NCAA Basketball

[OilersBaby]

With the season underway, there has been a huge upset. The University of Kentucky won their first game vs Central Arkansas, but then LOST to Webber State (who even knows where that is?)

I just needed to vent because I've become a huge fan of this team, and this year, all of their rivals are projected to do well - Louisville is expected to finish as a #2 seed, the Tennessee Volunteers are projected to up there, along with North Carolina and potentially Duke too.

It's all Tubby Smith's fault because he didn't do anything in terms of recruiting and developing his players his last season, and though they have a fantastic new coach in Billy Gillespie, he can't do something now......it's UK, they're never supposed to be "rebuilding", they always have great seasons. Personally, I'm a little worried about this one.

My brother in law was SO upset at this loss to Gardner Webb, he emailed me his rant:

"Get used to this type of effort guys. Until the last links to the Tubby Smith era are purged from the program…this dark malaise will continue. I would be ecstatic if I never saw Joe Crawford and Ramel Bradley in a Kentucky uniform again. The bottom line is…this team is not ready for the UConn’s and Memphis’s of the world…and we essentially traded one embarrassing loss on ESPNU(which I fortunately don’t have access to on my dish) for two embarrassing ass-whuppin’s on ESPN in front of Dukie V and the rest of the anti-UK northeastern media contingent. This loss was not a fluke…we never lead in the game after falling behind 14-0. This wasn’t a miracle last second heave from half court…this was total and utter domination by the better team. Yes…Gardner Webb was the better TEAM. Do they have better athletes? No. Do they have 4 “Burger Boys”? No. Were they better coached to understand their offensive and defensive sets? Absolutely. We got beat by a bunch of Jimmy Chitwood’s(think Hoosiers)successfully running the most simplistic play in college basketball(back door) over and over again. Did our half drunk clown of a head coach make any adjustments at all? Nope. Before you call me irrational for throwing disparaging remarks at our new head basketball coach. Understand that I endorsed his hiring with as much pomp and excitement as any UK fan that had grown weary and disenchanted with the Tubby Smith era. Outside of Billy D…he was the guy that I wanted to restore our program to its rightful place among college basketball’s elite.

Do I think Billy Clyde can recruit and coach my alma mater back to elite status? The answer is a QUALIFIED yes. Qualified only because we hired a coach that has an appetite for destruction…think a younger , unmarried Eddie Sutton. My indictment of Billy Clyde Gillispie has more to do with his lack of morality and discretion which are clearly attributes required of one of the most visible men in the state of Kentucky. What if I was to tell you that our basketball ambassador had been caught frolicking naked in a swimming pool at the Merrick Inn with two twenty year old co-eds. What if I was to tell you that a former police chief in Lexington(now retired…coincidence I think not) had to instruct a bartender @ the Two Keys Tavern to cut Coach Billy Clyde off from the sauce? What if I was to tell you that our University administration has become so concerned with our coach’s extracurricular activities that they have actually hired a driver to transport him around town(you remember he has been picked up twice in the past 5 years for DUI’s). You guys can call me a hypocrite all you want for the timing of these revelations…but the point is…my disgruntlement has nothing to do with Gardner Webb. It’s early November…and the team is just feeling its way around its new coach, his style and his system…the team will get better throughout the year and imo will still be an NCAA tourney team. But we need to stop this runaway freight train before the embarrassment of our coach’s off the court shenanigans completely usurps any enjoyment that we may derive from the play on the court. It’s time to impeach Billy Clyde and send him into detox where he belongs. Hire Kyle Macy or Dan Issel as an interim coach and pave the way next year for the John Pelphrey era to begin.

