2011/12 Observation Deck

[JMT]

Up early watching Syracuse-Cincy replay. Not sure who wins. Doesn't matter.

Syracuse is a very vulnerable tournament team, and I thought so before this game.

They almost have to force you out of yours to get theirs. Reliant on turnovers and getting a lead, making the opposition play man-to-man. The P&R is really the only thing they do very well in the halfcourt. Cincy has zoned them in stretches very effectively.

For all their size, their ability to rebound is always compromised by playing so much zone.

Players WAY too quick to point at and jaw at each other.

Most importantly, where do they get their points in a big moment? During the tourney there are going to come times when it's all slowed down, half court. Where do they go for that guaranteed quality shot? If you answer "they get scoring from so many places", then the answer is "they don't know". And that's the wrong answer.

After watching the general caliber of play in the Big East this week, their resume becomes less impressive by the minute. And that's regardless how this comes out.

[InspiredLebowski]

Brad Beal's going to go from overlooked to way overhyped if he keeps this up

[KG215]

No Henson and Barnes was a no show in the first half, and we're still only down three. C.J. Leslie wouldn't be going off like this if we had Henson. And predictably, no Henson has led to a huge game so far for C.J. Leslie.

[GatorKid117]

Brad Beal's going to go from overlooked to way overhyped if he keeps this up

Playing phenomenal right now. Hopefully it carries over into the tournament. We can be a dangerous team.

[KG215]

North Carolina State is simply playing like they want this one way more, which I kind of expected. McAdoo has four fouls which means UNC is really in trouble now, unless Barnes just goes off.

[statman32]

Big game for my Cats today. Minus the horrific game against ASU, Sean Miller has them playing at there best at the end of the year once again. Pretty impressive considering Parrom being out and Turner being suspended but the upperclassmen are playing great. Don't be surprised if they make a run to the Sweet 16.

[InspiredLebowski]

UK/UF's been a helluva game

[InspiredLebowski]

Brad Nessler droppin Ric Flair references

[KG215]

UK/UF's been a helluva game

So was UNC/NC State. Sucks they were on at the same time.

The officiating in the UNC game was terrible and we did get the benefit of more calls. Mark Gottfried really made a dumb decision to leave C.J. Leslie in the game with four fouls and about 8:00 to play, and then he fouled out a couple of minutes later. Of course they said Gottfried thought Leslie's 4th foul was actually his 3rd foul and none of the assistants pointed it out to him.

No idea how we won that game; no John Henson and Harrison Barnes was a no show. Both teams were riddled with foul trouble as James McAdoo picked up his 4th foul with 15:00 to go in the game, and UNC had to play little used 6'4" Justin Watts most of the second half (who defended C.J. Leslie for large portions of the game) in a four guard lineup with Barnes at the PF.

Essentially, UNC played without the only player in Anthony Davis' neighborhood as a shot-blocker/game-changer, and their best player only shooting 3/15 from the floor still found a way to win because North Carolina State got in some serious foul trouble in the second half; some were bad calls but State did foul a lot, too. What irked me is that Len Elmore kept going on and on about NC State's foul trouble without barely mentioning we didn't have Henson, Henson's replacement got his 4th foul with 15:00 to play, and Kendall Marshall sat the last 5-7 minutes of the 1st half with foul trouble. UNC played a longer than usual stretch of the 1st half with a lineup of Stillman White-P.J. Hairston-Reggie Bullock-Harrison Barnes-Desmond Hubert.

Still, I can't complain about the officials because I feel that UNC was slightly the bigger benefactor of a terribly officiated game.

[JMT]

I know fans get into them, but these conference tournaments are more meaningless with each passing year. Unless there's a VERY fine line between two top seeds, the committee couldn't care less about these results.

Hell, coaches could barely care less. For them, it's merely a chance to put their team in a pressure situation (ie Calipari not calling TO when Florida made a late run) without there being any real pressure.

These come down to emotion and urgency more than anything else. Have very little to do with which teams are better at this time of the season.

They're fun, and a great way to see which teams have the components to make a tourney run, but that's about it.

[JMT]

Every time I see Florida State, I think they pass the eyeball test. Tough, physical, deep, defend.

Then I remember that they're coached by Leonard Hamilton.

Really having a tough time deciding if they can overcome his awful in-game coaching and live up to their potential.

[Black Joker]

J Sully is just dominating Michigan right now

[KG215]

Every time I see Florida State, I think they pass the eyeball test. Tough, physical, deep, defend.

Then I remember that they're coached by Leonard Hamilton.

Really having a tough time deciding if they can overcome his awful in-game coaching and live up to their potential.

They have the roster make-up of a top 10-12 team. When Loucks, Snaer, Miller, and Doulkys are hitting from three they are a top 5-7 team. But yes, you never know what's going to happen to them in tight games with Leonard Hamilton on the sideline.

[JMT]

J Sully is just dominating Michigan right now

Hope it keeps up. I want everybody high on Ohio State and low on Michigan come bracket time.

[KG215]

Hope it keeps up. I want everybody high on Ohio State and low on Michigan come bracket time.

If Ohio State couldn't make it past the Sweet 16 last year they aren't making it past the Sweet 16 or Elite 8 this year without a favorable draw and some higher seeds in their region getting knocked out early along the way.

Florida State had Duke on the ropes, then a too long series of sloppy and disorganized offensive possessions by FSU allowed Duke to get right back in the game.