Duke and Kentucky play today. And then there are some other games, I guess. Both teams return some key pieces and bring in a lot of new. Really no clue what to expect from either side. Should be revealing as to how ready both squads are. I expect a great game.

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last year was a letdown with such a heralded freshman class, but Vols didn't have enough shooters.

I know Barnes' history in recruiting hasn't matched the on-court success, but I like this roster a lot. Justin Powell (Auburn transfer) and Kennedy Chandler (5-star PG) are going to be problems, and if the frontcourt holds up this team has good potential.

--------

If Josiah Jordan James is healthy, that reeeeeally helps too. I love his potential for a breakout.

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Paging Guru with the usual recruiting complaints, lol. I like Branham's potential, but man, they really struggled to create shots without Duane Washington. You simply need to have perimeter creation, and they don't really have it in a polished way yet.

And Ali Ali rocked EJ Liddell on a couple of late possessions. If EJ can't figure out how to defend effectively against a team like Akron, he's not gonna be drafted.

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that all that matters in November

--------

>Paging Guru with the usual recruiting complaints, lol. I like
>Branham's potential, but man, they really struggled to create
>shots without Duane Washington. You simply need to have
>perimeter creation, and they don't really have it in a
>polished way yet.
>
>And Ali Ali rocked EJ Liddell on a couple of late possessions.
>If EJ can't figure out how to defend effectively against a
>team like Akron, he's not gonna be drafted.

-------------------
I wanna go to where the martyrs went
the brown figures on the walls of my apart-a-ment...

Cuse has shooters and length. Cole Swider is a perfect fit and should’ve came here in the first place.

Handling good pressure defense will be the question mark.

I think once again: bubble team….but if we get in nobody wants to play us and we could make a sweet 16 run. But the difference is I think that’s more the “norm” than the ceiling this year. For the first time in awhile we could be better than that.

The rotation is already established. There’s nothing to figure out.

Joe Girard looks like a different player than last year: he’s in shape. He’s not doing stupid things. He’s actually 8-8 from 3 so far. He’s the 3rd shooter, rather than the second. He should get better looks.

Buddy Boeheim is a stud. He gets better every year and should be 18-20 ppg, and will have his games where even when guarded well, he’ll get hot and light it up.

Cole Swider is an ideal Syracuse forward. He’s a little slow, but he’s long, a great shooter, and can rebound and pass effectively. I can’t believe he went to Villanova. They play such different ball than Cuse, and he’s a way better fit here.

Jimmy Boeheim is actually better than I thought. He’s like 23, strong, experienced, crafty…all that coaches kid stuff and in his 5th year of college. Pretty versatile, he’s got the little floater shots, decent ball handler and passer, not a great shooter but can make them if left open. He’s a more aggressive and stronger Marek Dolezaj type.

Jesse Edwards gives us our first legit center in years that’s actually a center. He can give us 8 and 6 and block shots.

Frank Anselem is the backup center - he will be better than Edwards at everything except blocking shots. He’s just young. Going to be a player.

Symir Torrence is the backup PG. Local kid and 4 star recruit who struggled at Marquette for 2 years. Can’t shoot, won’t score much, solid ball handler and pass first PG who defends. He’ll be an adequate backup.

Benny Williams…the X factor. Big recruit. Incredible athlete. Not much offensive game yet. Shoots line drives. Insane defensive potential, and will eventually be very good. If he progresses and finishes the year strong - we’ll be very tough by March. If he’s just not there yet he his year, we’ll be ok….a very dangerous shooting team with length, but lacking the athleticism of the really good teams.

We’ll get boat races a few times and the FSU and Louisville type teams will be a problem for us, but think we could be pretty good.

This personnel is better equipped to shoot than past Cuse teams, but the defensive length and strength and disruptiveness doesn’t compare to years past. Obviously early in the season, but they’re currently 117th in KenPom on defense after getting *shredded* by Colgate. I think they have to find a way to at least be a top 75 defense, otherwise they’re gonna reeeeeally be crossing their fingers more than usual on selection day.

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They are slow as shit at all 5 positions in the starting lineup, so they better get really comfortable in their rotations.

