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NCAA Basketball Thread 2004-05--The year Lucas wears the crown
- Thread starter KingGondo
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Brian Fellows
Pete Carroll Owns Me
In matter of week Michigan and Wisconsin will be trading places in the polls.
PotatoeMasher
Member
Seth C said:Well, Louisville maybe, if they had Rondo. But Ricky missed out there.
Oh come on now, Seth--Bassy is the best player to ever play the game... he was worth shitting all over the local boy even when you knew he'd never even try to put on those god-awful uniforms...
If you're a Louisville fan, you have to hope Pitino doesn't go back to that "clinic" in Cleveland again this year... for Joanne's sake I guess...
"This is the greatest team I've ever coached!"
UNC thoroughly trashed Winston-Salem State 113-54 on Nov 4 or 5; of course, I'm not looking into it or anything, because it was expected. I'll put in a little bit of predictions (ACC):
1. Wake Forest
2. North Carolina
3. Gerogia Tech
4. Maryland
5. Duke
6. NC State
7. Florida State
8. Clemson
9. Virginia
10. Miami
11. Va Tech
ACC Regular Season Champion: Wake Forest
ACC Tournament Champion: North Carolina
1. Wake Forest
2. North Carolina
3. Gerogia Tech
4. Maryland
5. Duke
6. NC State
7. Florida State
8. Clemson
9. Virginia
10. Miami
11. Va Tech
ACC Regular Season Champion: Wake Forest
ACC Tournament Champion: North Carolina
Bowser said:
Man, the ACC's scary--all we have in the Big XII are Oklahoma State (please, never call us 'Okie' State') and Kansas--Texas could be good, but they're very young. We're not better than we were last year yet, but I think we will be by the time conference play begins. The main difference? We've got inside players, and much more depth than last year.
Also, John Lucas is the fucking man--he has (incredibly) improved substantially since last year, especially in shooting the ball.
I'll be the first to "throw my team onto the fire."
I don't think Duke will be that good. I'd be happy with a sweet 16 bid, and a top four finish in the ACC. Finishing fifth as per Bowser's prediction won't be unheard of.
Duke is weak at two crucial positions, PG and Big. If Shavlik Randolph or Sheldon Williams is injured for a significant portion of the year, Duke is in BIG trouble. They also have an unproven junior in Sean Dockery starting at PG. Behind him we have junior JJ Redick and senior Daniel Ewing, neither of which are capable of leading the point. Duke was hurt significantly by Shawn Livingston and Loul Deng going pro this past year.
Duke also has arguably the best recruiting class in the country this year. We'll be fine.
We might struggle this year however.
Considering the amount of good/great PGs in the ACC, Duke might be in trouble. Those guards include Chris Paul (Wake Forest), Raymond Felton (UNC), and John Gilchrist (Maryland).
I don't think Duke will be that good. I'd be happy with a sweet 16 bid, and a top four finish in the ACC. Finishing fifth as per Bowser's prediction won't be unheard of.
Duke is weak at two crucial positions, PG and Big. If Shavlik Randolph or Sheldon Williams is injured for a significant portion of the year, Duke is in BIG trouble. They also have an unproven junior in Sean Dockery starting at PG. Behind him we have junior JJ Redick and senior Daniel Ewing, neither of which are capable of leading the point. Duke was hurt significantly by Shawn Livingston and Loul Deng going pro this past year.
Duke also has arguably the best recruiting class in the country this year. We'll be fine.
We might struggle this year however.
Considering the amount of good/great PGs in the ACC, Duke might be in trouble. Those guards include Chris Paul (Wake Forest), Raymond Felton (UNC), and John Gilchrist (Maryland).
Kentucky is stacked at point guard and center. Rondo looks amazing, Sparks looks really good, Bradley is better than I expected him to be. We've got Randolph Morris at center, and have two guys that are over 7 feet tall backing him up. Our third option at center had 8 blocks in 12 minutes in an exhibition last night. Good times.
Hollywood said:
Doesn't always work that way. You say that, and I'll say that you'd think your starters could have shot worth something against Wesleyan. They didn't. It happens. The game was never in doubt, and Tubby played 15 freaking players. That's what exhibitions are for. They aren't made for blowouts.
Post a profile of your favorite team, plus maybe a scouting report and prediction:
My team: Oklahoma State University Cowboys
Last season: 31-4 overall record, Big XII Regular Season and Tourney Champions. Final Four NCAA Tourney run (defeated by Georgia Tech)
PG: John Lucas III
This guy's why I'm excited about this year's team. JL3 can shoot, pass, run the floor, and is also an asset as a leader. He has improved a surprising amount in the offseason (especially shooting from the floor), and our fate as a team will rest the most on his performance and leadership.
