Feast Week
It's been a busy few days, but I still found time to watch all the basketball on ESPN and ESPN2 this week -- 35 games in all. I didn't have time to post all week, but I can give you my "leftover" thoughts from the week. It's not as good as turkey sandwiches, but it'll have to do.
-The Maui Invitational ended Wednesday. I hope that means that LSU freshman Anthony Randolph and JC transfer Chris Johnson got home in time for Thanksgiving dinner. At 6-10 and 6-11, respectively, and each weighing 205 pounds, they certainly need it.
-Duke beat Princeton on backdoor cuts twice in the first half on Monday in Maui. How do you backdoor Princeton? Don't they spend every day in practice defending it?
-Maryland hasn't been able to score in the halfcourt since they won the national title. This year's edition of the Terps has fewer offensive weapons than last year's, so don't expect much better than their 59-point, 21-turnover performance against UCLA on Monday in Kansas City. In their two games in KC, Maryland was 2-for-26 from behind the three-point arc. That's less than eight percent.
-Here's an odd one. South Carolina gave up 26 offensive rebounds in a 74-67 win over Penn State on Thursday, then grabbed 24 offensive boards of their own in a 63-61 loss to North Carolina State the next day.
-If there's a player who can stay in front of Marquette's Dominic James, I'd like to see him.
-For all his talents, Kevin Love has a long way to go offensively.
-Given that Billy Humphrey was suspended for just one game after being arrested on a felony weapons possession charge, I'd love to know the specifics of what Takais Brown and Mike Mercer did to get kicked off of Georgia's basketball team.
-I feel bad for David Padgett. Offline, I've been critical of him in the past, but I came around to him last year. Could be a long year at Louisville without him, particularly if Juan Palacios doesn't get healthy soon.
-In the two games of his I watched this week, Southern Illinois' Randal Falker got the most consistently deep low-post position I've ever seen. Fairly remarkable stuff for a guy who goes only 6'7", 230.
-I didn't have a stopwatch, but it sure seemed that BYU's Trent Plaisted held the ball longer on any one of his 10 field goals Saturday against North Carolina than Kansas State's Michael Beasley did on all 13 of his, combined, Thursday against George Mason.
-Speaking of Mason, they are miles ahead of VCU at this point. Eric Maynor's return made some people -- notably, those picking VCU to win the CAA -- forget that the Rams lost two-thirds of that outstanding backcourt from last year -- Jesse Pellot-Rosa and B.A. Walker. George Mason is a deep, experienced, and confident club. If they don't win the league, it'll be an upset.
-I was less than impressed the first two times I saw USC, but Sunday night's victory in the championship game of the Anaheim Classic is a different story. Southern Illinois doesn't get knocked on its ass like that very often.
-The Maui Invitational ended Wednesday. I hope that means that LSU freshman Anthony Randolph and JC transfer Chris Johnson got home in time for Thanksgiving dinner. At 6-10 and 6-11, respectively, and each weighing 205 pounds, they certainly need it.
-Duke beat Princeton on backdoor cuts twice in the first half on Monday in Maui. How do you backdoor Princeton? Don't they spend every day in practice defending it?
-Maryland hasn't been able to score in the halfcourt since they won the national title. This year's edition of the Terps has fewer offensive weapons than last year's, so don't expect much better than their 59-point, 21-turnover performance against UCLA on Monday in Kansas City. In their two games in KC, Maryland was 2-for-26 from behind the three-point arc. That's less than eight percent.
-Here's an odd one. South Carolina gave up 26 offensive rebounds in a 74-67 win over Penn State on Thursday, then grabbed 24 offensive boards of their own in a 63-61 loss to North Carolina State the next day.
-If there's a player who can stay in front of Marquette's Dominic James, I'd like to see him.
-For all his talents, Kevin Love has a long way to go offensively.
-Given that Billy Humphrey was suspended for just one game after being arrested on a felony weapons possession charge, I'd love to know the specifics of what Takais Brown and Mike Mercer did to get kicked off of Georgia's basketball team.
-I feel bad for David Padgett. Offline, I've been critical of him in the past, but I came around to him last year. Could be a long year at Louisville without him, particularly if Juan Palacios doesn't get healthy soon.
-In the two games of his I watched this week, Southern Illinois' Randal Falker got the most consistently deep low-post position I've ever seen. Fairly remarkable stuff for a guy who goes only 6'7", 230.
-I didn't have a stopwatch, but it sure seemed that BYU's Trent Plaisted held the ball longer on any one of his 10 field goals Saturday against North Carolina than Kansas State's Michael Beasley did on all 13 of his, combined, Thursday against George Mason.
-Speaking of Mason, they are miles ahead of VCU at this point. Eric Maynor's return made some people -- notably, those picking VCU to win the CAA -- forget that the Rams lost two-thirds of that outstanding backcourt from last year -- Jesse Pellot-Rosa and B.A. Walker. George Mason is a deep, experienced, and confident club. If they don't win the league, it'll be an upset.
-I was less than impressed the first two times I saw USC, but Sunday night's victory in the championship game of the Anaheim Classic is a different story. Southern Illinois doesn't get knocked on its ass like that very often.
posted by H.S. Slam, Ph.D at 1:58 PM
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