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NCAA Men's College Basketball 2012-2013 Season |OT|
- Thread starter thefro
- Start date
Elfforkusu
Member
It seems to me that every cbb fan on earth thinks that they don't get as much home cooking as other teams do.
Agreed, sort of. Zeller is also really good, and this is basketball. All you need to win on a given night is to have the best player on the floor.
They're not a lock to make it to the F4, but who is?
TJ Verboten
Member
YES. Oladipo clutch down the stretch. To be down 66-63 with 1:51 to go, MSU with momentum, and to comeback and win. Wow. What a great win for the program
Great match MSU, hope to see you again in Atlanta the first week of April.
Great match MSU, hope to see you again in Atlanta the first week of April.
Whew... Victor just willed us to a win there at the end.
MSU made more FTs than IU attempted, despite MSU fouling intentionally a couple times at the end. Not to mention the clock operator trying to screw IU out of some precious seconds, Nix hitting Zeller in the nuts and not getting kicked out of the game, etc.
MSU made more FTs than IU attempted, despite MSU fouling intentionally a couple times at the end. Not to mention the clock operator trying to screw IU out of some precious seconds, Nix hitting Zeller in the nuts and not getting kicked out of the game, etc.
Mac the KNife
Member
BTT first lol.
Elfforkusu
Member
Yeah right, the Fighting Grocers are going to clown all your asses come BTT time!
Presuming we don't draw Wisconsin
Who's clearly better than they are though? UF? Sure but they won't play them until the FF anyway. This is a year I guess when a lot of upsets can happen to the higher seeds but I feel if IU can handle their business they have as good a shot as anyone. The only top 10 team I feel 99.9% sure is going down early is Duke. Outside of that, its anyone's game.
Duke should be ok if Kelly is back by the tourney.
Really, I wouldn't be shocked to see two one seeds down by the first weekend. A lot of potential 8-9 seeds are super dangerous.
IU may not have 5 future lotto picks but they've got a lot of solid players beyond Zeller & Oladipo. Hulls is a dead-eye shooter... Watford and Sheehey can both play really well at times. Ferrell is a good defender and really great passer and can score. Those other 4 guys will all play pro ball somewhere. They play good, not great D, but being Top 20/25ish in that and being able to score a lot is enough to win in college.
They've got a pretty solid bench as well that's improving as freshmen get experience & injured folks (Elston, Creek), get back into the flow of things.
They've got a pretty solid bench as well that's improving as freshmen get experience & injured folks (Elston, Creek), get back into the flow of things.
Honestly, I find Zeller to be vastly overrated. He has a nice touch, but he looks like he's in molasses a lot of times when he actually has to make a move. Seen so many missed layups and so many blocked shots every time I watch him play. He gets a lot of calls because of all the flailing and shoulder lowering, but he's pretty unimpressive for a pre-season player of the year and number one draft pick.
Watford is another guy that seems really bad sometimes.
But you're right, no one is a lock this year. And I don't want to pick on Indiana, every top team has looked suspect at times this year. Like I said earlier in the thread, it wouldn't shock me if all four #1 seeds lose before the final four.
Great game MSU and I cannot wait to watch you guys in the tournament. Huge win for IU in terms of the B1G race.
If anyone was doubting IU as #1 this should silence them for at least a couple of days. Oladipo has to be the front runner for POY not just in the B1G but in the nation. He does everything for the team and plays his heart out. I am going to hate seeing him go pro but I cannot wait to see how good he turns out to be.
If anyone was doubting IU as #1 this should silence them for at least a couple of days. Oladipo has to be the front runner for POY not just in the B1G but in the nation. He does everything for the team and plays his heart out. I am going to hate seeing him go pro but I cannot wait to see how good he turns out to be.
Elfforkusu
Member
Zeller isn't as good as he's made out to be, but never underestimate a master flopper. Shane Battier made millions of dollars off that lone basketball skill.
I'm pretty sure Brandon Paul is going to will Illinois to a first round tourney win on the strength of his flopping, and Zeller will do the same for his team.
TJ Verboten
Member
Yes, but Izzo never takes the B1G Tournament seriously (sans Draymond Green's team last year). They always seem to go out in the first or second game. Think he prefers his team to be more rested for the real tournament. Can't argue against his results in March so Id say approach works.
