Rex Hudler

Brian, the benefit of Illinois getting into the BCS is that it will bump Michigan up a bowl or two. Chance is pretty good Michigan will end up in Orlando in the Capitol One Bowl if Illinois bumps into the BCS. Problem is, how do the Illini get in. There are only two at large bids, right? As of now, it seems Hawaii will be guaranteed a spot. Georgia should get the other. Or am I missing two bids?

QUOTE(Palehosefan @ Nov 25, 2007 -> 11:02 AM) Here is what Knight had to say about the game. "Obviously tonight the three-point shot played a huge role in the game," Knight said. "Ironically, it's something I've never been for, never will be for. It's greatly changed the complexion of the game of basketball." Shooting is definitely a talent, but jacking up 30 3's a game is going to have teams living and dying by the 3's. Florida used to do the same before they could recruit. They had guys like Teddy Dupay etc doing the same, and eventually always would die in the tournament on an off night. I can't stand that style of basketball at all, and this is coming from someone who made their AAU life off of shooting 3's. I averaged 3 out of 4 a game, and I wasn't even the best shooter in the league. We had another kid named Kenan Hooker that hit 17 3's in one game, and that was back when we were 12-13 years old. Butler's PG is a stud on both ends of the floor, but at positions 2-5 they just line up outside the arc and fire away. Not hard to understand why. 30 possessions of 3 point shots making only 40% leads to 36 points, while 30 possessions of 2 point shots at 50% leads to only 30 points. Any team making that high of a percentage of three point shots when taking that many has my respect. My thinking is, maybe teams should guard them better!

QUOTE(Palehosefan @ Nov 25, 2007 -> 01:27 AM) Doesn't matter about guarding. Butler just jacks up 25 foot 3 point shots 30 times a game and makes 12-13 and wins games. Florida used to do the same when they couldn't actually find players. Can't blame Butler because it's the only way they can compete. But it's still absolute garbage. palehose, with all due respect this is weak... If Butler jacks up 25 3's a game and makes 12-13, I'd say making 50% means they DO have basketball players. Especially if they are well defended. If they are not, why call them garbage for taking what the defense gives them? Shooting seems to be a lost art in basketball as the playgrounds and ESPN encourage slashing to the basket and dunking, yet you want to call a team that is good at the fundamentals garbage? I don't think Coach Knight would be calling them garbage. Butler hit 16-24 3's last night. Either Tech was playing no defense or Butler deserves a LOT of credit for that performance. For someone that seems to be such a fan of the game, I find it strange that you blast a team that shoots and passes well and doesn't turn the ball over. You might want to rethink this one brother.

Okay here is the scenario.... Oklahoma beats Missouri Pitt beats West Virginia (not gonna happen, but play along) LSU beats Tennessee USC beats UCLA Va Tech beats BC Arizona State beats Arizona Georgia, Florida and Ohio State do not play Who is # 1 and # 2?? Ohio State is in. Does LSU get back in with an impressive win over Tennessee? Could Georgia, also sitting in the clubhouse with OSU, get the nod? What if USC pounds UCLA, could they make it all the way back?? Tell me that's not a big ole mess!

Okay, the ACC/Big Ten Challenge this week and I am having a hard time seeing the Big Ten being competitive again. Here is the schedule and my predictions..... Your thoughts are encoraged. Monday 6:00 Wake Forest @ Iowa - ESPN2 Tuesday 6:00 Georgia Tech @ Indiana - ESPN 6:00 Northwestern @ Virginia - ESPNU 6:30 Minnesota @ FSU - ESPN2 8:00 Wisconsin @ Duke - ESPN 8:30 Purdue @ Clemson - ESPN2 Wednesday 6:00 NC State @ Michigan State - ESPN 6:00 Boston College @ Michigan - ESPNU 6:30 Illinois @ Maryland - ESPN2 8:00 North Carolina @ Ohio State - ESPN 8:30 Virginia Tech @ Penn State - ESPN2 By my count the results will be ACC 8 - Big Ten 3 again this year. Games I thought could go the other way are UNC @ OSU (never know in a road game or how UNC will bounce back), Purdue @ Clemson, VA Tech @ Penn St and even Illinois @ Maryland.

