While most of the G:TB staff was killing braincells and supporting Florida's economy over the past week, all of us were aggressively ignoring the rapid approach of the college basketball season. Michael Litos has previewed the part of it we care about, so we'll skip the part where we actually do research and get right down to the highlights.
William and Mary's cagers jump right in this year, eschewing their traditional early season light fare to take on Penn State in Happy Valley and solid mid-major Ohio in Athens this weekend. Friday's game against the Nittany Lions is on the Big Ten Network at 6:30 - that's mandatory viewing for the G:TB readership. No, seriously, if you don't watch it we won't give you the new password.
After those moderately tough but winnable roadies, the Tribe's got six straight out-of-conference flyweights before CAA favorite VCU comes to Willamsburg. If Tony Shaver's boys are any worse than 7-4 when the calendar turns to 2009, we may need to shelve all those happy feelings we dusted off in March.
Either way, we'll be here providing your indispensable and poorly considered Tribe hoops arcana.
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24 comments:
I'm a bit miffed at Rob for diving into the Tribe's basketball season in the midst of the football program's strongest season since 2005.
This Saturday's match-up against JMU is an enormous test for Gang Green (and Gold). They could put themselves in position to win the conference if they're victorious.
I second the comment from Mr. Nocerous.
I'd be shocked if we won this weekend, but beating Richmond next week will probably put us in the playoffs.
apologies for assuming the two of you could carry more than one independent thought in your heads at the same time.
i'll be at the richmond game on 11/22 - do please join me and fellow gtber whitney for a day filled with libation and merriment.
a JMU loss this weekend wouldn't hurt a lot, but a win would be HUGE. The Spiders match-up, however, looms as a let-down game*.
*This statement comes from the guy who said Texas Tech was due to get upset in their "let-down" game last weekend against Oklahoma State.
i have a colleague who's a jmu alum, so i'm required by law to engage him in a wager on the outcome of saturday's contest. anyone got a line for me? i'm thinking jmu (-11).
I haven't been following the CAA that closely, but it appears that JMU is simply on another level than the rest of the teams and is probably the favorite to win the national championship. It would be great to beat them though. I'd guess that we haven't beaten them since the regular season in 2004.
If we win the last 2, we have a good argument for a top 4 seed. I just don't see that happening.
JMU at (-11) sounds about right, as our chances to win are, like Rob, miniscule. If our defense, which has surged from horrendous to mediocre this year, has the day of their lives, we may hang in there.
Any chance this game makes it onto a regional sports network? I have Comcast's sports package, so I get all kinds of random games.
Hey Rob...I'm not watching the W&M-PSU game on Friday night. Not even the slightest chance in hell of that happening, sir. And I'll still get the password. TJ's not very hard to bribe.
that's sadly very true.
no television for the w&m/jmu game, but you can listen to it at www.tribeathletics.com/liveaudio.html.
how do billy donovan's boys look this year, mark?
Changing the subject a bit, I've wasted away much of my morning at work and figured out that Rutgers is not mathematically eliminated from contention for the Big East title. They're 1 game back now, so the chances are less remote than you'd think.
If they end up tied with Pitt with 2 conference losses, they'll win because they beat Pitt head-to-head. The catches are that Cincy and WVU will need to lose 2 of their final 3 conference games, and Pitt and UConn will need to lose 1 of their final 3 conference games.
WVU holds a lot of the cards. If they beat Pitt and lose to both Louisville and USF, this scenario could play out. Louisville will also need to win some conference games - highly unlikely.
I would laugh if Rutgers made it to a BCS bowl because it would further exemplify how farcical a system it is. Imagine the loser of the SEC championship getting stuck with a bowl game vs. Rutgers while the winner plays for a national championship. That would not beegood times for Bama or Florida.
the acc champion could easily have 3 conference losses, too. bcs action, it's fannn...
Florida's gonna struggle to be over .500 in the SEC. They're still very young and don't have much in the way of experienced size. I was never in love with Mareese Speights but he would've been huge this year. Now they are stuck with soph Alex Tyus (garbage man/athletic 4) and freshmen Kenny Kadji and Eloy Vargas (who's been injured). Both Kadji and Vargas have very bright futures but I think they'll struggle to make an impact as freshmen. Next year is they year when UF will be back to 10 deep and loaded, provided Calathes doesn't leave early. Which he shouldn't.
One more thing: Jai Lucas has decided to transfer. Apparently John Lucas and Donovan never quite saw eye-to-eye and Donovan tired of his overbearing ways. Also, Calathes is going to play a lot of point this year and Florida brought in another tiny guard who is dynamite. Erving Walker, 5'8" out of Christ the King (NY) who was labeled as the best shooter in the east and possibly the country last year. So, its too bad Lucas has left but, ultimately, I dont think the Gators miss him much in the long run.
in fact, i think the odds are 50/50 that the acc championship game pits two teams with 3 conference losses. here's the breakdown with all the 2-loss teams noted:
atlantic division
fsu - boston college/@ maryland
wake - @ nc state/boston college
maryland - unc/florida state
coastal division
unc - @ maryland/nc state/@ duke
miami - va tech/@ ga tech/@ nc state
va tech - @ miami/duke/uva
A Miami-Maryland championship game would indeed put the ACC in the Big East's shitshow class. Ugh.
No comments about the massive amount of PhotoShopping required to produce the 2008 Tribe hoops poster? Neither one of those guys look they spend a lot of time above the rim.
your question implies that we believe those two tribesmen are preparing to dunk. i think they're both getting ready to throw the ball into the crowd.
The SEC and Big 12 will both have 2 teams in the BCS. This is just a really bad year for the non-championship BCS bowls because there aren't that many good teams.
None in the Big East. None in the ACC. One in the Pac-10, and they might not even win the conference. Probably one in the Big 10. In the SEC, Florida and Alabama are the only top shelf teams. The Big 12 might have 4 if you throw Missouri in there.
So the BCS will have 2 from the SEC and Big 12, the conference champs, one mid-major, and then one "other", which will probably be USC or Ohio State depending on how the Pac-10 shakes out.
Really it's up to the Big East and the ACC to deliver some decent teams. The Big East has sent 2 good teams to the BCS recently -- Louisville and WVU, but they don't have the depth to deliver in an off year. The ACC has been slacking for years now. Unless Miami, FSU, and VT get back up to speed, the BCS interest level will suffer.
for the record, my rudimentary math seems to say that gtb went 3-2 (nice work, dennis) in our picks this week, while the wheeligloo went 2-3. based on the electoral math, i believe that puts us 1 game behind in the standings, though there may be some provisional ballots yet to be counted.
Hold the motherfucking phone...I went 2-0 on my picks this past week. Why the hell does Dennis get all the credit?
My hatred for Rob seems to grow with each passing day. By the time I actually meet him, I may just eschew the handshake for a punch in the face.
Aim low.
it's a little-known comedic device called sarcasm, mark. dennis whiffed on both of his picks, and he's appropriately shamed.
I didn't bother to look at the other picks as I'm the only person who matters in my mind. Also, I just want another reason to punch you...
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