I agree, the way Drew left UNC raises a lot of red flags. A lot of UCLA fans said that we shouldn't have taken him just because of the way he handled his departure from UNC.

I expect him to be the primary backup next year behind incoming freshman Kyle Anderson. Drew is the only pure PG on the roster, so he's bound to play a pretty large role in the backcourt. I think he will be better in Howland's half court offense than he was in Roy's fast break offense, though.
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Yes, He-Who-Etc. may do better in a half-court game, IF he gives up the ball to the right scorer at the right time. He was inconsistent at Carolina, however. One can give him a pass on his freshman year, as he understandably got little time playing behind Ty Lawson. In his other 1 1/2 seasons, he'd have one good game (say, 20 pts., 7 assts.), one "meh" game (8 and 5 with 4 TOs), and one stinker (4 and 3, and 7 TOs). At UNC, we don't expect the PG to score, but the rest just did not cut it. That, along with both his and his parents attitudes that his struggles was Roy's fault, not his, and that this was preventing him from becoming a superstar lottery pick, was the reason he lost his starting position to Kendall Marshall. It is likely also the main reason Harrison Barnes had such a slow start offensively at Chapel Hill. He-Who would NOT pass Barnes the ball, maybe thinking that would dim He-Who's light in contrast. Kendall had no such delusions, and accepted the team concept, so subsequently Barnes' game exploded in the second half of the season.

Update soon.
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There are already a few scores from early games today, but in contests that mean little to any but their fans. Speaking for myself, I find these "unranked" games notable, for one reason or another:


Arizona State vs. Montana State = In progress, with the Sun Devils holding a slim margin midway thru the first. I'd expect them to hold it throughout, and my interest stems from the fact that I consider Herb Sendek to be amongst the nation's most under-rated coaches.

Eastern Illinois vs. Indiana State = Without knowing who has what this year, I'd still think this could be competitive.

Northeastern vs. Boston U. = Same here.

Fairfield vs. Quinnipiac = Ditto.

N. C. Asheville vs. N. C. State = Maybe not so much this one, but Asheville is NOT a total cupcake, while the Wolfpack needs its new coach to do more with their talent than Sidney Lowe managed. I want to see how Jerry's (Col. Kurtz) boys do.

Rider vs. Robert Morris = Could be another competitive match-up.

Cornell vs. St. Bonaventure = Here too.

Villanova vs. Monmouth = By reputation alone, one would expect the Philly 'Cats to mop their homecourt with the Hawks' pinions. But 'Nova's supposed to be down some this year, and one of my boys, King Rice, begins his head-coaching career at Monmouth here (with 2 of his Tar Heel teammates on the bench with him), so I'll keep an eye on this.

Florida State vs. Jacksonville = The Semiholes are slated as the third-best team in the ACC. And if I recall rightly, the Dolphins had a few good wins last year, and have a nice balance of experience and youth on the roster. If FSU struggles tonight, this could be closer than you'd think. If it's a blow-out, the experts may be correct.

Rhode Island vs. George Mason = Here is another potential toss-up.

Wofford vs. Georgia = Much like the FSU/J'ville game, this is one the pundits might overlook. thinking that Bulldogs can easily handle Terriers. But Georgia is a middlin' SEC basketball power, while Wofford has earned NCAA bids the past 2 years. Muddying the waters more, both teams are rebuilding after numerous key losses from last year's squads. This intrigues me.

Murray State vs. Harris Stowe = This does not ( :-) ), as Joe's Racers should romp, but he'd never forgive me if I did not mention this one. :-)

Oral Roberts vs. West Virginia = Normally I'd not think the Golden Eagles could give the Mountaineers much of a game, and maybe they won't. But WVU is supposed to be down this season, so I want to see what they have.

Army vs. Air Force // Citadel vs. VMI = I lump these two together because they are, along with the UNC/MSU Carrier game, part of the Veteran's Day lineup of games. Aside from that (which is reason sufficient enough in itself), the contests may be close, but nobody will much care. :-)


That's it for now. If I missed your school, feel free to pipe up with your take. Until later then . . . enjoy.
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Just a quick FYI or four:

Arizona St. holds a 10-point lead with under 3 to play, while both the Eastern Ill/Indy St. and Northeastern/BU games are 1 or 2 possession ones midway thru the 2nd . . . as I predicted.

Also, I took a quick look at Saturday's games, and it ain't much, so I'll wait until tomorrow afternoon to post on those.
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After blowing most of a double-digit lead, the Sun Devils hold on for a 78-72 victory. Montana State scored 21 in the 1st half, and 51 in the 2nd.

