All right, now we're getting somewhere...Selection Sunday is less than a month away, and though alot can happen between now and March 11th, here's where the "local" hoops teams currently stand (this post might be a little stats heavy today - I am REALLY avoiding work):1. Georgetown (18-5, 8-2)
Roy Hibbert leads the nation in FG%, shooting 70.3% from the field...and by field I mean anywhere within four feet of the basket. The Hoyas as a team trail only defending champ Florida in team FG% (52.4%). These guys have really got it going, and I have no doubt they can make a deep run in March. The only catch would be they're peaking too soon (winners of 7 straight), but I don't think that's the case here. I think we're looking at the #1 team in this poll for the rest of the year.
2. VCU (21-5, 13-2)
OK, so my boys have had a bit of trouble in the last two weeks, but they are still first in the CAA and have that gaudy win total. Their last three CAA games are against corpses, but I'm much more interested in their Bracket Buster game this weekend against Bradley of the MVC. One way or the other, I've got VCU penciled in as one of two tourney-bound CAA teams. That's right, two CAA teams are going to the Dance again. By the way, point guard Eric Maynor is 5th in the country in assists (6.3 apg).
3. Virginia Tech (17-7, 7-3)
Wow, that was an impressive shellacking of in-state rival UVA last week. Though still a half-game back of the Wahoos in the ACC standings, Va Tech sits ahead of them in this poll because they just beat the living shit out of them. UVA should've never even gotten off the bus. Two tough roadies coming up for Seth and the fellas, starting tomorrow night at Carolina.
4. Virginia (16-7, 8-3)
Yes, they still sit pretty at 8-3 in the ACC, but getting trounced by Va Tech by 27 cannot help this team's confidence. Luckily, they have 8-18 Longwood next on the schedule. Way to toughen up for March, Coach Leitao.
5. Old Dominion (19-7, 12-3)
Here is the aforementioned second CAA team...like the Hoyas, winners of 7 in a row, and that Monarchs win over Georgetown looks very good right now. Both ODU and VCU will scare teams in the first round of the tourney, if of course the Curse of GTB doesn't strike them down before they get there.
6. Maryland (18-7, 4-6)
Sure, I picked Maryland over Duke mainly because of my dislike for Duke, but it was nice to see the Terps play their best ball of the season lats night. Travieso 2.0 (or is it Padilla 2.0?) was very impressive, and Gist and Ibekwe were solid in the middle. The Dukies are in serious trouble right now. As an aside, the Terps have the 17th most potent scoring attack in the country (79.9 ppg). And Gary Williams has the highest dry cleaning bills in the ACC.
7. Loyola (14-11, 10-5)
Hanging in there in a very competitive MAAC. 10-5 puts them 1 game back of conference leader Marist (and tied with two others, Siena and Niagara). Gerald Brown is 9th in the country in scoring (21.6 ppg). Anyone got the most famous Marist alum?
8. George Washington (15-7, 6-4)
The A-10 sucks (except Xavier). I'm sorry, but the league really is terrible. If a team led by Bruiser Flint can be in contention for the league title than there is a problem (EDITOR'S NOTE: Bruiser is at Drexel now, as pointed out by Rob. That little turd Travis Ford coaches UMass). Hell, Duquesne, which had like 5 guys gunned down in the offseason, is 6-5 in league play. Good for them, bad for the A-10. Useless GW stat: Eight-year starter Carl Elliot is 11th in the nation in steals (2.7 spg).
9. William and Mary (14-11, 7-8)
They don't so much storm back into the rankings as barely limp in, hungover and covered in vomit. But hey, thanks to the completely abysmal play of George Mason the Tribe are back in the Top 10. They have 7 league wins, for which Tony Shaver deserves a medal (and perhaps an extension?).
10. Towson (13-13, 7-8)
You know why they stay on this list. Gary Neal, 25.5 ppg...good for 4th in the country, just ahead of some kid named Durant. Wish I knew more about this Durant guy, nobody ever talks about him.
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How did Gary Neal end up at Towson? That guy is spectacular.
