 team in the country (a game they led for a lot of the way, until they faded due to foul trouble).

 

The thing that impresses me the most about Iowa is that they have grinded out these wins and usually haven't had all 3 of there big 3 rolling in any one game (Haluska, Brunner, Horner).

 

Horner is really pressing and Brunner was really shut down by Simmons for most of the game. In the end Brunner had some really key buckets as did Horner and Haluska. Iowa was able to grind it out in what was a rather ugly game by both teams. You could tell NCState tried to slow things down, but it was looking like a blowout in the early minutes of the game and than NC State shut things down and Iowa couldn't buy a bucket (and when they had a nice look in the paint, Simmons would find a way to block it).

 

I'm impressed with the Hawkeyes thus far and I really think this tough non-conference schedule will help them, especially late in the season. I'm hoping the comittee will only be looking at there resume to decide just how high Iowa will be seeded.

 

Iowa, IU, MSU, and Illinois are the 4 teams I see battling it out for the Big 10 title. I got to say that the team thats most impressed me is IU and what they have down without DJ White. Its a really strong year in the Big 10 (at least near the top of the Big 10) and I could see 1 or 2 big 10 teams making the final four and quite frankly all 4 of these teams in the Sweet Sixteen.

 

Lots can happen between now and than and I'm gonna have to remind myself how Alfords teams tend to suck early in the big 10 schedule. Hopefully they can stay strong and tough though and continue to improve because defensively they are strong and offensively they have some weapons. They aren't incredibly deep though.

[Rex Hudler]

Killingsworth is a beast, Rex and Zach you guys were right.

 

Could easily be the best big man in the Big 10, among the best in the land.

 

Nice pre-emptive post. I was all ready to come up with some smart-assed comment for you. ;-)

 

What everyone didn't really see tonight (I think he made two shots outside of 5 feet) is that Killingsworth has a real soft touch from about 15 foot and in. He'll make an occasional 3-pointer, but that is not his game and he doesn't need to be firing up 3-5 a game.

 

While I am disappointed in the outcome of the game tonight, I am very much excited about IU's prospects for the year. I really like this team and I am looking forward to seeing them get better. Earl Calloway really impressed me tonight too!

[The Bones]

My Picks

 

Monday, Nov. 28

7:30 p.m. ESPN2 Virginia Tech at Ohio State

Tuesday, Nov. 29

7:00 p.m. ESPN Wisconsin at Wake Forest

7:30 p.m. ESPN2 Purdue at Florida State

8:00 p.m. ESPNU Clemson at Penn State

9:00 p.m. ESPN Illinois at North Carolina

9:30 p.m. ESPN2 Miami at Michigan

Wednesday, Nov. 30

7:00 p.m. ESPN Georgia Tech at Michigan State

7:30 p.m. ESPN2 Minnesota at Maryland

8:00 p.m. ESPNU Northwestern at Virginia

9:00 p.m. ESPN Duke at Indiana

9:30 p.m. ESPN2 N.C. State at Iowa

 

Big Ten wins 6-5

 

Well, really no big surprises. I really only picked Penn State cause I had to pick the Big Ten to win. Michigan State needs to get their s*** together but I think Izzo will get them to be alright come March, maybe not as good as people were hoping but definitely not as bad as they have looked so far.

 

Good to see Illinois get a win at UNC while not really playing to great. Dee's gonna need to step up his PG play if they want to win the conference.

 

Michigan looked impressive and should make a run for the tournament. Indiana looks like they're gonna be back fighting for a conference title. Purdue looks like they'll compete with PSU for the basement. I think the Big Ten should be able to get 7 teams in the tournament this year Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, MSU, Ohio State, and Wisconsin.

[IlliniKrush]

Iowa pulls off another win against a top 25 opponent.  Thus far they are 2-1 against ranked teams and there only loss was to the #2 team in the country (a game they led for a lot of the way, until they faded due to foul trouble).

