Around The Blogosphere: December 29, 2010
Posted by nvr1983 on December 29th, 2010
If you are interested in participating in our ATB2 feature, send in your submissions to rushthecourt@gmail.com. We will add to this post throughout the day as the submissions come in so keep on sending them.
Top 25 Games
- #10 Missouri 97, Northern Illinois 61: Going behind the numbers of the Tigers blowout victory. (Rock M Nation)
- #11 Purdue 80, Michigan 57: “The Boilers started off hot as Smith, Moore and Johnson led Purdue to a very early 14-2 lead. UM stormed back by hitting a ton of threes while Purdue got cold. After Beilein’s squad took the lead briefly, Purdue regained a five point lead before the half…and never relinquished it.” (Boiled Sports or UM Hoops with additional video from UM Hoops of John Beilein and the Wolverine players)
- #12 Kentucky 91, Coppin State 61: “The Kentucky Wildcats did not have a Christmas hangover, and handled the Coppin St. Eagles convincingly in Rupp Arena tonight. It was the kind of game that we have become used to with this team — inferior opponents are rarely able to challenge Kentucky. The ‘Cats have, for the most part, handled their weaker opponents easily, unlike last year’s team who struggled against them early.” (A Sea of Blue)
- #14 Wisconsin 68, #13 Minnesota 60: “Several questions faced the Minnesota Golden Gopher basketball team as they entered Big Ten conference play. How would they handle the relative increased level of competition? Would they play up to their opponent after playing down so often in the non-conference season? How would the team look with both Al Nolen and Devoe Joseph healthy and playing? These questions were more or less answered in Minnesota’s frustrating 68-60 road loss to Wisconsin in the Big Ten season opener in which they were torched by Jordan Taylor and unable to convert down the stretch.” (From the Barn or Gopher Nation)
Other Games of Interest
- UNC 78, Rutgers 55: “For Christmas this year, the Tar Heels apparently asked for a shooting touch. And Leslie McDonald at least got one in his stocking – he went 4 of 7 from behind the arc, on his way to 14 points. The rest of the the team was a mixed mag, but they ran the transition game well, shot almost 47% from the field, and was never in any danger of losing, en route to a 23-point victory.” (Carolina March)
Pre-Game Analysis
- North Florida at Maryland: “For the record, North Florida is another cupcake variety of opponent, even if they are a better one than UNC-Greensboro or NJIT. For one, they have a couple of wins over D-I opponents, sporting a 4-7 record overall. They even defeated a decent Wyoming team on the road by 16, which is pretty impressive considering their standing as a low-major. Since then, they’ve lost home games to Stetson and Furman, so don’t get too worried just yet.” (Testudo Times)
- Marquette at Vanderbilt: “Southerners like me are thrilled to get to DRIVE to a game tomorrow as MU comes to Nashville – but what a tough matchup it is against one of the tallest teams and best backcourts in the country.” (Cracked Sidewalks)
News/Analysis
- Talkin’ Hoops with Bob Baptist – Reprise: Q & A with the Buckeyes beat writer. (Eleven Warriors)
- Big East Basketball Power Rankings Week 7: A group of Big East bloggers rank the teams following the Pittsburgh-UConn game. (The UConn Blog)
- Trio of Games Presents Huge Opportunity: “I’m not going to sit here and pretend that Lafayette, Oklahoma St. and Wake Forest is some outlandishly difficult trio of games, but instead want to focus on what sweeping this set of games could mean. With wins in all three matchups, the Zags would enter WCC play on a six-game winning streak, including wins over three teams that should hear their names called on Selection Sunday. A 10-5 record against a schedule that has included San Diego St., Kansas St., Notre Dame, Marquette, Xavier, Washington St., Oklahoma St. and Wake Forest is nothing to scoff at, especially when you factor in injuries to Elias Harris and Steven Gray, as well as a seemingly endless experimentation with the rotation.” (The Slipper Still Fits)