They were up 17-2 to start the game, so…..lost by 30 to Colgate the last 30 minutes or so. Wow. I know Colgate is pretty good and a horrible matchup for the zone. But come on.

Swider’s and Benny’s lack of production is killing us.

.

<---
Fuck a sig, my presence is enough.

<---
Fuck a sig, my presence is enough.

The hits just keep on coming this year LOL. Spent most of this pre-season with ever building hype from how much the Raptors liked what we did with Dalano Banton to Katz seeding us at 10 in March to utterly dominating our exhibition games...


Then outrebounded by 20+ and several missed free throws with the game on the line to lose by one. The campus is cursed! Thankfully you learn way less about a basketball team after one game than a football team, but still...ooph.


~~~~~~~~~
"This is the streets, and I am the trap." � Jay Bilas
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I HATE Duke but he's local and was coached by one of my best friends in HS.

So, now I gotta low key support Duke by supporting him.

This feels gross.

<---
Fuck a sig, my presence is enough.

Looks like it was a great game

---
"though time has passed, im still the future" (c) black thought

<---
Fuck a sig, my presence is enough.

'Nova kinda collapsed in OT imo.

(But I'm also a fucla kinda guy so take that with a grain of salt (sorry Kung!))

---

But hell, what do I know?

i treated myself to season tickets at Pauley this season. just got a feeling about this year

---

But hell, what do I know?

In the end, Nova just ran out of steam-- their rotation is shallower, and some of those guys just don't have the experience playing long minutes that UCLA does. Guys like Dixon and Slater just haven't played 40 minute games before. Justin Moore also got caught on bullshit foul trouble really early, and that hurt his effectiveness on both ends-- he's their best player imo and is going to be really important for them in big games like this.

Juzang's ability to make difficult shots is other-worldly. I've no doubt that he will completely shoot UCLA out of a game at some point this season (shit, he almost did in the first half), because his shot selection is absurd... but when he's going, he's one of those guys that *truly* can't miss.

I still think end of the day that Nova is probably the better team. Losing in OT in a true road game this early in the season with Justin Moore in bad foul trouble is probably the sort of thing that makes them a much better team come March. But I am still really impressed with Cronin's team defense, especially considering Juzang and Campbell aren't really good defenders and are out there at all times. Says a lot about the coaching and says a lot about the impact of guys like Jaquez (the best pro prospect on UCLA imo-- for this upcoming draft anyway, maybe Watson passes him long term) and Myles Johnson, both of whom were really terrific.

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And unable to give UCLA real honest props?


>In the end, Nova just ran out of steam-- their rotation is
>shallower, and some of those guys just don't have the
>experience playing long minutes that UCLA does. Guys like
>Dixon and Slater just haven't played 40 minute games before.
>Justin Moore also got caught on bullshit foul trouble really
>early, and that hurt his effectiveness on both ends-- he's
>their best player imo and is going to be really important for
>them in big games like this.
>
>Juzang's ability to make difficult shots is other-worldly.
>I've no doubt that he will completely shoot UCLA out of a game
>at some point this season (shit, he almost did in the first
>half), because his shot selection is absurd... but when he's
>going, he's one of those guys that *truly* can't miss.
>
>I still think end of the day that Nova is probably the better
>team. Losing in OT in a true road game this early in the
>season with Justin Moore in bad foul trouble is probably the
>sort of thing that makes them a much better team come March.
>But I am still really impressed with Cronin's team defense,
>especially considering Juzang and Campbell aren't really good
>defenders and are out there at all times. Says a lot about the
>coaching and says a lot about the impact of guys like Jaquez
>(the best pro prospect on UCLA imo-- for this upcoming draft
>anyway, maybe Watson passes him long term) and Myles Johnson,
>both of whom were really terrific.

---
"though time has passed, im still the future" (c) black thought

