Ha! I decided that Barkley's gambling problem stems from some bad B1G bets. The only game all Sat/Sun he picked a B1G team to win was IU.
The Buckeyes--while I was accurate in the preseason assessment that they would be scoring challenged, I did not give enough credit to the defense offsetting that deficiency. I thought they would be a middle of the pack Big 10 team with the strength of the conference, but they exceeded that. I was not going to be disappointed if they did not make the sweet 16, but here they are.
So, what is Arizona bringing to the table this year?
"Rounding 3rd and heading for home, good night everybody"
From what I have read somewhat like Ohio State. Very long athletic team who plays good defense. They live and die with Mark Lyons the former Xavier PG. If he has an off night they usually lose. Their weaknesses are they give up alot of 3 pointers and they turn the ball over a decent amount. This should be a good game.
traderumor (03-26-2013)
He's turribul.
I have no idea why these NBA analysts are handling the NCAA tournament. Can't they find people who know college basketball? I doubt Barkley and the rest of those guys watch much other than the NBA. They're clearly out of their league handling this tournament, no pun intended.
Game Summary: Star player keeps team in game for first 10 minutes. Next star player takes over last 10 minutes of second half to win the game.
If Thomas doesn't score 16 in the first half and hit some big buckets when Arizona was threatening to run away with it, the second half would have been overcoming a high double digit lead. Matta bringing Craft back in was also a stroke of bravado that worked out. Amir Williams rejection, for whatever reason, turned the tide and all of a sudden Arizona backed off, quit challenging as much. I said it was a big play when it happened as Arizona had been relentless for the first 12 minutes. Then a big guy blocks a shot and they wimper away like a frightened kitty from that point on. It was stunning to see how dramatic that one block changed the look of the opponent's offense.
Ross, you can just tell he's got it on offense, but he is so dang careless with the ball that you just never know and it has made it difficult to keep him on the floor. I'm glad he's developed now to the point where his careless turnovers are mitigated by production.
I am very impressed by DeShaun Thomas. Not because he's the star scorer, but that he has turned into a great teammate who appears to have played this season in the best interests of the team, not in rising his NBA draft status. He came on campus and never saw a shot he didn't like, played poor D, and made me wonder if he wasn't just a great HS player who disappoints in college. He has developed into at least a passable defender, the guy who can snatch you a big rebound, and is able to quietly carry the team on his back and step aside when the others start getting it going.
I know a lot of folks thought this could be the story of the Bucks season, with some development resulting in a nice tourney run. I was skeptical, esp. after the mid-conference slump. Now, I see them as truly being a top 5 team at this point in the season. Ross is starting to play as expected, Thompson has developed a jumper, and the D is best in the country. Let's hope they don't take Wichita St. lightly, but who wouldn't want to be in a position to have only that standing between another trip to the Final Four?
As for Arizona, that was a talented team. I had not seen a minute of their games all year, but after watching them, the Bucks win is even more impressive.
Last edited by traderumor; 03-29-2013 at 10:13 AM.
"Rounding 3rd and heading for home, good night everybody"
*BaseClogger* (03-30-2013)
Obviously they aren't going to win if they don't start making shots, but a couple of these calls by the refs have been mind blowingly terrible. Bucks still would have been losing but it could have been 8 instead of 13.
Have to rebound better and shoot half way decent or this is going to be a 20 pt loss.
Picked a fine time to lay a turd.
Witty signature.
Frustrating. Craft sitting at 1 for 10 from the floor. If he brings his D game it's tied.
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