InClement Weather: Wednesday Night College Basketball Thoughts...

Ten Thoughts on a Wednesday night...stretched out just a bit.
Yes, even while watching Lost and being more confused than ever before...and still LOVING it.

Don't let the face fool you, I firmly believe Tech walked into their matchup tonight expecting to win. Funny how often you do win with an attitude like that.
Credit: Yahoo! Sports

1) Jeff Teague and Wake Forest will no longer remain #1. Not unless about six or seven teams fall too a crazy string of upsets this week(end). It should come as no surprise though, as the life of a college basketball #1 is always week-by-week at best.

2) Virginia Tech, winners of their last 4 of 5 against the Deacs, went into Winston-Salem and walked out 78-71 victors.

3) Jumping out to an early lead, the Hokies combined timely three-point shooting with an aggresive temperment on the boards to lead by as many as 13 in the first half. What had to surprise Wake most was the depths the Hokies went to allow them to come back into the game; especially during three or four stretches in the second half. Missing free throws left and right and not cleaning up on the defensive glass, the Hokies allowed Wake an opportunity to have the ball down only 2. An inability to box out on poor Tech shots and, on their own poor possessions, kick out before driving to the hoop with a little too much steam cost Wake dearly down the stretch. Len "Troy Bell Sr." Elmore might've noticed the most disturbing trend too: Jeff Teague was passive and far too quiet, due to his own inability to demand the ball, in the closing ten minutes.

4) Perhaps the Naismith frontrunner at this point, Teague appeared a little "pouty" according to Elmore. While his teammates were quite frustrating at times with silly fouls and a lack of control (especially with those aforementioned drives to the hoop), Teague passed up several shots late and almost seemed unwanting of the ball in the final possessions. Not a good trend to say the least for one of the nation's most talented playmakers at any position.

5) While that reason can't be divulged as without Teague's input, it did question my faith in Wake Forest in the following:
A) Close games
B) After slow starts
C) Without an inside presence to depend on
The same could be asked of all top tier teams; however, Wake's first blemish - especially at home - did open up some important questions.

6) As for the Hokie-side of things, it goes without saying how HUGE this W is; especially for a 5-loss team. While they have some iffy non-conference losses, the ACC will offer up plenty of opportunities for big time Ws. Let me also state a clear-cut fact: Tech won this game MUCH more than "Mistake" Forest lost it.

7) Unfortunately for the Hokies, due to the strength at the top of the ACC, their worst-case scenario isn't tough to decipher. See Maryland last year after their front-page news upset (on the road, unranked, against an undefeated UNC team) and then see how they faltered late time and time again and even when possessing the most impressive single-win of the year, it wasn't impressive enough come March Madness. In fact, it wasn't close. I have to wonder how much that home loss to Georgia might hurt the Hokies too. Just something to think about, raining on the parade of a team's top effort of the year. My bad.

...after seeing Sayid toss a guy off of a two-story balcony to imminent death (with the amazingly viscous back-breaking sound effects on the side), I'll note three other "affairs" of importance to me...

Outside of Jack Bauer, this is TV's most badassed man.
Credit: Wikipedia.org

8) Believe it or not, there are "mid-major stories" out there that don't involve Stephen Curry and Davidson. SHOCK and GASP! While this website has an obvious bias towards the CAA-side of things, it doesn't go without reason. Tonight was an important night for the conference:
A) George Mason fell from the top perch with a 58-57 loss at Northeastern.
B) Both are joined at 7-1 with red hot VCU, who after a rough loss at Delaware two weeks ago, has reeled off six impressive conference victories, although tonight's 5-12 Georgia State team doesn't exactly scream "road test".
C) The true test for Anthony Grant, Eric Maynor, and the Rams will come when the Patriots - who play notoriously well in Richmond (both the Siegel Center and the Collesium) - come marching in Saturday afternoon at 4pm.
Some advice: buy tickets and go if you are affiliated in any way with either school OR figure out when it's on television and watch a truly stellar conference rivalry play out. Sadly, they don't double dip each year like they SHOULD.

9) Northwestern upset Michigan State on the road, South Carolina likely took Florida back out of the rankings on some last-second hoopla, UCONN held off a feisty Villanova team in their hideous gray jerseys, UNC will one day be 100-0 against Clemson at home, and Memphis is going to steamroll through Conference USA and really confuse "bracketeers" come March.

10) Watch college basketball. I can try and inspire you. But I deleted that diatribe. Just watch it. It's awesome.

Tonight's victory will (likely) overshadow their early season's top highlight.

InClement Weather: Mid-Week Musings

A few musings at 10:00pm on a cold Wednesday night...

If Eric Maynor is a lock to be a 1st-round pick...I'm going to NYC for the draft. All I wanna know is: who's coming with me? Who's coming with me man!?!?
Credit: USA Today.com

...College Basketball Season Quick Hits...
1) Can somebody explain to me how 3-time player of the year winner Ralph Sampson isn't in the (meaningless) college basketball hall of fame? No capital letters needed for a hall that won't recognize one of its greatest ever.
2) How many of Michigan's Fab 5 can you still name?
3) Who you taking: '08/'09 UNC or '90/'91 UNLV?
4) Stephen Curry and Blake Griffin need to meet again in the NCAA tournament.
5) I've been waiting way too long to see "that" Wayne Chism that showed up - and then some - against Marquette. I still think he's a Jason Maxiell-type in the NBA (impact-wise).