Keep in mind…all this has to do with the lack of character of a man entrusted with molding and shaping the character of the young men that wear that Kentucky uniform. As a father of two young children…I can honestly but regretfully say…that I would not send my kids to play for this coach. Unfortunately, I think the parents of future recruits will find themselves making that same decision. Is Big Red aka Carrot Top aka John Pelphrey ready for the challenge of running a program like Kentucky? The jury is still out…but we’ll certainly know more after this year. What I am certain of…is that John Pelphrey has demonstrated an unimpeachable character as a husband, father, educator and coach. Those attributes will bring positive karma to a program that has clearly lost its priorities and its sense of direction. I know most of you will disagree with me regarding my hard line stance. But that’s my story and I’m sticking to it. I lived through the Eddie Sutton era...and I’m none too eager to travel that path again. I will continue and have always been a staunch supporter of the University of Kentucky athletic programs…I’m just holding my nose from the stench a little more these days"

Hopefully UK's basketball future isn't as glum as it seems to be..

[604flames]

Weber State is just outside SLC, Ogden, UT.

[GirlySports]

I know where Weber State is! I stayed in a motel in Ogden on my way back from Vegas in 1999. That night they beat North Carolina in the first round of the tournament. The motel went crazy!

This event actually got me more interested in March Madness!

[Clever_Iggy]

Didnt you hear... Kentucky is now a football school.

My Arizona Wildcats are without Lute Olson for the start of the season. Personal matters. The campus, apparently, is near shut down mode because of worrying that this could be the end.

[octothorp]

Originally Posted by Clever_Iggy

Didnt you hear... Kentucky is now a football school.

My Arizona Wildcats are without Lute Olson for the start of the season. Personal matters. The campus, apparently, is near shut down mode because of worrying that this could be the end.

How long is he expected to be gone for? Any word yet on the reason for the absence? I heard it was personal, not health, related, but that's about it. They've got a pretty tough early-season schedule with Kansas, Memphis, and Texas A&M. Pac-10 should be great this year, hopefully Arizona can stay competitive.

I really like what Oregon did last year, but I'm worried that they won't be able to keep it up this year... when you live and die by the three-point shot, it leads to some really hot stretches and some cold stretches. Hopefully, like last year, the hot stretches come at the right time.

[Cerebral]

Duke opens up their season tonight against N.C. Central. I'll be out at a concert tonight so I unfortunately won't be able to follow along but I'm sure they'll dominate all game. I'll be curious to see how Singler plays though, he could be one of the best impact freshmen in the entire country and he had a monster pre-season (he shot something like 90% which is ridiculous for a SF).

[Clever_Iggy]

Originally Posted by octothorp

How long is he expected to be gone for? Any word yet on the reason for the absence? I heard it was personal, not health, related, but that's about it. They've got a pretty tough early-season schedule with Kansas, Memphis, and Texas A&M. Pac-10 should be great this year, hopefully Arizona can stay competitive.

I really like what Oregon did last year, but I'm worried that they won't be able to keep it up this year... when you live and die by the three-point shot, it leads to some really hot stretches and some cold stretches. Hopefully, like last year, the hot stretches come at the right time.

I've heard absolutely nothing and believe me, I've tried to dig. The consensus is that he'll be back this season because the interm headcoach has made several references to his eventual return.

All the information I've heard/received is completely unsubstantiated and consists mostly of wild stories and speculation.

The Pac-10 will be strong again. USC is going to be a threat for the conference and the usuals (UCLA, Washington, Wazzu) will be strong.

[Displaced Flames fan]

They didn't lose to Weber State.

They lost to Gardner-Webb. They didn't just lose either, they got dominated. What's worse is that Gardner-Webb doesn't have a single senior on their team. Not one.

http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/boxscore?gameId=273110096

To answer the question, Gardner-Webb is located in Boiling Springs, North Carolina. I have no idea where that is. Close to Asheville Tranny?

[Displaced Flames fan]

Kansas will be there in the end. First experienced team Bill Self has had since coming to KU (save the first team he inherited that just choked). Watch for Mario Chalmers and Brandon Rush to be in the player of the year conversation.

Texas A&M will be the second best team in the Big XII.

Probably a down year for Wichita State in the Missouri Valley as new coach Gregg Marshall takes over for Mark Turgeon who went to the afforementioned A&M. Maybe they'll sneak into the tourney by winning the conference tourney. Missour Valley is no longer a mid-major conference IMO.

