SportsNation Blog Archives
Texas Longhorns
- Vote: Which teams will win in Villanova at West Virginia and Kansas at Texas?
- Rank 'Em: Where are tonight's teams in your Power 16? | Chat: Joe Lunardi, 3 ET
What does college basketball need to do to get your attention? Hit you in the head with something? West Virginia's fans can take care of that (although as the Charleston (W.V) Daily Mail explains, they'll have to go to great lengths to get around the added security measures the school is implementing for Monday's showdown against Villanova).
But with a mere 56 days until some men's college basketball team celebrates like the Saints did Sunday night, it's most definitely time to throw yourself into the hoops scene. And despite Texas' best efforts to ruin a good thing, Monday's doubleheader on ESPN is a good place to start. Ranked No. 1 as recently as Jan. 18, Texas has lost four of six entering tonight's game at home against top-ranked Kansas. The opening act comes with Villanova traveling to meet West Virginia and its fans, just days after being routed at Georgetown.
Bret (Syracuse)
Jay, you really think Kansas is better than Syracuse? They may look good on paper, but I think direct comparison (they have played three of the sames programs) has SU performing better against the same teams.
Jay Bilas
By a hair, yes. But, there is not a team out there that Syracuse cannot beat. And, I think that teams would have a big problem against the Syracuse zone. Kansas is the most efficient team at both ends. Remember, though, you are talking about my No. 1 and No. 2 teams, and I have said that no team is great. So, either of those teams can win this thing. It is a pretty close call, and reasonable minds can differ. Full transcript
“A little tidbit for folks to chew on. WVU finished the St. John's game on a 47-15 run in the final 15:44. If that continues, the rest of the nation better beware. The Mountaineers have a lot of good shooters on the team. But they haven't been shooting well much this season. If this team's shooters follow Butler's lead and suddenly get hot, this could end up being a great year to be a WVU fan...
” -- Bit_Cruncher
“For any 'Nova fans making the trip, I hope you are treated well and can enjoy the atmosphere without fear of injury. Its sad that it has come to this, and WVU fans/students need to clean up their act regardless. The attention deserves to be on the court when these 2 great teams battle it out, not in the stands where people are acting like fools. I expect a close one and I think WVU/'Nova will split games this year with the home teams winning.
” -- WVUeersfan09
“Aldrich isn't going to be able to push Pittman around but we'll have to see how he handles himself tonight. He hasn't played as well during BigXII competiton. I think he'll get some good looks though because I could see KU doubling up on James while Marcus Morris on him and Cole sliding in to help.
” -- RockChalk0001
“Probably the matchup of the year down low.. Aldrich vs. Pittman.. Will get really physical.. Hate to say it but the only way Texas wins this is if Pittman destroys Aldrich on the glass (which won't happen) or Damien James erupts
” -- Cubs0810O
- Vote: Will we ever see another undefeated national champion in men's hoops?
- Rank 'Em: Why wait for next week's polls? Rank your post-upset Power 16!
- Chat: Dana O'Neil takes your questions on the post-upset landscape, 11 ET
So about us suggesting yesterday that South Carolina had no chance to beat Kentucky? Oops. Clearly, we should have listened to our old friend Vizzini's advice that you never go up against Devan Downey when an upset of No. 1 is on the line. And anyway, if you want analysis, you go to Andy Katz, Dana O'Neil and Pat Forde. We're just here for our looks.
Kentucky's stunning loss at the hands of the Gamecocks has thrown the race for No. 1 wide open (again). But does it really matter? If this was football, Kansas and Kentucky might be sweating a bit. And Texas could go ahead and book rooms for the Cotton Bowl at this point. Yet through the miracle of a playoff system, they're all still prime championship contenders.
In fact, wherever the two teams end up ranked in next week's polls, are the Jayhawks and Wildcats still the best championship bets out there?
Eric (DE)
Is Eric Bledsoe a legitimate one and done player?
Andy Katz
Can he go after this season? Yes. There is a need for more point guards. Should he go? No. He could use another season and would be the star attraction next season assuming John Wall, Patrick Patterson and DeMarcus Cousins bolt, too. Of course Kentucky won't be as talented. But Bledsoe still needs to work on his decision-making and distributing. He can shoot and has the natural speed and lateral quickness down. If Kentucky wins the title, though, I fully expect a mad dash to the draft.
Noah R (Miami,Fl)
Andy what are your thoughts on who takes over the number 1 spot if/when Kentucky loses? Seeing Cuse is ranked number 1 in the RPI and top ten sos and has been very impressive do they get the nod over Kansas and Villanova?
Andy Katz
Syracuse would definitely get the nod over Villanova but the debate with Kansas would be interesting to do. Full Tuesday transcript
- Vote: Is the Big 12 the nation's best football-basketball conference?
