MSU is a high-ranked question mark. Their play is inconsistent. They falter against the tougher teams. Izzo can't decide where the hell his team stands. Lucas is a yo-yo. And all of this drivel coming from a HUGE Spartan fan. I'll wait until the tournament.
To me, it seems like every time Korie Lucious and Chris Allen touch the ball, it's a damn roller coaster ride - it's scary just to see how they will perform day in and day out; same goes for the other young Spartans on the squad, too. It's almost like they're the college hoops version of the Iowa Hawkeyes football team, if you know what I mean.
Other note: if I had a vote on which team should be #1 in the polls next week, it would have to go to Syracuse.
^
If Texas hadn't been stepping on its dick ever since being annointed #1 a couple of weeks ago, I might really be prone to arguing with you. However, until this team proves that they can be consistent and HIT THEIR FREE THROWS I'm don't have much ammo to fire back at you. This team is really an enigma....they have so much talent and are so deep that they should not lose more than 2 or 3 games all year. Instead, they've lost 3 in the last 2 weeks. Go figure. I'm thinking they come out strong tonight but that's a Longhorn fan talking so hey who knows? OSU got killed on the road by Missouri on Saturday so they ought to be full of piss and vinegar tonight too.
You HAVE TO MAKE YOUR FREE THROWS to win a close game....Baylor hit theirs on Saturday and the 'horns didn't....plain and simple.
If Texas loses tonight, they deserve to fall out of the top 25 in my opinion. Unbelievable.
Well, I'm certainly eating crow tonight. Texas did a good job keeping James Anderson in check in the 2nd half, plus the fact that they committed only 5 turnovers all game. Props to Texas' Jordan Hamilton on a monster game.
West Virginia won its fifth straight game Wednesday night, yet that's not the story from the Mountaineers' 70-51 win over Pittsburgh. The story, rather, is the West Virginia student section that threw cups on the court in the second half after Darryl Bryant was called for a traveling, which led to WVU coach Bob Huggins grabbing the microphone, saying these words (at the 18 second mark):
But did the students listen to Huggins?
Some of them did, I guess. But at least one did not, because about seven minutes later Pitt assistant Tom Herrion was hit less than an inch below his left eye with what appeared to be a quarter thrown from the student section. Herrion is fine, by the way. But he could easily not be fine, and this is the latest example of the type of behavior that's inevitably going to lead to an incident we'll be talking about forever.
It might happen on national television. It might happen at an OVC game.
I couldn't begin to predict the where or when, but I'm pretty sure I know the how. A player will go into the stands, like Ron Artest did, after something is thrown at him. Or a 6-foot-11, 280-pound center will break a student's jaw when he's frustrated and bumped after an upset of his team leads to a court-storming. Or an ill-tempered bench-warmer will go after a student who gets too close while the visiting team is walking to the locker room.
Could be any of those things. Could be something totally unimaginable.
Either way, it's coming, and we've been on the brink for a while.
Two years ago, Memphis reserve Pierre Henderson-Niles reached into the UAB student section and slapped a fan who was yelling at the Tigers after their come-from-behind win. Last week, it was alleged that Kentucky's DeMarcus Cousins took a swing at a South Carolina student rushing the court after the Gamecocks upset John Calipari's Wildcats. And now we've got West Virginia fans throwing things, hitting a Pitt assistant in the face with a coin, and further sullying the reputation of a student section that two weeks ago chanted obscenities at Ohio State's Evan Turner and last weekend took the "Karen Sypher" chants routinely directed at Louisville's Rick Pitino to a previously unreached level.
So the black-eye-on-the-sport moment is coming; it's just a matter of time.
Which is why conferences as a whole and/or universities on an individual basis would be wise to take precautionary measures immediately. My advice: Whatever you'd be willing to do after a player punches a fan and lands your school on CNN, go ahead and do it now. Why wait to react to a terrible incident when you can act in advance in hopes of preventing it?
If conferences fining schools $25,000 (like the SEC does) doesn't prevent fans from storming the court, make the fine $100,000. Meantime, schools can let students know that anybody caught on the playing surface before, during or after a game will be subject to expulsion. Throw something onto the court, you're expelled.
Chants? I'm OK with chants. If you want to look classless on national TV by calling Evan Turner an asshole, that's on you. Sticks and stones and all that. But aggressive physical behavior - thrown objects, fingers in the faces of players, running full speed on a court at a visitor - should be off-limits and punishable in a serious way.
Anything short of that, and the clock continues to tick.
West Virginia won its fifth straight game Wednesday night, yet that's not the story from the Mountaineers' 70-51 win over Pittsburgh. The story, rather, is the West Virginia student section that threw cups on the court in the second half after Darryl Bryant was called for a traveling, which led to WVU coach Bob Huggins grabbing the microphone, saying these words (at the 18 second mark):
But did the students listen to Huggins?