IU on the other hand has never won the B1G tournament, which is embarrassing but shows how mediocre the program has been since the tournament's inception. Having said that, with the win tonight, IU has a good chance to win the reg season title outright. So with a probable 1 seed (barring a terrible late season injury, please be nice basketball gods), I dont care that much whether they win the B1G tournament. Just stay healthy, keep momentum going and be ready for the real deal.
IU has solid players around Oladipo and Zeller. Not every team has 5 McDonalds All Americans. Watford is so inconsistent but when he needs to step up he usually does. The thing with Indiana is that everyone can shoot the ball and that is hard for teams to deal with. Zeller was shooting a lot of jumpers in this game and I wish he would add more in. He actually won the 3 point contest at Hosier Hysteria but after he air balled a 3 earlier in the season he hasn't put another up.
Lmao, may be true.
All that being said, Indiana is clearly good. Hell, my team sucks right now and will most likely miss the tourney all together so I'd love to have a team half as good as Indiana this year.
Fair point. It does seen like basically evey player has a nice jumper on Indiana.
I didn't mean to suggest Indiana isn't a top team. It just seems like a few of their players have these weird lapses where they look sort of lackadaisical and uninterested. Whereas guys like Oladipo and Hulls seem intense and ready to go every second of the game.
Well next year UK should be stacked so you won't have to wait too long for the fun to begin again :-D
Strong rumors that Kelly's done, his foot is not going to heal in time for him to play on. We get to the second weekend, I'll be surprised. Instead it'll be some Big South team with their best team ever licking their chops.
I feel bad for Ryan, in a weak draft he could have played himself into a late 1st round pick, he was playing well before the injury.
We'll have out most talented team in a while next year so not too worried about Duke.
Out for the year? That's shitty man. He was a nice player. Super versatile and a good defender.
TJ Verboten
Member
I do agree that Zeller hasn't lived up to the preseason hype, but he's still a great college player.
Zeller needs to get his base stronger, particularly his legs. He needs to finish stronger too and be willing to go for the dunk. He's a great player, most important recruit since Jared Jeffries, he changed momentum and helped make IU a destination place again. Yogi verballed soon after Zeller committed.
He needs to show his range more with the jump shot, which he finally started to do tonight. He's got that mid range shot in his arsenal, just needs to use it more.
Oladipo has been the true gamechanger this season, he's been IU's best player, offensively and defensively. To go from a 20% 3 pt shooter last year to 52/53% this year is amazing. He came in as an uber athlete, high motor, high flyer, good first step, defensively talented player. But to develop his 3 pt shot, get better with his dribble (though he still turns it over now and again) and to be become the best 1 on 1 defender I've seen in college bball this year has been a treat.
As others have said.....no team is a lock for the Final Four....there's no Kentucky 12' or those back to back Florida teams in the bracket. Having said that, IU fits the profile of a potential title winner. They are no. 2 overall in Pomeroy's rankings (will likely move to no. 1 with this win), no. 1 in the country in adjusted Offense, no. 13 in adjusted D.
Their top 6 is better than anyone else this year, Sheehey is as good as it gets from a 6th man perspective. Yogi's been a great freshman, he's underrated considering how little attention he gets, he's great handling the ball, been a great defender, even more impressive since he's a freshman, he can shoot the ball pretty effectively, strong penetrating, guy is on pace to be IU's best point guard since Isiah.
Watford can be off sometimes, but he is money on trailing 3s and from the foul line (sans that 3 pt foul in the 1st half tonight). He can post decently on offense. Defensively he lacks lateral quickness so he can be exploited, but he does a decent job using his length to still contribute on the defensive end. Hulls is as dead eye as it gets from 3.
Teams that will give them trouble are slow tempo teams that can shoot the 3 (Wisconsin, Butler), that have a big that can pull Zeller away from the basket (like a healthy Ryan Kelly with Duke potentially). IU can be prone to missing the key free throws late, sometimes they get sloppy with turnovers if they play too hectic.
But they keep getting better as a team. Way they played at OSU and tonight looks like a team that is primed for a deep run. Injuries could derail things but I like their chances in the tournament. Should be fun.
Nothing official yet and I'm only parroting what others are saying so I can be way wrong. But time is running out and people that seem to know are either not talking or what they say isn't encouraging.