I thought Texas did an admirable job of fighting them in the second half, Beard made some nice defensive adjustments... and it just didn't matter. Drew Timme is just unstoppable in the paint unless you have a true, strong big man who holds his ground and doesn't bite for ball fakes. Texas kept getting caught in Few's switches, so guys like Christian Bishop and Brock Cunningham were having to guard him, and that may as well be a layup for Timme, lol. (In the first half, it often was literally a layup.) The matchup against guys like Myles Johnson in the UCLA game and Mark Williams and Theo John in the Duke game will be really interesting, as Johnson and John in particular will gladly get physical, and getting physical with Timme was the only thing that even slowed him down last year. (UCLA's gonna have a big problem figuring out who to guard Holmgren-- Duke has Banchero, and there's no love between those two, so that should make for sensational television.)

Texas is going to be really, really good, that was just a brutal matchup for them, especially since they didn't have Dylan Disu. Loved what I saw from Timmy Allen and Tre Mitchell in particular-- and I'd still consider them my Big 12 favorite (though if Agbaji is actually making the leap for Kansas, I'll backpedal on that quickly, lol).

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<---
Fuck a sig, my presence is enough.

<---
Fuck a sig, my presence is enough.

That swagger that makes him so electric when he’s on is his worst enemy when he’s off.

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<---
Fuck a sig, my presence is enough.

Too much Rucker Park and not enough substance...see Marbury and Walker.

It drives me mad. That game was in the bag, and poor ball protection is what
lost it.

ALL HAIL THE KING of LOSING: LEBRON
Bulls | Bears | White Sox | Yankees | Notre Dame | Illinois | Chelsea | Real Madrid

Chris Holtmann is a fucking bum


>Duke and Kentucky play today. And then there are some other
>games, I guess. Both teams return some key pieces and bring in
>a lot of new. Really no clue what to expect from either side.
>Should be revealing as to how ready both squads are. I expect
>a great game.

-------------------
I wanna go to where the martyrs went
the brown figures on the walls of my apart-a-ment...

Value City Arena (worst name ever for a college basketball arena) is so fucking vacuous and dead. it sounds like a library inside an nba stadium...just dead and devoid of any electric game atmosphere.

the last time it was truly loud and rocking was 10 years ago November 29th , 2011 when Jared Sullinger and William Buford beat the living shit out of Duke....I was there for that game and it was one of the best nights of my life.


ever since then, nothing.


>Chris Holtmann is a fucking bum
>
>
>>Duke and Kentucky play today. And then there are some other
>>games, I guess. Both teams return some key pieces and bring
>in
>>a lot of new. Really no clue what to expect from either
>side.
>>Should be revealing as to how ready both squads are. I
>expect
>>a great game.
>

-------------------
I wanna go to where the martyrs went
the brown figures on the walls of my apart-a-ment...

outplayed, outcoached, outhustled

good lesson for Chandler; he got grown-manned by Villanova's guards

--------

>good lesson for Chandler; he got grown-manned by Villanova's
>guards

<---
Fuck a sig, my presence is enough.

UNC's guards looked lost

Chandler was better, but Zeigler brought a ton of juice off the bench

--------

Going to be an interesting year for the Tar Heels. They'll of course play lights out defense against Duke, per usual... but I don't think this is a Top 100 defense. Which means they need, like, a Top 5 offense to not be a bubble team.

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Manek saved them from a pretty embarrassing final score

--------

Two strong preseason wins to add to the resume. Anything less than a regular season B1G title (baring injuries, no jinx) would be a disappointment.

Jaden Ivy is electric, Edey/Trevion twin towers is unmatched. And sacha is on fire.

Is Purdue, so I’m due don’t crazy calamity is coming, but enjoying it till then

<--- Big Baller World Order

They were my easy pick to win even a loaded Big Ten, because that talent is real and Painter is probably the best coach in the conference.

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gm 1 1/11 and gm 2 2/5

id like to see both of those games each like 3 weeks later

WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE

<---
Fuck a sig, my presence is enough.

Schmidt does a great job there.

Don't think he would've left last summer since his team brought literally everyone back... but the team's all seniors this year. When they all leave, definitely opens the door for Schmidt to snag a sweet high-major gig.

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Marquette's better than people think. Think folks wrote them off as straight-up bad when they're probably NIT good at absolute worst.

Once I saw the Bonnies didn't fuck around in the first half for once, I knew this one wouldn't go well for Marquette in the second half. Bonnies may not lose more than five games this year. Top 4-5 seed is a very real possibility.

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