Good times.

Oh, and my beloved Montana Grizzlies are favored to win the Big Sky yet again!

[OilersBaby]

Originally Posted by Displaced Flames fan

They didn't lose to Weber State.

They lost to Gardner-Webb. They didn't just lose either, they got dominated.T What's worse is that Gardner-Webb doesn't have a single senior on their team. Not one.

http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/boxscore?gameId=273110096

To answer the question, Gardner-Webb is located in Boiling Springs, North Carolina. I have no idea where that is. Close to Asheville Tranny?

Haha you're right, my bad..it was Gardner-Webb. I don't know what I was thinking when I typed my original post.

And yup, the Pac-10 looks great in basketball this year...they COULD have 6 or 7 teams end up in the Big Dance aka March Madness Brackets.

What's crazy is that Tennessee is typically a football school and UKentucky is typically a basketball school but this year it looks like it's opposite!

[FlamingLonghorn]

Originally Posted by Displaced Flames fan

Texas A&M will be the third best team in the Big XII.

Fixed. DJ Augustin will be the best point guard in the country this year.

[KTown]

Go Clemson Tigers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kill Duke And Unc

[wpgflamesfan]

Go Oregon Ducks

[Clever_Iggy]

Originally Posted by wpgflamesfan

Go Oregon Ducks

Do you know if Oregon is going to be good this year? I havent heard much about him because most of the Pac-10 basketball news revolves around OJ Mayo at USC, UCLA chances, and Arizona's streak and Lute's absense.

Hopefully the Pac-10 can have 4 strong teams head to the tourney (the 3 above and Washington) but it would be nice to have a 5th and 6th team make some noise. Does Oregon have the horses?

[Gugstanley]

I like this time of year. Utah finally has a coach that should be able to turn the program around and get it back toward the top.

[FlamingLonghorn]

Originally Posted by Clever_Iggy

Do you know if Oregon is going to be good this year? I havent heard much about him because most of the Pac-10 basketball news revolves around OJ Mayo at USC, UCLA chances, and Arizona's streak and Lute's absense.

Hopefully the Pac-10 can have 4 strong teams head to the tourney (the 3 above and Washington) but it would be nice to have a 5th and 6th team make some noise. Does Oregon have the horses?

Washington St. could be the best team in the Pac-10. Although you might have meant Washington St. when you said Washington.

[octothorp]

Originally Posted by Clever_Iggy

Do you know if Oregon is going to be good this year? I havent heard much about him because most of the Pac-10 basketball news revolves around OJ Mayo at USC, UCLA chances, and Arizona's streak and Lute's absense.

Hopefully the Pac-10 can have 4 strong teams head to the tourney (the 3 above and Washington) but it would be nice to have a 5th and 6th team make some noise. Does Oregon have the horses?

Really hard to say. I think the polls that are ranking them at #13 nationally are a tad generous. Only lost one guy in Brooks, but he was easily the most consistent player on the team. Everyone else went through hot and cold streaks. Fortunately, their offensive style is pretty much like the Ducks football team: spread the offense out wide and continually get the favourable 1-on-1 matchups. They'll score, the question with only one seasoned big-man in Leunen, is whether they'll get enough stops against some of the other Pac-10 teams that have really made improvements inside. They've got a core of seniors who are going to be really driven to at least match their elite eight finish last year.

[Saint Troy]

Indiana should have their best team in a decade, ranked #9 in the preseason. Hopefully the hype surrounding Gordon turns out to be true, D.J. White stays healthy, and Sampson stays off the phone and this team could have a great run in them.

[Saint Troy]

Yep Gordon is pretty good, 33 points, 7 3's, in his first game, sweet!

[Cerebral]

Duke's playing their first big test this season against Marquette tonight. They're currently up 7 heading into the 2nd half and freshman Kyle Singler is having an awesome game with 14 points already. Singler is an absolute stud, I'm just hoping he's not a one-and-done for Duke.