 

The thing that impresses me the most about Iowa is that they have grinded out these wins and usually haven't had all 3 of there big 3 rolling in any one game (Haluska, Brunner, Horner).

 

Horner is really pressing and Brunner was really shut down by Simmons for most of the game.  In the end Brunner had some really key buckets as did Horner and Haluska.  Iowa was able to grind it out in what was a rather ugly game by both teams.  You could tell NCState tried to slow things down, but it was looking like a blowout in the early minutes of the game and than NC State shut things down and Iowa couldn't buy a bucket (and when they had a nice look in the paint, Simmons would find a way to block it). 

 

I'm impressed with the Hawkeyes thus far and I really think this tough non-conference schedule will help them, especially late in the season.  I'm hoping the comittee will only be looking at there resume to decide just how high Iowa will be seeded.

 

Iowa, IU, MSU, and Illinois are the 4 teams I see battling it out for the Big 10 title. I got to say that the team thats most impressed me is IU and what they have down without DJ White.  Its a really strong year in the Big 10 (at least near the top of the Big 10) and I could see 1 or 2 big 10 teams making the final four and quite frankly all 4 of these teams in the Sweet Sixteen.

 

Lots can happen between now and than and I'm gonna have to remind myself how Alfords teams tend to suck early in the big 10 schedule.  Hopefully they can stay strong and tough though and continue to improve because defensively they are strong and offensively they have some weapons.  They aren't incredibly deep though.

 

I figured after Iowa shot 29.8% with 19 turnovers you'd be running and hiding

 

/can't ever miss the chance to rip on Iowa as an Illini fan

[Heads22]

New BlogPoll out....

 

 

This one came out kind of weird with only a few voters, including me.

[thedoctor]

had to love this quote today from illinois recruit eric gordon: "my number one priority is derrick rose."

 

 

[greasywheels121]

The game's outcome obviously didn't come out as planned, but I'm pleased with the way IU's being viewed after last night. Here's an Andy Katz article:

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/bigtenacccha...andy&id=2243114

 

Hoosiers play up to hype in loss

By Andy Katz

ESPN.com

 

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Finally, after six years, Mike Davis had a buzz about a game, a team, a season.

 

And don't think for a minute that it's gone because of Indiana's 75-67 loss in its highly anticipated game Wednesday night against top-ranked Duke -- the marquee matchup of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.

 

Assembly Hall was rocking and will be again this season. The students who created a "White Out" by wearing white T-shirts were in a genuine frenzy. Marco Killingsworth will continue to be a force, scoring a career-best 34 points against the Blue Devils in the first 33 minutes of the game before seeing his tank register empty in the last seven.

 

Oh, and all of this occurred without reigning Big Ten freshman of the year forward D.J. White, who hasn't played this season and is expected to be out of action, according to Davis, for another four weeks with a broken left foot.

 

"I haven't had a buzz about a team since I've been here," Davis said after Duke's first-ever visit to Assembly Hall. "Yes I'm disappointed that we lost, but it was an unbelievable atmosphere. Give Duke credit for playing in that atmosphere. I don't know if we could have played in that atmosphere on the road, not now we can't. Maybe in a couple of weeks we could."

 

And that was Davis' key statement. While this game was hyped to be the new-look, powerful Hoosiers arrival on the national scene, they came close, but were not able to finish off a player-of-the-year-like night from J.J. Redick (29 points in a variety of ways); or contain freshman point guard Greg Paulus or neutralize power forward Shelden Williams.

 

If the Hoosiers are truly a new breed, they must prove it as much against Eastern Michigan on Saturday as well as against archrival Kentucky on Dec. 10 in Indianapolis, which is a winnable game in a rivalry that has been one-sided of late with the Wildcats winning five straight with Davis on the sidelines. The Hoosiers must also still go to Charlotte, and then in the middle of the Big Ten season, host potential Final Four team Connecticut on Feb. 4.