Indiana has a terrible shooting night and gets pounded by Xavier 80-65. Xavier was impressive, pounding the offensive glass and clogging the middle. IU was 1-13 for 3-pointers late in the game, not sure where exactly they ended up. Gordon had 18 points, 12-12 from the FT line. IU wasn't just bad from 3-land, they had mid-range jumpers rim out consistently and missed bunnies in the lane (in heavy traffic mostly). But give Xavier credit, they made it difficult and they played well offensively, pounding it inside and crashing the boards, taking advantage of IU's foul troubles. On to GA Tech in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge Tuesday night!

Make that 4 overtimes! I don't know how this only seems to happen in the SEC, but it sure as hell is exciting. Tennessee up 52-44. UK's turn.

QUOTE(Heads22 @ Nov 24, 2007 -> 12:10 AM) Sleeper prospect, I believe. I'm guessing it is more the fact that Tubby doesn't want or need your ass Felix, not that he can't recruit it

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Nov 24, 2007 -> 01:40 AM) We get Mayo and Gordon back to back now. Fun. That'll test a defense! Is the USC game on TV, by chance?

QUOTE(Felix @ Nov 23, 2007 -> 10:53 PM) I don't know how much I believe you, since Joseph was high on the Gophers for awhile and appears to be a big Tubby fan. Either way, I'm glad to have him committed to the Gophers.. Also: Tubby can't recruit my ass. Is your ass D-I caliber?

I saw a very uninspired effort tonight. Too much one on one play and not enough ball movement. Losing Armon Bassett for the 2nd half really hurt. They don't involve DJ enough. I still don't see NBA potential in him. They better play better than that or SIU will blow them out next Saturday!

I'd love to find some pics of Erin back when she was a dancer at Florida!

QUOTE(IlliniKrush @ Nov 20, 2007 -> 12:13 AM) I wouldn't read a ton into it. The game has been in hand the entire time and we're playing everybody. No biggie. This team looked really solid tonight. Really nice to see. I will now go knock on wood for Brian Randle and his groin, like I do every night before bed. The mention of wood and Brian Randle's groin, just makes me shake my head....

Observations... 1. Lance Stemler does a lot of little things well, but he cannot finish near the basket at all. 2. Jordan Crawford finishes at the basket very well, although some of the mid-range shots he made today he won't against big time competition. 3. Six players in double figures is nice 4. Jamarcus, not one of those six, finishes with 9 points, 11 rebounds and five assists. I am liking his contributions more every time I see him. 5. While DJ White does a lot of good things, he just has really bad feet and that makes me wonder if he will ever be able to play in the NBA. He doesn't run the floor well and his feet are slow. It's like he is carrying 20 extra pounds from the knees down. Watch his feet compared to DeAndre Thomas to see what I mean. 6. Armon Bassett is very good. He had a solid freshman season and was somewhat overshadowed by OSU's Mike Conley last year. This year he may get overshadowed by Eric Gordon, but do not underestimate his ability to push the tempo, hit shots and finish around the rim. 7. Let's get these first few games out of the way without any injuries and get to the next stretch which includes GA Tech, SIU and Kentucky. Then we will truly know what this team will be capable of.

Anyone watch Two and a Half Men? For lowbrow humor, I find this show hilarious. Monday's episode with Charlie Waffles was classic. Some of my favorite song titles were: When Mommy and Daddy Wrestle Who Barfed in the Fish Tank Byb Bye Boobies Mommy's Happy Pill Anyone else???

QUOTE(JuiceCruz16 @ Nov 15, 2007 -> 01:13 PM) I was wondering if anybody else has heard that Scotty Hopson may not sign his letter of intent to Mississippi State, and decommit. I've seen a lot of talk about this, and he did not sign yet. He is a top notch guy who will be a huge catch if he is still avaliable. Some talk about him eyeing Carolina which would be great. I read somewhere that he is reconsidering and will not sign until the spring, which opens the door for other schools.

farm, I think you are either being too hard on Jamarcus Ellis or expecting too much. We have guys that can score. The guy had 5 points tonight, which is not all that impressive. But he added: 9 rebounds 6 assists 2 steals 1 blocked shot I think you will find that he will do a lot of the little things that help a team to win. In all honesty, I think he will do a lot of things that you would hope Stemler could bring to the table, but doesn't. Also, it seems he has a pretty good thing going with Deandre Thomas. Having played together last year, it seemed he was looking for Dre a lot down on the block. Their chemistry could lead to Dre being a nice contributor inside, which will only help DJ. Give him time, I think you will find that he will be a very important player on this team.

