College Hoops Open Thread: Quasi-Test For #1 Memphis Tigers

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It's not a lineup that's going to blow you away, but a decent test for Memphis at noon is worth watching. I'd give Gonzaga a fair chance on a neutral court and later in the day (game is 9am their time), but this will likely be a blowout. You'll also have a chance to compare two of the top guards this afternoon. Who would you rather draft - Derrick Rose or Eric Gordon?

Here's what else you can view today as we mourn the absence of football.

12:00 - Gonzaga at #1 Memphis (ESPN)
12:00 - Notre Dame at #18 Villanova (Full Court)
1:00 - Connecticut at #8 Indiana (CBS)
2:00 - #16 Texas A&M at Oklahoma St (ESPN)
4:00 - Oklahoma at Baylor
4:00 - #11 Wisconsin at Purdue (ESPN) -- UPSET!! (edit: and by that I mean Purdue wins, which apparently isn't an upset according to Vegas and fans so nevermind.)
7:00 - #6 Washington St at Arizona St (FSN)
7:00 - #9 Georgetown at West Virginia (ESPN)
9:00 - Creighton at Southern Illinois (ESPN2)

Q up the hoops chatter here.

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1/26/08

0	I'm just picking nits here, but on your upset pick, who are you actually picking? The ranking favors Wisconsin, but I saw Purdue favored by 1 with 60% of picks coming in on Purdue. Does that mean you are taking Wisconsin? Also, Memphis is really good. Gonzaga is not an impressive team this year, IMO (their best win is at 11-8 VA Tech), but Memphis really jumped on them early.

1/26/08

CHansen wrote:

I'm just picking nits here, but on your upset pick, who are you actually picking? The ranking favors Wisconsin, but I saw Purdue favored by 1 with 60% of picks coming in on Purdue. Does that mean you are taking Wisconsin?

Also, Memphis is really good. Gonzaga is not an impressive team this year, IMO (their best win is at 11-8 VA Tech), but Memphis really jumped on them early.

Wow, I guess I'm not picking an upset then. I figured the Badgers would still be favored by at least a couple points. Mackey Arena isn't the most difficult place to play in the world.

1/26/08

0	I agree Memphis is really good, but if Gonzaga were playing at Kansas today they'd be getting smoked.

1/26/08

CriticalFanatic wrote:

Wow, I guess I'm not picking an upset then. I figured the Badgers would still be favored by at least a couple points. Mackey Arena isn't the most difficult place to play in the world.

Yeah, I'm a little surprised by that line, as well. I really like Purdue's young team and coach and I think that sportsbooks are taking notice. Their record looks good, but their schedule does not (of their 5 Big Ten wins, only one of the teams is in the top half of the Big Ten); if the Purdue players were maybe a year more experienced, I would take them. But, I think Wisconsin actually squeaks this one out today.

Also, I'm already eating my words on Memphis-Gonzaga.

1/26/08

CHansen wrote:

They (Memphis) are insanely talented. That's not really noteworthy. I don't know why, I just don't like them come March. I think the lack of competition will hurt them, although this close game should help a little.

If you can get Dorsey in foul trouble -- not that difficult -- you eliminate any post presence and if the shots aren't falling they're done.

Douglas-Roberts and Rose sure are fun to watch.

1/26/08

0	This must be new to Assembly Hall. Hadn't noticed it before ... Kelvin Sampson has the recruiting going with an changing electronic sideline screen showing their 5 national championships and 56 all-americans.

1/26/08

Janse

Gonzaga is fighting back now. I don't believe in Memphis when March comes around either. In my opinion, they seem like a team that is going to be upset by one of the tough defensive "mid-majors" around the Sweet Sixteen. I'll also have Kansas go no further than the Sweet Sixteen on my bracket for the third straight year no matter who they face. Kansas always chokes in the Tournament since Roy left.

1/26/08

0	This Purdue game scares the crap out of me later this afternoon. If the Badgers win this game, I'll be very happy. It'd be by far our best win of the conference season thus far.

1/26/08

Janse wrote:

There's no doubt that Memphis can be beaten. As said above, if you take away their inside game and force them to shoot, they are probably going to fall (as long as you're hitting your shots). Their free throw shooting really hurts them, as well. Memphis's defense and athleticism still puts them on the short list of championship contenders, IMO.

As far as Kansas choking "since Roy left." How quickly we forget that Roy (and Stank 'em, his stuffed pet monkey) was labeled a choker at Kansas after losses to UTEP, Rhode Island, and Arizona (when KU had the most talent that year). Not to mention, Roy never would have shed that choker label, if not for a favorable call against 'Nova in 2005.

1/26/08

0	I haven't been watching, because I thought it would be a blow-out, but how the heck is Indiana losing to UConn today? Is there something I'm not seeing in the boxscore?

1/26/08

CHansen wrote:

I haven't been watching, because I thought it would be a blow-out, but how the heck is Indiana losing to UConn today? Is there something I'm not seeing in the boxscore?

I'm not sure what going on there, but as a Big Ten fan this is really bad. The more I see of Indiana the less I'm impressed by them. I think that either Michigan State is going to run away with the conference, or its going to be a big huge mess.

1/26/08

kantwistaye wrote:

Yeah, the more I look at Indiana's schedule and results, the more I think "why do I think highly of this team?" The only really good win(if that) in the non-con, was against Kentucky at home. In conference play, they've played all of the bottom-feeders so far, with no real convincing results.

1/26/08

Janse

(Edited by Janse)

Well he got his championship at Carolina with a team that was favored to win it all from the beginning of the season. The choker tag should be lifted by now. If you want it this way, the Kansas program in general has not lived up to their hype for a while now.

As for Indiana, they don't have the flare of a top 10 team. Gordon has been outstanding, Ellis is playing well, Gordon has made White into a better player... When you combine all of that with the other players, it's nothing special and I think it shows on the floor. Not sure if it is the way Sampson coaches because I have had the same thought on some really good Oklahoma teams which proved me wrong, I just don't see the flare.

Will it be possible for Kansas to jump an undefeated Memphis team? I am a firm believer that if you are undefeated no matter who you face, if you were given the nod then you should stay their until a loss. It's that it seems pretty clear that Kansas is the better team and they are completely blowing everyone off the court right now. Although the Big 12 isn't exactly tough and Kansas schedule favors them with the exception of playing Texas on the road.

1/26/08

"Well he got his championship at Carolina with a team that was favored to win it all from the beginning of the season. The choker tag should be lifted by now. If you want it this way, the Kansas program in general has not lived up to their hype for a while now."

I agree that Roy's not a choker, and I don't think he ever has been. To be labeled a choker is inherently a good thing, as you have to be a great team first. My point is just as Roy was labeled a choker and Kansas has been called out for choking recently, it's just a talking point with very little substance. It's one reason I dislike ESPN so much; they spout off and have talking points and pound them into the ground, then they somehow become fact. Much like you saying that Kansas hasn't lived up to its billing for awhile now, when they have 15 tourney wins in the past 6 years, despite 2 first-round exits. Every program has upsets, and I tend to think it is more likely than not that those 2 "chokes" were the exception, rather than the rule.

1/26/08

0	Purdue is playing very good defense right now. The Badgers can't even get close to the lane right now.

1/26/08

0	Flowers got fouled there, but oh well. 16-3 at this point of the season was quite a better than I would've imagined.

1/26/08

Jon

0	ASU nearly knocked off Washington State - 56-55 the final. Harden was fouled on the last play, but no call.

1/26/08