 

"I think we'll be a top-five team," Davis said emphatically in the locker room after the game.

 

How so?

 

"Because you saw Marco [Wednesday night] and you've seen D.J.," Davis said.

 

Yes, the Hoosiers can get better. But there will have to be more contributors than D.J. and Marco in the middle to get there.

 

Indiana found itself down 16-2 and looking a bit out of its league. Davis and Killingsworth attributed it to anxious behavior. Davis went so far as to say his players didn't sleep well the night before, a sign that they might not be ready for prime time.

 

And as dominant as Killingsworth was at times, he fumbled a number of post entry passes and finished with seven turnovers. Fellow fifth-year Auburn transfer, point guard Lewis Monroe, looked like he was playing an Atlantic Sun school instead of the ACC's best squad, committing three turnovers and failing to score in 21 minutes. Sophomore guard A.J. Ratliff was understandably a bit off in his first game back from a broken right thumb, going 1-for-4 in nine minutes.

 

It's hard to pick on Marshall Strickland since he had the unenviable task of trying to guard Redick on the perimeter and on the dribble drive to the hoop.

 

So, there is still plenty of work to do, but there was enough to think this squad has taken its first major step toward being a national player.

 

"The atmosphere was amazing," said Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, who was once an assistant under Bob Knight at Indiana three decades ago. "I want to congratulate the Indiana fans. I remember 30 something years ago, and it seems as though the place hasn't changed. When Indiana went ahead, it was about as loud as any place outside of Cameron [indoor Arena] that I have been in."

 

He's right. Killingsworth's dunk with 7:41 remaining that gave Indiana a 59-58 lead, its first of the game, made Assembly Hall deafening. The noise level matched the great arenas of this country in Cameron, Phog Allen, the Orange Assembly in Champaign, where you can easily feel like your hearing begins to erode.

 

But that was it for Killingsworth. It was as if that dunk took every last bit of energy out of the big fella. On the next possession he missed a layup. In the interim, Williams made a layup and blocked a shot.

 

"We didn't get to the loose balls, or execute down the stretch and we missed layups," Davis said. "Marco missed a layup and got a shot blocked. He was dead. He asked to come out with five or six minutes left. If he didn't come out he was going to pass out. If that's the choice, I'd rather him come out than pass out."

 

Killingsworth came out with 5:41 left and the Hoosiers trailing by one, 62-61. He came back nearly two minutes later with the Hoosiers down 67-63. Even with the break, he didn't score again.

 

Duke didn't just change its approach to defending Killingsworth in the post but rather pushed him further out to the perimeter by extending its defense.

 

Killingsworth desperately wanted to be in games like this when he opted to transfer. He declared for the NBA draft out of Auburn but didn't get a sniff from the Chicago pre-draft camp or NBA teams requesting workouts. He went to Chicago to be around the scene but couldn't even get a formal invitation. When Jeff Lebo took over for Cliff Ellis, Killingsworth wanted out. So, he took his act to the Midwest, where according to former Miami coach Perry Clark, who was here watching the game, Killingsworth worked on his jumper and overall ball skills during his redshirt year to become a premier player.

 

Killingsworth said games like this didn't occur at Auburn. He said the biggest nonconference game would be against someone of the likes of Colorado State (touché). Still, as Davis said, "until you believe you belong in a game like this, it's tough to win."

 

Indiana clearly was not in sync early, and then again late. But for the middle 30 minutes, the Hoosiers looked like they could play with anyone in the country.

 

So, where does that leave this team come season's end?

 

"We'll be there in March, you can write that down," Davis said.

 

In the past, Davis might have sit sulked over a missed opportunity like this. But he has matured on the job and understands this was the last day of November, not the first day of March.

 

"I'm proud of the effort from the five-minute mark on, but we can be a better basketball team," Davis said. "To lose this game doesn't make or break our season if we grow and develop from it."