Gotta admit I was more than a little surprise to see an NFC Pro Bowl roster sans-Abraham.
Credit: ESPN.go.com

...Pro Bowl Selection Quick Hits...
1) I'm not crying for DeAngelo Williams or Brandon Jacobs as NFC RB "snubs".
2) I'm surprised the AFC didn't vote John Lynch in again, despite not playing a snap.
3) It's Pennington then Rivers then Cassell who should be in over Favre.
4) Assante Samuel didn't deserve that nod at all.
5) Lance Briggs was extremely deserving. Ditto for James Farrior.

Can anyone - besides Pay - name this former Heisman winner?
Credit: Google Image Search (Title of the website gives it away!)

...Bowl Season Quick Hits...
1) A realistic playoff system will never work, people. How do you expect a typical fan (ex: Trojan fan) to do a quarterfinal in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, a semi-final in the Orange Bowl in Miami, and then a final in the Superdome in New Orleans??? You don't ask them to pick 1, 2, or even worse...try and afford all 3 games. It just won't work with 8 teams. Not in our economy or anyone's.
2) You got Paterno croaking on the field or in the press box? That isn't disrespectful either. Paterno obviously wants that to be the way he goes...in twenty years.
3) The Heisman is irrelevant. Good argument though for this year, more unmemorable: Phillies as World Series Champs or Sam Bradford as Heisman Trophy winner? One word: push.
4) The "southwest" should lose their ballots next year.
5) Turner Gill didn't automatically "deserve" the job at Auburn. He's 15-22 and I'm not sold Buffalo is becoming a major "mid-major" college football team. The hiring practices at Auburn weren't pretty though.

Were Harold Perrineau (above) and myself the only two people upset to find out Michael died in last year's season finale?
Credit: EW.com

...Pop Culture Quick Hits...
1) Wednesday nights seem a little lost without Lost. (Too bad it's moving to Thursdays)
2) Anybody else miss Perfect Strangers a little too much? TGIF?
3) Seriously, it's a toss-up between Dark Knight and Wall-E for my movie of the year.
4) Jennifer Anniston has still got it. And then some...
5) Is there a better all-time network foursome than HBO's Sopranos, The Wire, Oz, & Curb Your Enthusiasm. Chicks can sub in Sex and the City, while the new millennium might sub in Entourage.

Seriously. WATCH this show.



That's twenty thoughts that I think have passed the time.
Thoughts?

I didn't think so!

InClement Weather: Midnight Musings

Here are twenty-or-so random thoughts running throw my head, sitting in front of my computer screen at 12:36am.

I'll try my best to make them relevant, my friends.

Memo to Greg Oden:
1) Everyone owns a digital camera.
2) Anyone can upload to YouTube
3) Don't ever trust girls wearing outfits like THAT.
4) Seriously bro. Watch the knees!!!
Credit: Deadspin

1) I'm glad the election frenzy is nearly a month behind us. As excited as I was (especially being an 8th grade Civics teacher), it's nice to focus on what "really matters".
2) LeBron James (5) already has more 50 point games than Larry Bird (4). Did you know that Iverson (11) and Kobe (23!) lead the way with active players with 50+-point outings?
3) Ramon Sessions is gonna be a very good point-guard in the NBA for a long time. Gee, I wonder which two writers on this staff predicted that?
4) The Wizards should be embarrassed losing to a 7-man Knicks squad tonight. Especially since they gave up 7 treys to the Q. Pathetic.
5) When's Lost coming back? Seriously? WHEN!?!?

6) Dan Patrick still remains the best thing on radio...but not on television.
7) Pete Prisco of CBSSportsline.com HATES my Jets. GOOD! He can dine with Peter "Always a Fatty" King. Yeah, that nickname is perfect.
8) I hate how much impact November games have on the selection status come mid-March for the NCAA tournament. I think dates of these early pre-conference games should come into effect when you count wins and losses.
9) There might not be a better ending than Friday afternoon's hoopla between Xavier (Santos!) and Virginia Tech.
10) Texas beat Oklahoma on a neutral field. Therefore, they deserve a higher BCS ranking than the Sooners.

11) Casino Royale was supposed to be the "return" of the Bond franchise. After Quantum of Solace...the franchise has slipped big time again (thanks Mr. Director!).
12) Brazilian film City of God is the best movie none of you have ever seen. Rent it!
13) Major League Baseball needs to hand out its awards during the postseason. Even if Pujols has to receive his MVP on vacation in San Juan or on his recliner in the Lew.
14) Props to Mike Mussina. Going out without a ring but with a 20-win season. Props.
15) Psycho T will be Psycho T soon enough. Be patient UNC fans.

