College basketball

[Vrede too]

Next up - Duke

That's mean, they haven't beaten San Diego State . . . yet.

Damn closer than I thought it would be. Unusually high fouls for us. Refs were calling really pissant fouls - both ways.

They came back from 12 down to tie with 26 seconds left. We won in overtime.

Congrats.

I'm not sure why Duke was so jacked up exicited when Xavier was making their last minute come back, but so down in the mouth when we were winning in overtime.

Christian heritage? Even other southerners don't like Alabama?

More seriously, could be because Auburn is ranked and Xavier isn't. Everyone likes an underdog and/or you're the more serious competition.

Is this the norm for high level teams?

This tournament is at a neutral site for both teams.

Duke
Kentucky was a neutral site.
12/20 vs Texas Tech will be a neutral site.
After 11 or more games, first game on an opponent's court 1/8 at Wake Forest.

Auburn
12/15 vs UAB will be a neutral site.
12/19 at North Carolina State
Then, after a total of 11 or more other games, next game on an opponent's court 1/9 at Mississippi.

I think so but will have to ask my late rising expert.

My guess - conference play starts in January.

Yeah, that forces away games, but I'm still surprised by the lack of them in non-conference play. Teams that can get away with it creating a money and rankings advantage?

? - how is Birmingham a neutral site for Auburn against the University of Alabama at Birmingham

Good point, I just went by the asterisk. Technically neutral because it's being played at the Legacy Arena at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex in North Birmingham (capacity 17,654) rather than at the Bartow Arena (capacity 8,508) at UAB. Maybe called "neutral" because it's harder to plug up the visitors' toilets?

[billy.pilgrim]

Stay tuned, Mt. Zion crumbles tonight.

[Vrede too]

Stay tuned, Mt. Zion crumbles tonight.

88-79 OT
90-64

[billy.pilgrim]

Stay tuned, Mt. Zion crumbles tonight.

88-79 OT
90-64

March

[Vrede too]

March

Close one, in keeping with their current rankings. You even won the 2nd half. I take it that the officiating was decent.

"... Duke withstood its toughest test of the season so far ...

Up next #3 Gonzaga, Wed. 1700 ET. For your sake I'll hope that Duke beats it worse than it did Auburn. Good luck vs AZ Wed. 2330 ET.

March it is. I would not lay a bet on the outcome now.

SAN DIEGO STATE 79, XAVIER 74
Funny how this doesn't sync with Duke-Auburn and yesterday's games. Maybe y'all drained Xavier.

[billy.pilgrim]

March

Close one, in keeping with their current rankings. You even won the 2nd half. I take it that the officiating was decent.

"... Duke withstood its toughest test of the season so far ...

Up next #3 Gonzaga, Wed. 1700 ET. For your sake I'll hope that Duke beats it worse than it did Auburn. Good luck vs AZ Wed. 2330 ET.

March it is. I would not lay a bet on the outcome now.

SAN DIEGO STATE 79, XAVIER 74
Funny how this doesn't sync with Duke-Auburn and yesterday's games. Maybe y'all drained Xavier.

Basketball is too fast for me to complain too much about close calls. I thought we were off our game in the first ten minutes - way too many missed shots. We missed 11 of our first 15 3 point attempts.

I did think it unusual that Duke shot 18 foul shots in the 1st half and Auburn had zero foul shot attempts. Both teams seemed equally physical around the ball.

Barrett and Bolden were great, Zion not so much.
Coach K, as always, coached a great game.

[Vrede too]

Game 2 could be Duke and Auburn

https://mauiinvitational.com/sports/201 ... acket.aspx

That's an impressive roster. Rankings are going to be made and broken. Kinda rude to not have a Hawaii team, though.

Up next #3 Gonzaga, Wed. 1700 ET. For your sake I'll hope that Duke beats it worse than it did Auburn.

Basketball is too fast for me to complain too much about close calls. I thought we were off our game in the first ten minutes - way too many missed shots. We missed 11 of our first 15 3 point attempts.

I did think it unusual that Duke shot 18 foul shots in the 1st half and Auburn had zero foul shot attempts. Both teams seemed equally physical around the ball.

Barrett and Bolden were great, Zion not so much.
Coach K, as always, coached a great game.

Gonzaga 89, Duke 87. Opps.

[billy.pilgrim]

Game 2 could be Duke and Auburn

https://mauiinvitational.com/sports/201 ... acket.aspx

That's an impressive roster. Rankings are going to be made and broken. Kinda rude to not have a Hawaii team, though.