Some of them did, I guess. But at least one did not, because about seven minutes later Pitt assistant Tom Herrion was hit less than an inch below his left eye with what appeared to be a quarter thrown from the student section. Herrion is fine, by the way. But he could easily not be fine, and this is the latest example of the type of behavior that's inevitably going to lead to an incident we'll be talking about forever.
It might happen on national television. It might happen at an OVC game.
I couldn't begin to predict the where or when, but I'm pretty sure I know the how. A player will go into the stands, like Ron Artest did, after something is thrown at him. Or a 6-foot-11, 280-pound center will break a student's jaw when he's frustrated and bumped after an upset of his team leads to a court-storming. Or an ill-tempered bench-warmer will go after a student who gets too close while the visiting team is walking to the locker room.
Could be any of those things. Could be something totally unimaginable.
Either way, it's coming, and we've been on the brink for a while.
Two years ago, Memphis reserve Pierre Henderson-Niles reached into the UAB student section and slapped a fan who was yelling at the Tigers after their come-from-behind win. Last week, it was alleged that Kentucky's DeMarcus Cousins took a swing at a South Carolina student rushing the court after the Gamecocks upset John Calipari's Wildcats. And now we've got West Virginia fans throwing things, hitting a Pitt assistant in the face with a coin, and further sullying the reputation of a student section that two weeks ago chanted obscenities at Ohio State's Evan Turner and last weekend took the "Karen Sypher" chants routinely directed at Louisville's Rick Pitino to a previously unreached level.
So the black-eye-on-the-sport moment is coming; it's just a matter of time.
Which is why conferences as a whole and/or universities on an individual basis would be wise to take precautionary measures immediately. My advice: Whatever you'd be willing to do after a player punches a fan and lands your school on CNN, go ahead and do it now. Why wait to react to a terrible incident when you can act in advance in hopes of preventing it?
If conferences fining schools $25,000 (like the SEC does) doesn't prevent fans from storming the court, make the fine $100,000. Meantime, schools can let students know that anybody caught on the playing surface before, during or after a game will be subject to expulsion. Throw something onto the court, you're expelled.
Chants? I'm OK with chants. If you want to look classless on national TV by calling Evan Turner an asshole, that's on you. Sticks and stones and all that. But aggressive physical behavior - thrown objects, fingers in the faces of players, running full speed on a court at a visitor - should be off-limits and punishable in a serious way.
Anything short of that, and the clock continues to tick.
Indiana vs. Purdue tonight. IU might not be any good, but my Boilers haven't won in B-town in over a decade. This would be a huge win. Hopefully, it won't even be close. Purdue should win by at least 14. Boiler Up!
Ok....that's it. I'm not drinking the Texas kool-aid anymore until this team shows some heart. Loaded with talent, deep as any team in the nation and they keep losing to conference opponents they should beat. The loss to Baylor at home last week was unforgivable....now today we lose on the road to a good but not great Oklahoma team. Will, you must be feeling good tonight!
Until they learn how to win when they have to, they aren't going anywhere. They went from #1 in the nation 2 weeks ago to a 4 loss team and one that will likely end up a 4 or 5 seed in the tournament if this keeps up.
Nice finish between Northern Iowa and Southern Illinois today - if you wanted to see a classic, defensive, blue-collar type game, you got one in Cedar Falls. The Salukis showed a lot of fight against the Panthers, but just couldn't seal the deal late in the game.
Nice finish between Northern Iowa and Southern Illinois today - if you wanted to see a classic defensive, blue-collar type game, you got one in Cedar Falls. The Salukis showed a lot of fight against the Panthers, but just couldn't seal the deal ate in the game.
Salukis are always tough....what a great program. They just can't match up with Northern Iowa though and I don't think a lot of other big-name programs can either. This is a Cinderella team to watch in the NCAA tourney.
Why did the Illini fans storm the court after Illinois' victory over Michigan State? I understand that it was a much-needed win for Illinois, but they were playing against a team without its star point guard Kalin Lucas, plus the fact that the Illini basketball program has been known for being one of the better programs in NCAA history.
Another thing: this win still doesn't guarantee an NCAA tourney bid for Illinois, either.
Why did the Illini fans storm the court after Illinois' victory over Michigan State? I understand that it was a much-needed win for Illinois, but they were playing against a team without its star point guard Kalin Lucas, plus the fact that the Illini basketball program has been known for being one of the better programs in NCAA history.
You beat to it. The Illini typically have a good program. When did they start celebrating Big Ten victories like this? Act like you've been there before. :wtf:
