Games start this week. Here are some highlights, including two good Pac-12 games:
Friday night:
Davidson @ Duke. Jabari Parker's debut.
Maryland vs UConn in Brooklyn - bounceback year for the Huskies?
Oregon vs Georgetown at Camp Humphries South Korea (is that the camp from World War Z?)
CU @ Baylor
I wonder how many Cougar fans will be watching, and weeping into the Haagen Dasz.Originally Posted by sancho
ESPN ranks Pac-12 third this season. That's a pretty big and quick improvement over the past few years:
http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/jeff...147&src=mobile
3. Pac-12
The league has been lackluster the past few seasons, but it finally has a team capable of getting to the Final Four in Arizona. Meanwhile, UCLA, Oregon and Colorado are all legitimate Top 25 teams.
Overall, nine of the conference's 12 teams have a legitimate chance to make the NCAA tourney. California has Mike Montgomery. Johnny Dawkins and Stanford have three players in Dwight Powell, Chasson Randle and Josh Heustis that match up with just about anyone. Arizona State features one of the top point guards in the country in Jahii Carson, and Washington and Oregon State have an outside shot to go dancing. Utah should continue to improve, while Washington State and USC have work to do, and should finish near the bottom of the conference. The conference isn't quite as heavy at the top as the Big Ten or ACC, but it's as deep among its top nine as anyone.
I'm also looking forward to USC @ Utah St on Friday. I think the Aggies will take their lumps this year in the MWC (even though the MWC won't be as good as the last few years), but the Spectrum is always a tough place to play. For USC, it will be interesting to see how Enfield's system works at USC. I personally don't think the Trojans have the horses to do it this year (although I'm hearing good things about former Ute-committ Julian Jacobs), but he has a REALLY nice recruiting class coming in next year. I think Enfield could do some real nice things at USC.
Two surprising outcomes I've heard from "secret scrimmages"... 1. SMU beat Colorado handily, 2. San Fransisco beat ASU.
I've been going back and forth about these two teams... I think both have the talent to be really good. But Colorado has a brutal non-conf schedule, and if they get off to a bad start it could be trouble for them. Tad Boyle is a good coach though, so I think they'll be alright. I think they'll be a "fringe" top-25 team. ASU though... I love Jahii Carson, and think Bachynski is a force inside. They also get Jermaine Marshall from Penn St who averaged over 15 ppg in the Big 10 last year. However, I think Herb Sendek is a lousy coach and I just have a feeling that ASU will underperform this year. They're my pick to be the "disappointment" in the conference this year.
I am baffled by the love that Oregon State has been getting by some folks. An outside shot to go dancing? Hmmmm, maybe ill end up really missing the mark on this but I just don't see them doing anything.
They have five players 6-10 or taller and the best scoring guard in the league in Roberto Nelson. Eric Moreland could have been a late-first, early-second round pick had he declared. With Angus Brandt, who averaged 11 and 9 last year before ripping his ACL, you could make an argument that OSU's top 3 is the best in the league outside of Tucson. They remind me a lot of Cal last year with Alan Crabbe and a front line that was just thick and nasty.
That said, OSU has had talent before with Jared Cunningham, AJ Starks and Joe Burton and did nothing with it. I really think the problem is with the First Brother-in-Law on the bench.
Watching Davidson @ Duke now. Gonna be a fun year for Duke fans like me. Lot to like about this team.
Watching former ute shawn Glover (oral rob) vs Tulsa. Utes could have used him last year
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"Be a philosopher. A man can compromise to gain a point. It has become apparent that a man can, within limits, follow his inclinations within the arms of the Church if he does so discreetly." - The Walking Drum
"And here’s what life comes down to—not how many years you live, but how many of those years are filled with bullshit that doesn’t amount to anything to satisfy the requirements of some dickhead you’ll never get the pleasure of punching in the face." – Adam Carolla
I liked Glover. I was sad he left. We have enough athletes this year that he would not be needed (or eligible), but I think you are right about last year's needs.
MSU/KU followed by Kansas/Duke tonight. These are the two best non-conference games of the year.
Also a preview of all possible Jazz draft choices
Wilner with a look at the Pac-12 results so far:
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/college...-wcc-and-more/
Prepare for a a snicker:
The Cougars could very well prove to be an NCAA Tournament-caliber team — the same goes for with Utah State — but the Pac-12 cannot afford to lose home games to the West Coast Conference and Mountain West if it hopes to re-establish itself as a top-tier conference.
Last edited by LA Ute; 11-12-2013 at 06:41 PM.
"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery
"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
--Yeats
“True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”
--John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell
I know it's far too early, but the Pac-12 doesn't look to be all that improved. There are wins out there for the taking!
Watching Michigan State-Kentucky right now. Cheering against Kentucky.
"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery
"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
--Yeats
“True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”
--John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell
Me too. Also easy to cheer for Tom Izzo. One of the good guys.
Desse jeito, năo tem jeito.
Probably the most redundant thing any Ute fan can say. The mere mention of Kentucky automatically implies you're hoping the story ends in a loss, plane crash or NCAA probation.
There are a lot of reasons to hate Kentucky that have nothing to do with Utah.
One thing I have learned in a long life: that all our science, measured against reality, is primitive and childlike -- and yet it is the most precious thing we have.
--Albert Einstein
The fact that life evolved out of nearly nothing, some 10 billion years after the universe evolved out of literally nothing, is a fact so staggering that I would be mad to attempt words to do it justice.
--Richard Dawkins
Be kind to all, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle.
--Philo
I got to attend the 1998 Finals and really was impressed by the graciousness of North Carolina fans in defeat, and the astonishing gracelessness of the Kentucky fans in victory.
"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery
"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
--Yeats
“True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”
--John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell
I'm not sure "grace" and "Kentucky" have ever been used in the same sentence in a positive manner. Other than maybe "By the grace of God, we got out of Kentucky."
I'm sure they have...but only because of Whisky
UCI takes down UW. With each Pac-12 bad loss, my hopes get a little higher.
My hopes for wins get higher, but my hopes for meaningful wins get lower. With each loss like this, the bar for the various postseason tournaments inches higher.
P.S. How bad does Romar suck? Wow.
True. If UCLA, Oregon and Zona are the only shots at meaningful wins, we have to win some of those and then go on volume. I was glad to see Arizona beat SDSU and that turncoat O'Brien last night.
UNC loses to Belmont. Always good to see the Heels go down.
Jahii Carson goes for a career high 40 and ASU beats UNLV in Vegas. Hope we can get even half of the same production from the other Bachynski.
"Don't apologize; it's not your fault. It's my fault for overestimating your competence."
Some interesting games for Pac-12 tonight:
Arkansas @ Cal
Marquette @ ASU
Stanford @ Houtson
Plus: Minnesota @ Syracuse, Dayton @ Gonzaga
Pac-12 won all three. Dayton upset Gonzaga.
Tonight:
Cal vs Syracuse, St Louis vs Wisconsin, Pitt vs Stanford, Baylor vs Dayton
BYU has one of their 5 chances (ISU, WSU, USU, UMass, Oregon) tonight vs a tournament team. They are 0-1 vs tournament teams so far. They have to win 1-2 of these, or it all comes down to Gonzaga again.
Last edited by sancho; 11-26-2013 at 07:47 AM.
Make it 0-2 for BYU in statement games.
They are in the opposite position of us. We have 2 statement OOC games and a bunch of good games in conference play. BYU has 2 statement games in the WCC (Gonzaga twice) and 5-6 resume games in OOC. Their tournament case is mostly built before New Years.
ASU finally loses - blown out by Creighton. There have been a few good Pac-12/BigEast games this year. Time to formalize the Pac-12/BigEast challenge!
Duke vs Arizona tonight is the next "game of the year."
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