- Chat: Andy Katz takes your college basketball questions, 11 ET
These are good days for the color purple. Brett Favre and the Vikings are a win away from the Super Bowl. Michael Wilbon's Northwestern Wildcats recently knocked off Big Ten heavyweight Purdue and could be headed toward their first NCAA tournament. Grape Ape and Yogi Yahooeys dominated the Laff-A-Lympics the other night (although that one might have been a repeat broadcast). And Monday night, Kansas State knocked No. 1 Texas from the ranks of the unbeaten.
Considering 47 percent of SportsNation already thought Kentucky was the No. 1 team before Kansas State's win, it's safe to assume the Wildcats from Lexington will benefit most from the Wildcats of Manhattan winning. But what about the rest of the top five?
Mike (Wichita)
How you are ignoring UK's weak schedule amazes me. There is no chance a #1 seed Kentucky goes to St. Louis over a #1 seed KU team. Kentucky has risked less than any other top ten team on the court - being undefeated with that schedule is not some great feat.
Bracketologist Joe Lunardi
Kentucky has played seven games away from home, more than any of the current No. 1 seeds. I'm just not buying this argument. Don't blame UK because KU couldn't beat a team with six scholarship players (and very nearly lost to one with NO scholarship players). Is Kansas better in March? Probably. Have they done more than Kentucky to date? Absolutely not. Full transcript
- Vote: How do you break down the battle for No. 1?
- Rank 'Em: How does your Power 16 look after a weekend of upsets?
- Chat wrap: ESPN.com bracketologist Joe Lunardi talks seeding
It's not a national championship in football, but it's still a No. 1 ranking. Days after the football Longhorns came up short against Alabama, the basketball team from Austin inherits the No. 1 ranking in the wake of Kansas' loss at Tennessee on Sunday.
But is there yet another tradition-rich SEC program lurking out there to spoil the fun?
When last we checked with SportsNation, a few days before Christmas, Kentucky was the choice as college basketball's best team. That might have a little something to do with John Wall, the freshman guard voters think is not only the nation's best player this season but also a bigger addition than even John Calipari for Kentucky.
dale (Chicago)
for those of us paying attention to college football and now turning to hoops, what are some storylines to start following?
Fran Fraschilla
Good question, Dale. Here are a few: the Big East has followed up one of the great conference runs in history a year ago with another upcoming great season. The slippage is not as great as any of us anticipated. West Virginia and Villanova are Final Four quality teams, but Syracuse is better than we all thought. The Big 12 is deep and has the two best teams in college basketball at the moment, Texas and Kansas. Both programs are coached by guys who are not only good coaches but great recruiters. John Calipari has infused Kentucky basketball with so much energy that the Big Blue Nation is beside itself with excitement. The Pac-10 stinks this year, so don't worry about anything on the West Coast. And finally, here's hoping that Ohio State's Evan Turner gets back to the level he played with before injuring his back. He's a special talent. Full transcript
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It's not a list that Reggie Theus or anyone who gets the coaching gig at USC will have to worry about for the forseeable future, but Andy Katz is talking top 25 in college hoops.
Now that the early-entry candidates for next week's NBA draft are locked in place, Katz has surveyed the landscape and installed Kansas as his team to beat. Here's his top 10, complete with significant representation for the recently beleaguered SEC.
Andy Katz's Top 10
1. Kansas (SN fan group: Rock Chalk Jayhawk)
2. Michigan State (SN fan group: Michigan State Basketball)
3. Texas (SN fan group: Big 12 Twelve Group)
4. Villanova (SN fan group: Villanova Wildcats!)
5. North Carolina (SN fan group: Tar Heel Basketball)
6. Purdue (SN fan group: United States of Boilermakers)
7. Kentucky (SN fan group: Kentucky Basketball Fans)
8. Tennessee (SN fan group: 100% SEC)
9. West Virginia (SN fan group: Mountaineer Nation)
10. Duke (SN fan group: ACC Sports)
“Not bad, but I would make a few adjustments. I think that Kansas is where it should be, maybe move UNC up a spot, and put UK in top 5, even though they are young. I would have Louisville in the top 25 as well, and possibly Mizzou. The SEC looks to be a good conference this year.
” -- bluerupp
“I agree with the top 5 on the listing. You can take a blanket and throw it over the group and any of them could win the title. If all teams are healthy come tourney time (not likely), Kansas will have the most talent and depth to win. Adding the Henry brothers to the other recruits means that they will be far deeper at key positions (center and forward) than last year. Also, playing 4 frosh significant minutes means they grew up last year and should be readier for the rigors of major conference basketball.
” -- tcco007
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