Around The Blogosphere: February 2, 2011

Posted by nvr1983 on February 2nd, 2011


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

  • #3 Kansas 86, Texas Tech 66: “So much for Bill Self not being able to win in Lubbock, huh? The Jayhawks came out and immediately went to work inside, feeding Marcus Morris for the first three baskets of the game. Once the lead reached 10-2 after the first four minutes of the game, the outcome was never in doubt. Texas Tech couldn’t find a shot on the offensive end and they showed no inclination of making it difficult for anyone in blue get to the basket on the defensive end. The final score was 88-66 and it wasn’t anywhere near that close.” (Rock Chalk Talk)
  • Ole Miss 71, #10 Kentucky 69: “Well, this was a game that the Mississippi Rebels needed very badly, and they won the game on a near-last second 3-point shot by senior point guard Chris Warren.  It was an exciting game, but Kentucky comes up on the short end, I think deservedly. I was very impressed with how aggressive and how physical the Ole Miss Rebels were in this game.  They took it to Kentucky in every way you can, and they played with a heart and intensity that, if they had played like this all year, might have them in contention for an NCAA bid instead of trying to salvage a season that started with four league losses in six games.  But this game, this time, the Rebels were very, very good, and they sent Kentucky home with their third SEC road loss in four tries.  I can’t say enough about how tough and determined the Rebels were.  They won this game the old-fashioned way — they earned it.” (A Sea of Blue: Part 1 and Part 2)
  • #16 Wisconsin 66, #13 Purdue 59: “Purdue went into another difficult Big Ten venue — perhaps the most difficult — and could have come away with a win. In fact, they likely should have, but they did not, losing 66-59. The Boilers — especially these seniors — are not afraid of the Kohl Center. Closing out a win tonight would have made JJ and Smooge 3-1 at Wisconsin in their careers, a fun stat that would have been awesome to lord over obnoxious Badger fans. However, it was not to be…and while officiating was again atrocious, that was once again not why the Boilers lost.” (Boiled Sports)
  • #24 UNC 106, Boston College 74: “I’m not sure if I can express how good a game this was to people who didn’t see it. Looking at the score, sure you may be excited that UNC cracked the century mark, but you’ll probably just chalk it up to Boston College not being very good. And their defense is indeed pretty bad. But they’re a decent team at home, and Carolina just beat them worse than Duke managed in Cameron. This was the best complete game I’ve seen from the Tar Heels all season; from the moment they took their first lead – off of not coincidentally a Reggie Bullock three pointer – they didn’t let up, putting over 100 points on the Eagles in regulation for the first time since 1996.” (Carolina March)
  • #24 Illinois 68, Penn State 51: “I cannot overstate how important this game was for the Illini. Having lost four of the last five games, including one to this very same Penn State team, the Illini slumped to 4-4 in the Big Ten, and 14-7 overall, and with a loss to Indiana fell to the brink of the tournament field. Talor Battle, as you all well know, has been a total thorn against the Illini and has single handedly stolen victories against Illinois.” (Hail to the Orange)

Pre-Game Analysis

  • #6 Duke at Maryland: “Not a lot has changed since Maryland and Duke last played at Cameron Indoor, a game which Duke won by much less than everyone was expecting. That also means that my previous preview is still accurate, which saves me quite a bit of trouble on writing this one, as long as you click that one and save me some time. The Blue Devils are still Kyrie Irving-less. They still don’t have a back-to-the-basket post presence to answer Jordan Williams. They still rely heavily on point guard Nolan Smith (21 ppg) and small forward Kyle Singler (18 ppg). They’re still a top 5 team ranked by KenPom, although they’ve taken heavy hits in essentially every category (not hard to do, considering they were at or near #1 in a good majority of them last time).” (Testudo Times: Part 1 and Part 2)
  • Virginia Tech at NC State: “Will this be the final time the Hokies face Sidney Lowe, at least in the regular season?  [My guess is YES.]  Will Lowe wear that bright red sport coat?  [No doubt.]  Can the Hokies hit the halfway mark of the ACC schedule at 5-3, or will they be 4-4?  [Hmm, I think the former but wouldn’t be stunned if it was the latter.]  Tune in to the Deuce on Wednesday as these questions and more will be answered.” (Tech Hoops)

News/Analysis

  • Indiana sophomore Christian Watford out indefinitely: The Hoosiers were dealt a major blow as they lost their leading scorer yesterday. (Inside the Hall)
  • Twitter Rumor: Wally Judge to Transfer to Maryland? Why You Should Care: Analyzing the Twitter rumors and the possibility that the former Kansas State player might end up in a Maryland uniform. (Testudo Times)
  • Down 1 With 30 Seconds to Go, Who Takes The Shot?: Asking the question of who should get the ball in end of game situations for the Wildcats even before their loss at Ole Miss. (A Sea of Blue)
  • Scotty Hopson: More Opportunity, More Turnovers: “Last Friday Dane Bradshaw was on The Sports Animal discussing Scotty Hopson’s inconsistency, and his assist/turnover ratio was brought up.  It was an interesting conversation, and after doing some additional research, I think it’s the one that most clearly defines some of the issues – positive and negative – with Hopson’s play.” (Rocky Top Talk)
  • Syracuse vs. UConn: Orange Arrival Still A Go: Despite yet another blizzard in the Northeast the Orange still plan on being in Connecticut for the game tonight against the Huskies. (Troy Nunes is an Absolute Magician)
  • Syracuse Basketball Is Just Going Through A Down Cycle: “It’s so obvious, I can’t believe I missed it. All this time we’ve been wondering what’s wrong with the Syracuse basketball team and the answer was right there in front of us. We kept trying to figure out how an 18-0 team suddenly loses four in a row and resembles merely a shell of its former self and we kept getting nowhere. It’s so simple, really. We’re just going through a down cycle.” (Troy Nunes is an Absolute Magician)
  • UCLA Basketball: Pac-10 Midway Point Surprises: Taking a look at some of the bigger surprises in the Pac-10 so far this season. (Bruins Nation)
  • Five Key Plays: Iowa at Michigan: Breaking down the five plays that led to Michigan’s victory over the Hawkeyes. (UM Hoops)
  • Recruiting Roundup: February 1st, 2011: Looking at some of Michigan’s featured recruits. (UM Hoops)
nvr1983 (1398 Posts)


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