Northeastern opens up by 11 over BU with 4 1/2 left. BU has only tallied only 19 in the 2nd so far.

EI/IS still anybody's with 3 1/2 left.
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Come in there, buddy!!!! Go Racers :-):-)

UNC had a tight 1st half, but are opening up a can of Whoop Ass in the 2nd. Very cool venue for a game, too.
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Ouch, embarrassing loss by UCLA!
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Yeah, a great win over perennial powerhouse Harris Stowe, brother! :-)

UNC/MSU comment follows. :-)


Considering this was NOT the LM of Hank Gathers and Bo Kimble, I must agree. More in my regular update . . . if my customers leave me alone enough to do it. :-)
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:-):-):-)
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This early in the season, too many games are blowouts against cupcakes. As these interest me little, I'll stick to those scores that do:


# 1 North Carolina 67 - Michigan State 55 = As Joe noted, one big run by UNC made the difference in this game. That, and maybe the work of Carolina's new Secretary of Defense (with apologies to Dudley Bradley) in front of his two Commanders-in-Chief. John Henson had 9 blocks, which was key considering that, as expected for such a cool yet funky venue, the outside shooting was atrocious for both teams. Kudos to an outmatched Spartan squad for hanging tough, and cutting a 21-point bulge to 10 late in the game.

Loyola Marymount 69 - # 17 UCLA 58 = Much to Justin's dismay, this was the big upset of the evening. I think the Bruins can regroup and recover before PAC-12 play begins, but Howland may have more of a job on his hands than he thought likely.

# 6 Duke 77 - Belmont 76 = This was almost the biggest upset, however. Yeah, I know Belmont has played good "giant-killer" games before, and I know I expressed grave doubts about Dook's high ranking, considering what they've lost off their team over the past two seasons. And yes, it is early. But a squeaker, in Cameron with 9000 Crazies in the stands, with The Captain chasing The Genreal's record? It gives one pause. A win is a win? Cold comfort in Durham, I imagine.

# 4 UConn 70 - Columbia 57 = And this one in Storrs, as the Huskies unveiled their championship banner. The same points mentioned above re Dook apply, but a 13-point win by a presumptive Final Four team over Columbia, at home? Not much of a statement, unless it's a negative one.

# 14 Xavier 74 - Morgan State 63 = It's pretty much the same story here too. I respect the X-Men program, but this is not acceptable.

# 18 Michigan 59 - Ferris State 33 = And isn't this the same Wolverine team that posted a "football" score against somebody (Wayne State?) in an exhibition? A Top Twenty team? Against Ferris State? Are they suddenly the Wisconsin Badgers, or are they just inept at scoring the ball?

# 23 Gonzaga 77 - Eastern Washington 69 = OK, this one I can sorta kinda live with, as the competition was more even. Still, it's not a good sign that the Zags can hang amongst the ranked for long.

Northeastern 82 - Boston U. 74 (OT) = Hey, I told you this could be a good one.

George Mason 92 - Rhode Island 90 (OT) = And I told you here too.

Florida State 79 - Jacksonville 67 = I also said the Dolphins might give the 'Holes some problems. It remains to be seen if FSU can claim a high spot in the ACC race, but this was certainly no big statement by them.

Indiana State 79 - Eastern Illinois 72 = Again, I though this was one worth watching.

Kansas State 72 - Charleston Southern 67 = I did not mention this one yesterday, because despite the fact I thought K-State's days in the sun had set, I never thought they'd drop this far. Yeah, they won. But by 2 possessions, over a nobody? Sheesh.

N. C. State 84 - N. C. Asheville 75 = This is not nearly as bad, by a good ways. Jerry's 'Pack hasn't been back for a while, and Asheville has played enough tough games over the years to feel little fear, so the field was more level. But it seems maybe NCSU will struggle to compete in the ACC again, for at least one more season.

Utah State 69 - BYU 62 = Much like Boise State in football, BYU politely whines each year about how little respect they get. I don't hate the program, or the school, or even the religion, but I do dislike the whining. Hopefully, this will stick a cork in Rodney Dangerfield's maw.

St. Joseph's 72 = Western Kentucky 61 = I have no idea what kind of team either has this year, but an old timer like me likes it when a storied program such as St. Joe's makes a step back into the spotlight. Was this one? Too soon to tell, yet one might hope.