It was a CAA bonanza on the telly this weekend, and I tuned in to a good deal of it. (By the way, Rob, apparently I get a CN8 feed via local channel 4 on DirecTV. Poke around for the equivalent out in your neck of Timbuktu.) The ODU-VCU contest was a barn-burner for 39 minutes, and TJ might be right about a pair of Colonial teams getting in -- if only because of the backlash from last year.
By the way, the tagline for this year's CAA tourney?
"Jammin' on the James"
I know Neal transferred from LaSalle two years ago, but I have no idea why. Maybe he thought the A-10 sucked balls as well?
Most famous Marist alum = Rik Smits.
I had the same thought abotu Georgetown on Saturday. Scary tournament team, at least right now. I'd be a bit concerned about their guards though.
The guards...and the bench. All points came from the starting five against Marquette. HOWEVAH, if Green and Hibbert are going to give you a combined 47 and 16, Sapp and Wallace simply need to be adequate, which they were on Saturday.
The Gary Neal story I heard while watching some of the Towson game this weekend was that he lost 40 pounds this offseason...so that sheds some light on it. He was not, however, successful in his attempts to heighten.
Another CAA question, mainly because the structure has changed more than once over the years: what's the tourney format -- play-in(s), byes, etc. The Tribe has a fair chance of losing out in their last 3 conference contests; how strong would that make their chances of failing to win a tournament game YET AGAIN?
Here is the CAA Tourney schedule...
I would think the worst the Tribe can end up is the #8 seed, so they would have a chance to win an opening round game, and then get hammered by the #1 seed, most likely VCU.
Ryan, might be time to cut the cord buddy:
"His mother, Cheryl, controls his money and pays him an allowance. Says Howard, "There has to be somebody to keep (you) on the straight and narrow."
We haven't weighed in on the Wiz in a while, and coincidentally they've begun to play and act like donkeys. It says right here that they will lose 7 of their next 10 and find themselves out of 1st place before the Ides.
Here's their next ten games. I'm thinking 4-6 at the worst...though another Haywood/Thomas fight and the new backlash against Agent Zero might indeed be sending the Wiz into a tailspin.
@Philadelphia
Minnesota
Sacramento
@Chicago
@Minnesota
@New Jersey
Miami
Atlanta
Golden State
Toronto
Eddie Jordan sure ripped Gil pretty good last night. I have to wonder two things (a) Will Jordan lose Gilbert as a result of this, as we all know that Gil has a tendency to hold grudges. And (b)would Jordan have ripped into Gil in this manner had he dropped, say 45 in a Wizards win of Portland?
Arenas is on the verge of crossing over from lovable goofball who lightens the mood while dominating the scoring to selfish distraction. The 50-point revenge thing was odd but funny until it appeared, at least, to get in the way of the team goals. Maybe it didn't, actually, and this loss was bound to happen, but the bitching to the press afterwards made it seem an awful lot like Gilbert was significantly more motivated by his own pride than his desire for team success. His indefensible squawking about Jordan focusing on defense was distantly reminiscent of Iverson's tirade on "practice."
At a time when the Wiz need a true leader to tell Haywood and Etan to stop being babies or they'll be fighting for last-place PT in Charlotte, they now have the makings of a real live rift between their coach and best player. Arenas can undo a whole lot of good very quickly if he isn't careful.
And Teej, let's throw a lunch at the Dub on the line with the Wiz going 4-6 being a push and I'll take the under?
I too was very disheartened to see Arenas bitching about defense...Gil, pal, you are not going to win in the playoffs giving up 100+ points a game. Eddie seems to know what he's doing, stop all the bitching, come together and finish in the Top 4 in the disastrous East. Seacrest out.
All right, 4-6 is a push, lunch at the Dub on the line. And yes, because of some work issues, I am "gtb" for a little while...
um, doesn't bruiser flint coach drexel?
Yep, he sure does...and I still hate him. Let's just indirectly blame him for recruiting some of the guys on UMass.
Anna must somehow be at fault for this, right?
BALTIMORE -- Orioles pitcher Kris Benson has a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder and will almost certainly miss the 2007 season.
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