D
Deleted member 12837
Unconfirmed Member
Strong rumors from where? I've seen plenty of people claim to have inside knowledge, and it's almost always bullshit. I'm guessing K doesn't even know at this point what's going to happen with Ryan's recovery. I think it could go either way. The reason why no one is talking is that he hasn't reached the point in recovery speed for them to call it one way or the other definitively.
Dreams-Visions
Member
sheeeeeeyit.
D
Deleted member 12837
Unconfirmed Member
Duke has always been secretive about injuries. We never really ever found out what was wrong with Kyrie's toe. We didn't know anything about Kelly's foot last year until after the season was over, when they announced he was having surgery.
I wonder what Duke's practices have been like, given that they're missing 2 starters? Not only do they not get a chance to practice with their best line-up, but their B team is even more watered down because 2 normal "B" players have to shift up to the A team to fill in for both Ryan and Seth.
On a related note, I just got a chance to watch highlights from the NBA All-Star weekend. I can't even enjoy watching Kyrie dominate because it just makes me dwell on what could've been in 2011. Saw some quotes today from a Duke assistant coach basically saying Kyrie was just head and shoulders above everyone else on that team (and arguably in the country), and even Nolan and Kyle, 2 seniors and defending national champions, recognized it immediately.
Dude is insane. I like Kyrie, since he never played against us, I don't consider him a part of the rivalry
TJ Verboten
Member
Clutch win for Miami at home against Virginia. They keep grinding out wins.
Florida might go down.
Florida might go down.
perfectchaos007
Member
Meh, Mizzou is just going to lose to a 13-15 seed in the first round of the NCAA's anyway
ErasureAcer
Banned
Haven't been watching any games lately as I've been spending time with my newly acquired girlfriend but have been keeping an eye on Big Ten scores. Glad Minnesota gave much needed wins to Iowa and Illinois. Hope all three 6-7 teams make the dance. It looks like Minnesota can't score worth shit and that's because Dre Hollins can't penetrate as I've said before. With the offensive talent on the team they should get over 70 every game but they're struggling to make 50 points. Minnesota should make the cut if they win the games they're supposed too down the stretch but a win at Ohio State tonight would be pretty huge. Dunno where they'll be seeded but they could be a "surprise" team if they decide to play up to their potential.
Dude is insane. I like Kyrie, since he never played against us, I don't consider him a part of the rivalry
Kryie's career or lack thereof at Duke gets me salty as shit and I'll admit it. 3 fucking years of Lawson ruining us and we can't even get two games from our best PG since Jay Williams. People try to troll me with Lehigh or whatever, doesn't bother me. 2011 bothers me....a lot.
I mad
I won't lie, it fucking sucks that a douche like Austin Rivers is forever an integral part of the Carolina-Duke rivalry fabric instead of a guy like Kyrie.
Kyrie got the last laugh, cause Rivers is a joke on the NBA level.
The Travel is FOREVER.
vas_a_morir
Banned
Isn't he a rookie? This is the problem with coming out of college too early. It really can damage your brand, as people are already calling a college-sophomore equivalent a 'joke.' Fair or not, that's the damage done to his brand. Don't blame him, though. Get that money if it's there.
Meanwhile, Tebow was an actual joke, and people wouldn't quit dickriding him.
Grover Cleveland
Member
2011 is the ultimate "what could have been" year.
Healthy Kyrie for the whole season, and not just shoehorning him back in come tourney time? I think that team would have been odds-on to win the title that year.
Speaking of what could have been, congrats to Miami for winning the ACC last night. Three game lead with five games left to play is insurmountable imo. I just hope Duke can hold on to the 2 seed in the conference tourney (which, with a game left against Miami and then in Chapel Hill, isn't an automatic anymore)
I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say Rivers has had one of the worst rookie seasons in NBA history (exacerbated by the fact that he was a top 10 pick). His stat line (in ~23 min per night): 6.0 ppg (35% FG, 31% 3PT FG, 55% FT), 1.8 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.5-1 a/to ratio, 5.32 PER (league average/replacement level PER is 15.0)
Austin Rivers is having a historically terrible season. He is God awful.
Grover Cleveland
Member
And he's shown no signs that he will ever improve.