If you wanna chime in about your team's win . . . or loss . . . or if you question my analysis or my ignoring of your boys, please do so. Meanwhile, I'm going to go see if there's anything worth watching over the next two days. Back soon, hopefully.
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Today and tomorrow have far too many games to cover properly, but then again most don't need covering. Do you really care that Georgetown spanked Savannah State, or that Wisconsin is absolutely crushing Kennesaw State? I don't. But here are some others of possible note. Today:


Dayton vs. Western Illinois = I'd expect the Flyers to do just that, but this might be a decent game.

Lehigh vs. Iowa State = And this too, believe it or not.

# 5 Syracuse vs. Fordham = The only chance Fordham has is if their outside shooters can bust up Boeheim's zone. If you get the Orange out of that, an NAIA team can outscore them, as they cannot play defense any other way.

Butler vs. Evansville = Aside from having potential in itself, the game may tell us more about what Butler has become.

# 6 Duke vs. Presbyterian = Even though I was wrong thinking the Belmont game would be a gimme, I'm gonna give the Blue Devils this one now. But I do want to give props to Presbyterian, who once again show they'll play anybody, anywhere.

South Florida vs. Vermont = Truth be told, I don't know why this one jumped out at me. But it did, so I went with my gut.

Northern Iowa vs. ODU = I DO know why this one jumped. This may be a barn-burner.


On Sunday we have:


# 1 North Carolina vs. N. C. Asheville = One would expect that, if State can take them, the Heels can. And even though it's up in the Smokies, not in Chapel Hill, this should not be close by the time the horn blows.

# 7 Vanderbilt vs. Cleveland State = This could be a little closer, but maybe not by much.

# 9 Louisville vs. Lamar = Please, Rick. What point is there in passing 600 Ws against a baker's dozen from Cupcake U? The Cardinals should drop 5 spots in the polls just for that.

# 10 Pittsburgh vs. Rider = And once again, this is a bit better, but not a ton.

# 12 Baylor vs. Jackson State = Man, I can't wait until the bakery closes up for the winter.

# 16 Arizona vs. Ball State = How quickly does icing melt in the desert?

# 20 Texas A&M vs. Southern = Good Lord. :-)

# 21 Cincinnati vs. Alabama State = Are you as sick of this as me?

# 24 California vs. George Washington = First in war, first in peace, won't last a half, and thankfully last in this list.


If I get a chance, I'll look and see if there's any more that pop for me. Back later today, or early next week. Either way . . . enjoy.
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I'm getting a late start, and am pressed for time, so let me hit what I consider the highlights.

Saturday:


Evansville 80 - Butler 77 (OT) = I thought this could be a good one. It may not tell us yet what the Bulldogs will be, but it's not a good early sign.

Northern Iowa 63 - ODU 46 = In Norfolk, no less. I'm not shocked that NIU won, but for ODU to be so crappy at home . . . that is odd.

Seton Hall 75 - St. Francis (NY) 71 (OT) = Short of, of course, Penn State football, the Pirates basketball team has had perhaps the most checkered recent off-court past lately. If this showing against what should have been a cupcake is any indication, these problems have killed their program.

South Florida 61 - Vermont 59 = I still don't know why this one popped off the page at me, but at least I wasn't wrong.


On Sunday:


Cleveland State 71 - # 7 (formerly) Vanderbilt 58 = By far, the biggest surprise of the weekend. And in Nashville, to boot. OK, anybody can have a bad night. OK, even a cupcake can have some lumps in it. But this, this is just embarrassing.

# 10 Pittsburgh 86 - Rider 78 = Despite the victory, this isn't much better either.

# 16 Arizona 73 - Ball State 63 = Nor this one. And yes, in Tucson, not Dave Letterman's backyard.

Maryland 71 - N. C. Wilmington 62 = And yes, in College Park. This does not bode well for the Terps chances in the ACC.

Washington 77 - Florida Atlantic 71 = And wasn't Washington supposed to be the dark horse in the PAC-12 this year? Man, it might be getting dark early in the Great NW.

# 1 North Carolina 91 - N. C. Asheville 75 = And although I could come up with at lease a half dozen "good" excuses for this one, it also does not please me very much. The 91 scored doesn't bug me, but the 75 allowed does. Too many TOs, too may possessions p!$$ed away.

Gardner-Webb 74 - Lipscomb 71 = I'm not sure what to make of this one. Lipscomb has a good history, while Gardner-Webb is . . . well, Gardner-Webb. I'll need to keep an eye on both these teams.

San Francisco 71 - LA Lafayette 70 = SF had probably its best season last year since Bill Russell left. Hey, maybe he's left them again. :-)


There are a few HUGE games in the next few day, but only a couple tonight that pique my interest:


Penn vs. Temple = Penn had a surprisingly good season last year, and the Owls are the Owls. I'm curious how both will play.

