The 2016-17 College Basketball Thread

[Lantern Venom]

Let out a great sigh of relief, because college hoops are back. There have already been several upsets in week 1 and some great performances. Talk about the road to March Madness here.

And for your viewing pleasure, some Coach Cal gifs:

 

[Lantern Venom]

Michigan State survives a major upset in controversial fashion vs Florida GC:

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-ba...ding-clock-error-spoils-fgcu-last-second-shot

 

[Lantern Venom]

Fittingly, UCLA wins the Wooden Legacy Tournament:

http://www.bruinsnation.com/2016/11/27/13760826/ucla-bruins-win-wooden-legacy-defeat-texas-am-74-67

 

[Lantern Venom]

In the midst of the bowl frenzy coverage, UNC and Duke both lost to unranked teams, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech respectively. That's quite rare.

The last time both Duke and UNC lost as top 10 teams was in 1989.

http://thespun.com/acc/duke/duke-unc-both-lose-as-top-10-teams

 

[Lantern Venom]

No OT needed this time:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GT_RqqjLh3E

 

[Lantern Venom]

The Wolfpack probably wish this game had been postponed permanently:

North Carolina jumped all over North Carolina State from the start, building a lead that kept growing to a shockingly lopsided finish and the 14th-ranked Tar Heels' biggest scoring output in the longtime rivalry.
Justin Jackson scored 21 points and the Tar Heels ran off a 20-0 first-half spurt to blow Sunday's game open and beat the Wolfpack 107-56.

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/gametracker/recap/NCAAB_20170108_NCST@UNC

 

[NewYorkSpider]

So apparently Grayson Allen tried tripping someone again. Some argue he didn't see him, but to me it looks intentional. What do you think?

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[Lantern Venom]

So apparently Grayson Allen tried tripping someone again. Some argue he didn't see him, but to me it looks intentional. What do you think?

[YT]uuZLJff1x8g[/YT]

I could give the kid the benefit of the doubt had it been a one-time thing, but he has a long history of being a discipline problem. Coach K is trying to keep the situation in-house, but it's obvious that he's annoyed with Allen's continued lack of self-control.

Also, Duke went down hard last night and has 2 conference losses at this point. The ACC Tournament is going to be a battle royale with several teams seeming to have Final Four talent. Baylor took it on the chin as well.

 

[Lantern Venom]

An article on why the ACC Tournament will be must-see TV:

http://www.espn.com/blog/collegebas...llege-basketballs-glorious-unpredictable-mess

 

[Lantern Venom]

Roy Williams gets to 800 wins. Will he pass Dean Smith in a few years?

http://www.cbssports.com/college-ba...0-wins-after-north-carolina-defeats-syracuse/

 

[Webfoot Hero]

In tonight's game against Cal, Oregon's Dillon Brooks went down with what appeared to be a left foot injury, the same one that he had to get surgery on and caused him to miss the entire off-season and much of the first month of the season. Hoping it's not broken since if he's gone for the season, it likely takes Oregon from a Final 4 contender down to one who's just in the Round of 32 or Sweet 16.

 

[Lantern Venom]

In tonight's game against Cal, Oregon's Dillon Brooks went down with what appeared to be a left foot injury, the same one that he had to get surgery on and caused him to miss the entire off-season and much of the first month of the season. Hoping it's not broken since if he's gone for the season, it likely takes Oregon from a Final 4 contender down to one who's just in the Round of 32 or Sweet 16.

The latest is that the injury is a sprain. It's a nasty one from what I've read, but it doesn't sound like it's certain that he's done for the season.

 

[Lantern Venom]

Arizona gets a huge win at UCLA. 'Zona is in a tie with Oregon for the PAC-12 lead, while the Bruins suddenly find themselves in 3rd.
http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=400915635

 

[Lantern Venom]

The drama continues in Devil land as NC State upsets Duke:

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/game?gameId=400915396

 

[Lantern Venom]

It's always bitter to give credit to a rival, but Kansas earned their victory today.

 

[Lantern Venom]

Villanova wins a nail-biter over Virginia. The defending champs are dangerous, but we knew that already. However, UVA is a dark horse in the tourney. They might not win the ACCT, but they could be a match-up nightmare in the early rounds of the NCAAT.

 

[Webfoot Hero]

Still no good reason that ESPN chose Florida/Kentucky over Arizona/Oregon for their Gameday visit.

 

[Lantern Venom]

Still no good reason that ESPN chose Florida/Kentucky over Arizona/Oregon for their Gameday visit.

The reason is ratings. Kentucky, Duke, UNC, and Kansas bring in viewers even when they're bad. Plus, ESPN Inc owns the SEC Network, and they regularly bump games from there to their national schedule. However, the woeful underrepresentation of the PAC-12 in national coverage of college basketball has been a problem for years. Given that the conference has at least 3 Final Four contenders this year, the omissions are even more egregious.

 

[Lantern Venom]

I'm really worried about the showdown with UF on Saturday. I have a difficult time envisioning UK winning on the road without Fox.

 

[Webfoot Hero]

Oregon laid the smackdown on #5 Arizona this afternoon, winning 85-58. That's now 40 consecutive home wins, the longest streak in the nation after Kansas lost to Iowa State at home today.

 

[Lantern Venom]

Oregon laid the smackdown on #5 Arizona this afternoon, winning 85-58. That's now 40 consecutive home wins, the longest streak in the nation after Kansas lost to Iowa State at home today.

I'm happy for you, WH. I always respect true fans who actually follow their team through the ups and downs of the regular season, not just March Madness.

You certainly had a better day than me. In my 22 years as a Kentucky fan, I've watched the Cats get blown out a mere 3 times. One of those was yesterday, and it's quite late in the season to be in this kind of shooting slump. The flu is going around the school and it has hit several players hard, but the chaos going on right now can't be attributed to that alone. The Cats are playing poorly against zone defenses and aren't cleaning the glass at all. Time is running out to turn things around.

 

[Lantern Venom]

Virginia's defense suffocated Louisville in the second half on the way to the upset.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...inals-virginia-cavaliers-game-recap/97575842/

 

[Webfoot Hero]

Both UNC and Oregon lost on the road road tonight against their lower-rated opponents. Oregon's loss shouldn't have happened since they had a 15-point lead with about 10 minutes left but then went ultra-conservative on offense and UCLA caught fire.

 

[Lantern Venom]

Both UNC and Oregon lost on the road road tonight against their lower-rated opponents. Oregon's loss shouldn't have happened since they had a 15-point lead with about 10 minutes left but then went ultra-conservative on offense and UCLA caught fire.

Oregon is still in a great position. There were several near-upsets of Top 25 teams today. Teams are fighting for tournament position right now and some teams are fighting for their postseason lives. Going on the road against a conference opponent is never easy.

 

[Lantern Venom]

UNC lets the world know that it's ready for March by throttling UVA:

http://www.reuters.com/article/bkc-virginia-northcarolina-writethru-idUSMTZED2JLQK3IN