QUOTE(greasywheels121 @ Nov 12, 2007 -> 09:01 PM) Yeah, Eric Gordon. He's kind of good. The best part about EJ is that he's easily our best defender right now as well. Nobody was worried about the first half. Our defense wasn't playing that well, but the Mocs got hot from deep early, and everything they threw up went in. In the second half, we gave them the inside and locked down anything out the paint--and their numbers definitely came back down to earth. That's the only disconcerting thing about this game, the defense and the rebounding. Our offense is going to be scary all season; too many guys have to be cold for it to be bad. However, I'm positive our defense is going to get better as the season goes on, Sampson won't allow them to be a one-sided team. Part of the reason the defense was so bad is the pace/tempo they were playing on offense. Once they hit a few threes and got ahead, they started playing full speed ahead the whole time. They were taking wild 3's, trying to thread the needle with passes that were getting intercepted or knocked away. The helter skelter style they were playing kept them from being under control on defense. They weren't stopping the dribble so they ended up chasing the ball everywhere trying to switch all over the floor. Chattanooga did a good job of moving the ball and finding the opening man. The game changed when their on the ball defense stepped up and they slowed things down a bit on offense, picking and choosing their spots to run rather than trying to push every time. Scoring seems to come so easy to this team, it may be difficult for KS to pull in the reins at times (and maybe not wise), which will lead to some periods of sloppy D. Hopefully they will learn when to push and when to stay under control and that will lend to more consistent defense.

My understanding the reason AJ was not there was he was in study hall. He is ineligible the first semester and still has to get the grades to be eligible the 2nd. It's not a given. If, and I think he will, becomes eligible, there will be a time when AJ steps up and helps this team. Whether it is when some of the guards are in foul trouble or just having an off-shooting night. I think you will see some inconsistency in Jordan Crawford so AJ will sneak in some minutes. We need his veteran presence without his head up his ass to win going down the stretch. OFF TO WATCH THE GAME... GO HOOSIERS!!

QUOTE(Brian @ Nov 11, 2007 -> 09:49 PM) You gotta be used to it by now. I was supposed to go to that game, but stuff happened and I didn't get out of town. Evansville will be in for a rough year, but it would have been nice to get this first one. They played terribly in the first half and climbed their way all the way back, taking the lead in the final minute. But Samford got the ball back with 15 seconds left and milked the clock down and sank the game winner with one second left, pulling out a 50-49 win.

QUOTE(Brian @ Nov 11, 2007 -> 05:32 PM) Yup, giving up 51 is unacceptable to me! Hell Evansville only gave up 50 to Samford today.... but they lost.

What the hell is wrong with this football season??? I just spent 15 minutes reading an argument about the great teams in the Big 12 North, none of which are named Nebraska! Ugh

QUOTE(Soxbadger @ Nov 10, 2007 -> 09:24 PM) Glad Wisconsin actually played again today. This season has been a real shame in terms of expectations versus results, but ah well. Most of the team should return next year, and I really like Lance Smith. Im guessing OSU wins next week, Michigan just didnt look that good. Michigan won't look that good without Hart and Henne. Their chances next week rely completely on those two players ability to perform. Their D better show up a helluva lot better than they did yesterday too.

IU takes care of Pembroke, Kelvin Sampson's alma mater, 111-62. Hoosiers open their regular season Monday night against Chattanooga. Somebody needs to tell OJ Mayo that wearing leg warmers on your arms is not a good look.

Still just an exhibition, but IU leads Pembroke 52-35 at the half. It's bombs away for Eric Gordon with 24. If this team can actually play some defense, this team might be dangerous.