Northeastern vs. U Mass = And I get the feeling these two will match up well.

Murray State vs. Morgan State = These two, maybe not so well. But I have to keep Joe on board, so :-) .

Richmond vs. Davidson = Two storied programs, and two decent coaches. Could be fun.

USC vs. Nebraska = Both are more football than basketball schools, but that may mean they also match up well on the hardwood.

Northern Iowa vs. St. Mary's = And both of these have a chance at earning NCAA bids before the smoke clears. If you can stay up late, check it out.


Sorry about the "quick and dirty" postings, but what can I do? :-) Man, I hate it when work gets in the way of fun. :-)
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Oh, and if you guys want a giggle, go to the vaunted RPI Ratings to see what nonsense THAT is. For instance, Florida Atlantic, Georgia State, and N.C. Asheville are all 0-2 while UNC is 2-0, but all are tied for # 22 in the nation.

:-) :-) :-)
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Go Racers!!!
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Yeah, if they can beat Morgan State, they can beat anybody! :-)


Again, work has gotten in the way of this, and I'm pressed for time. Yesterday:


# 4 U Conn 78 - Wagner 66 = A dozen points better than Wagner? The Huskies defense of their national title is off to a blazing start. :-)

# 23 Gonzaga 89 - Washington State 81 = Last year the Zags were losing these type of games. Maybe Mark Few has their attention earlier this season.

Boston College 67 - New Hampshire 64 = I had that weird feeling again that this would be a good 'un.

Temple 73 - Penn 67 (OT) = This one, I felt more certain would be good.

Nebraska 64 - USC 61 (2OT) = And this one too, though I didn't predict two extra sessions.

Purdue 67 - High Point 65 = High Point? High Point?? Maybe Robbie Hummel needs to break his leg again. :-)


Tonight has a ton of games, but I don't have time for them all. Here's the . . . uh, high points:


# 2 Kentucky vs. # 12 Kansas = UK and KU . . . you don't need to say much more. The 'Cats may have the better personnel, but you can be fairly sure Bill Self will have the Jayhawks ready to play.

# 3 Ohio State vs. # 7 Florida = Last year the Gators were NOT ready to play this game. I'd expect the Buckeyes to win again, but I'd hope Billy Donovan hasn't made THAT mistake a second time.

# 5 Syracuse vs. Albany = And just because Boeheim is again, as usual, home-cooking cupcakes, there's no reason to call the Orange yellow. :-)

# 6 Duke vs. Michigan State = The Spartans hung tough with the Heels under difficult conditions. Meanwhile, Dook just edged Belmont at home before spanking Presbyterian. I'm not calling for the upset, but I expect a contest.

# 11 Baylor 77 - San Diego State 67 = Yeah, this one's in the books. SDSU was one of last year's darlings, and acquited themselves well here too . . . if one assumes the Bears are as good as the "experts" believe.

# 13 Xavier vs. IPFW = And I'd pee Eff-Dubya too, if the X-men lose this one.

# 18 Vanderbilt vs. Bucknell = The Commodores rebound from their opening loss tonight.

# 20 Cincinnati vs. Jacksonville State = There's enough else happening, so you can ignore this garbage.

# 23 California vs. Austin Peay = Hmmmmmm. I dunno. I'm not convinced Cal's as good as people say, and I do know A-P can play pretty tough. Keep your eye on this one.

UCLA vs. Middle Tennessee State = And nobody knows what the Bruins are either, after dropping a stinker to Loyola-Marymount. Plus, they're dropping players left and right, either to injuries or to "violations of team rules". Much as I'd sort of like to see UCLA make a comeback, they need to show us that they can. I'm don't believe MTSU can give us that info . . . unless they too spank the Bruins.


That's all I have time for. Please jump in with your own :-) to fill the gaps. Thanks, and enjoy.
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I like the way you think!!! :-)

Lots of games tonight, including the ladies field. I hate to say "go Peay!", but I do hope they win. Also hope to see the Cats over the Jayhawks.

Dook did not get an easy one tonight; be an interesting game to watch.

Pat Summit on the floor with her girls against one of her proteges from Miami.
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903 is all I'm going to say for now. I got a ticket stub from 902, hopefully I can one from 903 on fleabay.
Posted via Mobile Device
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Taking the Wears looking like a HUGE mistake. They can't play defense, take too many shots, and are surprisingly terrible rebounders considering their size.