16) Alabama vs. Florida can't be half the stinker Texas Tech/Oklahoma was, right? PLEASE!!!
17) The Heisman trophy grows more irrelevant with every passing year.
18) Elton Brand had to enjoy that game-winning bucket against the Clippers more than he showed. Right?
19) Stay healthy Greg Oden. Please. Please. Please.
20) I really am pulling for Oregon State to win the Civil War. Just like I pulled for the Union army.

See ya next time...

Thursday Night Streaming Updates...

We don't have many of these regular season Thursday left (to be honest, it's our last) and there are plenty o' matchups we have our eyes on.

Shocker, it's not all about the college basketball bubble...yet.

So who do you have tonight on the "bubble" for the Oceanic 6 on Lost?
Credit: Newsday.com

Checking in right before 9:00pm.

• #13 UCONN trails at Providence 64-59. Providence is savoring this matchup and the potential to play spoiler to white-hot UCONN. Jerome Dyson just scored his first basket. I suddenly have memories of his 10-point run during their double-digit comeback against Cincinnati. Thabeet re-enters with 4 fouls...interesting to see how he handles this in the paint.
  
• UCLA v. Stanford still tips off at 11pm eastern time. I understand my obvious East Coast-bias; however, there is no reason a game this rock solid (talkin' #3 vs. #7 and potential Pac-10 regular season supremacy) should be on so late for such a large portion fo the country.
• Georgia Tech leads Clemson by 2 with a little over six minutes left to play. Will any conference be as up and down as the ACC should be the next couple days? Something tells me free throws and deep-threes will decide the victor of this late-season ACC matcup.
  
• Northeastern Conference (Robert Morris, Sacred Heart, Wagner, etc.) has started up tonight, no real upsets of note yet.
• Keep an eye on Xavier vs. St. Joe's at 9pm tonight. The Hawks are playing for their lives on the bubble, while the Musketeers have recently been called out on several blogs (including this one) for being rated a little too highly.

My girlfriend has taken over HD to watch the Project Runway finale. Sad times around 9:30pm.

• Of course, Clemson loses to (5-9 in conference) Georgia Tech 80-75. It's shocking to say, but Virginia Tech could play their way into the 3-seed in the ACC Tournament and still be on the outside of the "bubble" looking in. Clemson, Miami, and Virginia Tech may enter March Madness - wherever they are seeded - as some of the worst teams to be their respectively. Yeah, I said it.
• Providence hangs on late and impressively knocks off UCONN. Does this derail Husky momentum or are they saving it for MSG? The Friars may have locked up the 12-seed in the Big East tournament (only next year can all 16 years go to MSG).
• St. Joe's up early 20-17 on Xavier. This could be interesting to follow...
• Illinois also up on Michigan State 25-17 mid-way through the 1st-half. The Spartans may be the most frustrating team in the country - outside of College Park - this entire season. They are gonna be brutal to judge once brackets are released.
• No real eye-openers on the mid-major schedule right now. Maybe I need to look harder.
• UCLA v. Stanford is still at 11. I'm protesting by going to bed before then.
  
• Here are two fuzzy, yet hilarious random YouTube clips: Family Guy & Holiday Hawk. Enjoy!
  

Pay checking in at 9:50

• I have my eye on Oregon (7-9) versus Arizona State (8-8). Oregon is up 7 with 12 and change in regulation. If they hold on, their game against Arizona (who's handling winless Oregon State) may very well be an NCAA elimination game if both teams lose in the quarters of the PAC-10 tournament. On a side note, does anyone else think that Dick Enberg should write an essay for every tournament game that he covers and not just the finale?
• St. Joe's is up 7 at halftime against A-14 behemoth Xavier. I'll be shocked if they win and are not included in Joe Lunardi's next edition of ESPN Cracketology.
• Clement and I just spoke not too long ago and we're both missing out on the Stanford/UCLA. I'm really interested in seeing how the Cardinal guards will handle Collison and Westbrook. Though they are not the team that lost to Louisville by the first media timeout in the NCAA Tournament last season, I cannot say that I am sold on Stanford's ability to break guard pressure. While the Bruins won't press like a Louisville or a UAB of yesteryear under the tutelage of Mike Anderson, I envision them creating situations whereby the Cardinal will have to work to get the ball past the timeline.

Nearing 11pm

• Oregon (8-9) defeats Arizona State (8-9) setting up a clash between Arizona (8-9) and Oregon. If Oregon and Oregon State (who plays Arizona State) and you can only pick six PAC 10-teams, then who gets the boot [assuming all three lose in the Pac-10 quarters]?
• Xavier down 9 late. Make that 7 with 1:40 to go. I really hate the Hawk.
• Looking forward to the craziness of Arch Madness tomorrow with SIU and Illinois State in must-win situations.
• If Utah State hangs on at Boise State, the Aggies will be 11-4 and the Broncos will be 12-4. New Mexico State is up to 11-4. If Utah State, Nevada and New Mexico State will, then there will be an irrelevant four-way tie because New Mexico State has homecourt advantage regardless of their seed.
• Just to follow up, it's looking like St. Joe's is winning this one, setting up a huge showdown on Saturday at Dayton.
  

Until next update...