Power Forward: Joey Graham
Joey Graham will be an NBA lottery pick--mark my words. His talents are nearly limitless--he will create matchup problems even in the NBA. He's too big for shooting guards to cover, and too small and fast for inside players to defend. He can drive to the hoop with tremendous power, shoot extremely well, and create plays from nothing. He has the potential to be remembered in NCAA basketball for a long time. Plus, he's strong -- one of the most absolutely ripped basketball players I've ever seen.
Small Forward: Ivan McFarlin
I-Mac is a versatile inside-outside player, with a tremendous sense of the basket and the shooting ability to become an NBA role-player. He's the "old-guard" of the team, entering his fifth year of eligibility after graduating in 3-1/2 years. Incredibly important as a leader and defensive stopper.
Shooting Guard: JamesOn Curry (pronounced James On)
A freshman with the potential for big things. He was North Carolina's high school all-time leading scorer, averaging over 40 ppg his senior year. He was initially headed to North Carolina at Chapel Hill, but was arrested on marijuana possession with intent to distribute, and his NC offer was rescinded by Roy Williams (who also sent him our way). From what I hear, he seems to be a truly good kid who wants to prove himself at OSU. He'll get the chance, and could start eventually in front of Daniel Bobik. He's looked fantastic in the first two exhibition games this year.
Other key players:
SG Daniel Bobik
G/F Marcus Dove (the Bird-man)
F Terrence Crawford
C Frans Steyn
C Aaron Pettway
F David Monds
PREDICTION: If we can play better defense (which Eddie and Sean Sutton are masters of), we should have another fantastic year. Our offense is looking better than it has in years, with scoring threats John Lucas, Joey Graham, Ivan McFarlin, and JamesOn Curry. Our inside game needs a boost, but Steyn has improved and Pettway is a defensive specialist transfer. It's tough to predict anything this early (or even right before the tounament), but this is one of the 10-15 teams that could win a national title. Our team mentality is stronger than even, and I think we'll make a deep NCAA run and beat Kansas for the Big XII title once again.
My team: Oklahoma State University Cowboys
Last season: 31-4 overall record, Big XII Regular Season and Tourney Champions. Final Four NCAA Tourney run (defeated by Georgia Tech)
PG: John Lucas III
This guy's why I'm excited about this year's team. JL3 can shoot, pass, run the floor, and is also an asset as a leader. He has improved a surprising amount in the offseason (especially shooting from the floor), and our fate as a team will rest the most on his performance and leadership.
Power Forward: Joey Graham
Joey Graham will be an NBA lottery pick--mark my words. His talents are nearly limitless--he will create matchup problems even in the NBA. He's too big for shooting guards to cover, and too small and fast for inside players to defend. He can drive to the hoop with tremendous power, shoot extremely well, and create plays from nothing. He has the potential to be remembered in NCAA basketball for a long time. Plus, he's strong -- one of the most absolutely ripped basketball players I've ever seen.
Small Forward: Ivan McFarlin
I-Mac is a versatile inside-outside player, with a tremendous sense of the basket and the shooting ability to become an NBA role-player. He's the "old-guard" of the team, entering his fifth year of eligibility after graduating in 3-1/2 years. Incredibly important as a leader and defensive stopper.
Shooting Guard: JamesOn Curry (pronounced James On)
A freshman with the potential for big things. He was North Carolina's high school all-time leading scorer, averaging over 40 ppg his senior year. He was initially headed to North Carolina at Chapel Hill, but was arrested on marijuana possession with intent to distribute, and his NC offer was rescinded by Roy Williams (who also sent him our way). From what I hear, he seems to be a truly good kid who wants to prove himself at OSU. He'll get the chance, and could start eventually in front of Daniel Bobik. He's looked fantastic in the first two exhibition games this year.
Other key players:
SG Daniel Bobik
G/F Marcus Dove (the Bird-man)
F Terrence Crawford
C Frans Steyn
C Aaron Pettway
F David Monds
PREDICTION: If we can play better defense (which Eddie and Sean Sutton are masters of), we should have another fantastic year. Our offense is looking better than it has in years, with scoring threats John Lucas, Joey Graham, Ivan McFarlin, and JamesOn Curry. Our inside game needs a boost, but Steyn has improved and Pettway is a defensive specialist transfer. It's tough to predict anything this early (or even right before the tounament), but this is one of the 10-15 teams that could win a national title. Our team mentality is stronger than even, and I think we'll make a deep NCAA run and beat Kansas for the Big XII title once again.
Carolina was without Raymond Felton (suspended one game for playing in a game not sanctioned by the NCAA :rolleyes) and started an incoming freshman point guard. Even with that, Carolina should have been able to handle Santa Clara; looks like they just didn't want it bad enough. Crappy start to the season :/
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