I'm depressed. In for another long season.
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You like the way I think? You may be the only one. :-)

Why don't you start a women's thread, Joe? I say this because you'll not hear much from me about the distaff side, though I am glad to see Pat Summit up and about. As for Austin-Peay, they might have made a game of it against Cal, had they not Peay'd away the first half.

Duke's game went about the same as Carolina's did against the Spartans: One big run was the whole contest.

Congratulations to Coach K for his 903rd win. Now let's see if he'll have the same grace and dignity as did John Wooden and Dean Smith, and move towards retirement to finally give Wojo a chance, or if The Captain shall have the same stubborn bull-doggedness of The General (or worse, JoePa), and risk becoming a parody and sideshow of himself. :-)

Sorry, Justin. I knew the Wears did little for my Heels, but for your sake had hoped it was more a consequence of them being freshmen, and of playing behind Zeller and Henson. Don't write them off yet, however. As the old saw says, you can't coach 7 feet. But maybe that's the problem . . . you can't coach them. :-)
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Dammit, for the third day in a row I'm pressed for time. Here's MY highlights:


# 2 Kentucky 75 - # 12 Kansas 65 = A sloppy first half left this tied at 28, with more total TOs than FGs. The 'Cats were slightly less sloppy in the 2nd, and won by a respectable, if not dominant, margin. But like I thought, the Jayhawks gave them game, and might have won had they not started the second stanza so poorly.

# 3 Ohio State 81 - # 7 Florida 74 = Pretty much what I thought it would be, with a Buckeye victory over a Gator team that played better this year on the road than they did last year at home against OSU.

# 6 Duke 74 - Michigan State 69 = You likely didn't need Bryan to tell you this was Coach K's 903rd win, taking the top spot from his old mentor Bobby Knight. Again, congratulations. And again, congratulations to the Spartans, who did what they did against Carolina by falling behind big but not giving up, and making a good game of it before the buzzer.

# 23 California 77 - Austin Peay 53 = As referenced above, A-P might have been able to steal this one, had they not scored a mere 13 points in the first half. Shoot, their FOOTBALL team could have done as well against the Golden Bears.

Middle Tennessee State 86 - UCLA 66 = Remember when the Bruins were good? No, I don't mean the Wooden era, I mean before the season started and they were ranked. A loss to Loyola-Marymount was bad. A spanking by MTSU is just wrong. So, Justin, if you want to hop on the Tar Heel bandwagon, feel free. The blue's about the same shade, anyway. :-)

Charlotte 77 - Central Michigan 75 (2OT) = Aside from being a barn-burner, this interests me because the 49ers used to be pretty danged good. I'm not sure what this tells us, as I've no idea how good (or bad) Cent. Mich. is, so we'll have to wait another month or two.

Texas 100 - Rhode Island 90 = About the same situation here, though I do know the Longhorns are supposed to be a little down, while the Rams have been improving over the past few years. Again, wait and see applies.

Coastal Carolina 71 - LSU 63 // Elon 58 - South Carolina 53 = I lumped these two together to make a point about the SEC. What with earlier unexpected losses by Vandy and Mississippi State, these might foretell that the SEC is even more top-heavy than we expected.


Tonight's actions includes:


# 9 Pittsburgh vs. Long Beach State = Ehhh, I can see this lasting a half or so, but as I've said before, this is not the kind of game the Panthers lose.

# 14 Wisconsin vs. Colgate = As with the SEC, it's possible the Big Eighty-Six is top-heavy too. Yet the Badgers play a tough grind-'em-out style that's hard to beat, even if you AREN'T Colgate. If you ARE, then it's already over. I can see Wisconsin doing something it rarely can do . . . approach the century mark in scoring.

# 25 Florida State vs. Stetson = And I can't see Stetson cracking the Seminoles defense either. FSU needs to make a statement in this one, to start solidifying its claim as an ACC power.

N. C. State vs. Princeton = However, though the Wolfpack likely won't do the same, at least until next year's class of classy freshmen arrive, they do need to win some for their new coach while they can. The Tigers are not what they used to be, so this should give NCSU an opportunity to do so.

Creighton vs. UAB = And this is just another of those match-ups that pop out at me. This may have a shot at being a decent game.

Indiana vs. Evansville = This one too. Much like the Wolfpack, the Hoosiers aren't there yet, but they have been making steps back to where they were. And Evansville has already had a "signature" win over Butler, so that alone makes this interesting to me.

N. C. Asheville vs. Mars Hill = And this one is interesting to me because I'm wondering where in the hell these guys can find a place that's flat enough to play some hoops. :-)


That's it for me. Keep those cards and letters coming fellas . . . and there's plenty of bandwidth for more of you to chip in also.
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