Up next #3 Gonzaga, Wed. 1700 ET. For your sake I'll hope that Duke beats it worse than it did Auburn.

Basketball is too fast for me to complain too much about close calls. I thought we were off our game in the first ten minutes - way too many missed shots. We missed 11 of our first 15 3 point attempts.

I did think it unusual that Duke shot 18 foul shots in the 1st half and Auburn had zero foul shot attempts. Both teams seemed equally physical around the ball.

Barrett and Bolden were great, Zion not so much.
Coach K, as always, coached a great game.

Gonzaga 89, Duke 87. Opps.

Too bad (besides, it makes our loss look worse - not really - I'm a fan). Duke has always been my #2 and before Pearl, Coach K was always my favorite coach. I didn't get to watch any games yesterday. I'm watching Auburn replay right now - 22 to 13. Harper is fun to watch.

All the press I saw was either insulting or dismissive of Auburn's performance against Duke. Things like espn - even on an off day Duke shows their greatness in a dominating performance over Auburn, or Auburn never really posed a threat, or ...

Except for the Coach K quotes - he knew that the had been in a game. He's a great guy.

An Auburn reporter, but K quotes

https://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/201 ... ybody.html

"You look at our league, we’re going to be in a lot of games; we’re going to get beat,” Krzyzewski said. “You can get beat and play well. And this (Auburn) team would be an outstanding team in any league."

“I thought their two guards are really as good as any two guards in the country,” Krzyzewski said. “They are big-time, elite guards and we did, overall, a good job against them. But they are elite.”

"They can beat anybody,” Krzyzewski said of Auburn. “They can beat anybody. They're primed to play us and our guys.”

He also mentioned that we will get one of our top players back in a couple of weeks and although he didn't say, I bet he is grateful that our 3 point shooters missed 11 of our first 13 attempts.

Go Duke

WDE

I'm glad we got to play and hope we meet again in March.

[Vrede too]

... Good luck vs AZ Wed. 2330 ET.

Congrats. You're going down 12/4 vs. North Carolina-Asheville.

(Unranked) Texas stuns (former) No. 7 North Carolina in Las Vegas

Not a good week for NC bball.

[billy.pilgrim]

I have never seen a coach stay seated for the entire game and with his head down, face in hands for most of it. Poor Peacocks.

[billy.pilgrim]

Sister Jean got a Final Four ring
with extra bling



https://www.cbssports.com/college-baske ... a-chicago/

[Vrede too]

Sistah J rules!

I have never seen a coach stay seated for the entire game and with his head down, face in hands for most of it. Poor Peacocks.

Only 99-49, pffft.

[billy.pilgrim]

Sistah J rules!

I have never seen a coach stay seated for the entire game and with his head down, face in hands for most of it. Poor Peacocks.

Only 99-49, pffft.

The peacocks were almost all freshmen. They have a couple of good players.


Damn ESPN app cut off the last minute. Big walk-on guy, in for the first time, was set to shoot 2 foul shots and the score was 98 to 49.

I feel a little sorry for him, missing the shot to make it 100.

[billy.pilgrim]

Big game tomorrow. We're up against UNC Ashville.

[Vrede too]

Big game tomorrow. We're up against UNC Ashville.

Auburn's going down to the Bulldogs.

[O Really]

Wasn't there somebody in here always whining about UCF's "strength of schedule"? Who was that? Oh yeah, I think it was billy.p.

[billy.pilgrim]

Wasn't there somebody in here always whining about UCF's "strength of schedule"? Who was that? Oh yeah, I think it was billy.p.

If we only played easy teams like ucf does, I would say we don't deserve a ranking.

As for whining, that comes from the blue field team and ucf types after they go undefeated against unranked teams.

It's these wannabees that prove we need to go to a 16 team playoff. At least then they would have to play an actual ranked team.


(notice that I never mentioned that we played Duke in one of our first games. We did lose but only by 6)

[Vrede too]

Sure, it's easy to do at home.
Auburn ran up the score.
The refs sucked.
We was robbed.

[billy.pilgrim]

Sure, it's easy to do at home.
Auburn ran up the score.
The refs sucked.
We was robbed.

Whatever.

Auburn looked pretty bad. We'll see if it was the close Duke game or Ashville game that was the anomaly.

And, why is the media seeming to be badmouthing Duke?

[Vrede too]

... And, why is the media seeming to be badmouthing Duke?

I didn't know that they are. It's 8-1, #3, beat #8 Auburn by a narrow 6 and lost to now #1 Gonzaga by just 2. Otherwise, it's blowing out its opponents, including #9 KY. So, can't be quality of play. Something else?