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The title of this post says it all about the Bearcats performance against Notre Dame tonight. The game just ended and so did the Big East Tournament for the University of Cincinnati. UC didn't bring their A game tonight, obviously. It was embarrassing and the biggest margin of victory ever in the Big East Tournament.
I honestly thought that UC was going to win the game tonight. Not just blind optimism for my favorite team either. The Bearcats have been playing as well as about anyone in the nation lately. Their defense had been smothering up until tonight. Where did it all go? The defense was non-existent. They didn't play with any kind of confidence on the offensive end. Notre Dame was making every shot and UC's players kind of got down about it and just gave up. Once they started pulling away the Cats started playing with no intelligence and making stupid mistakes that they wouldn't ordinarily make. That just made things easier for the Irish and they started getting wide open looks right under the basket. Players just started doing there own thing out there and they quit playing as a team, which is what had them playing so well as of late. Notre Dame isn't that much better than the Cats, and we just handed them the game once they got up by double digits. There was no fight, grit, scrapyness in this team tonight.
I just hope this doesn't cause them to free fall as far as their seed goes in the NCAA Tournament. The consensus had been that they were a six seed going into tonight. I thought a win tonight would get them to a five, a win tomorrow that would've put them in the championship game would have gotten them a four, and if they won the Big East Tournament they would have earned a three seed in the NCAA Tournament. I still think they should get a five or six seed. If they fall a seven or eight seed that is wrong. There's no way they should make one off night more important than the body of work.
ESPN has them at a six while Xavier and Georgetown are five seeds and UC beat both of them by over 20 points. That is laughable. I am not a Xavier hater, but it's no coincidence that they start every season 10-6 and then go on a 14-2 run the last half of the year. They play in the Atlantic 10 which isn't a very tough conference. Xavier and Temple are the only teams in the A10 that are good with any consistency. The Cats are a better team than Xavier and beat them by 20 points. While I do think Xavier is a good team, you have to look at the opponents and not just the fact that they won more games the second half of the year. There's no way that Xavier should be seeded ahead of Cincinnati.
If any positives can be taken from tonight's game against the Irish it's that maybe it gives them the mentality that they still have a ton of work to do to get where they want to get and this helps them refocus and get ready for the NCAA Tournament. They also won't go into next week after playing four games in four days and have that wear and tear on their body. It'll give them a couple extra days to get back to Cincinnati and get to practice and work on the things that need fixed. Also they got some exposure on national television and played in the biggest and best conference tournament in the nation and made it to the third day of that tournament, getting their name out there more and more.
Okay it's now NCAA Tournament time and the Bearcats we know will be in come selection Sunday. As UC fans we should all be excited that the Cats are back in the tournament and the rebuilding process has come to an end and now it's time for the building and winning process. The Cats aren't quite back to the elite of college basketball that they were not that long ago, but they aren't that far away either. This team is definitely capable of winning some games in this Tournament next week and hopefully a game the following week. I doubt this team is ready to make a final four run, but they are ready for a sweet sixteen run and depending on the draw possibly an elite eight. So lets all get ready for Sunday and hope the tournament committee doesn't screw the Cats based on what happened at Madison Square Garden tonight against the Irish.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Big East Tournament
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It's quarterfinals day in the Big East Tournament today. I'm a little late getting this post put up. Connecticut just upset the top seed Pittsburgh on a Kemba Walker buzzer beater. The final play was defended poorly by Pitt. Kemba Walker inbounded the ball and then got it back and received a screen up top. Pitt switched and had their Center 22 feet away from the basket trying guard Walker with no help. I thought there is no way this can be happening. The shot clock was off and UConn had the ball with 15 seconds left. The entire building knew who was taking that last shot. If I'm the coach I want my quickest Guard out on Walker and my most athletic Forward with good length helping him. The Guard covers him tight and the Forward helps if Walker drives. That's not what Pitt did though and Walker drained the last shot at the buzzer. You have to make someone else take that shot, not one of the best players in the nation.
The Syracuse vs St. Johns game just started. Syracuse always fairs well in this tournament and St. Johns played tight yesterday with the pressure of being the defacto home team. Hopefully they bring their A game today or they will get blown out. I'm rooting for St. Johns, but think Syracuse will win.
The two night games are the Bearcats against Notre Dame and Marquette against Louisville. Marquette had the mini upset over West Virginia last night and pretty much assured the Big East gets 11 teams into the NCAA Tournament. Now I'd say the closest team to the bubble in the conference is Villanova with Georgetown right on their heels. I'm taking Marquette in the late game and obviously the Bearcats. In fact, with Pitt going down if UC pulls off the win over Notre Dame, I like them to win the tournament. Pitt was the only team in the Big East that plays as many guys as the Bearcats do and they're out. If Cincy wins tonight they get the Louisville/Marquette winner. They have beaten both of those teams this year already and neither game even came down to the wire. If they win tonight, I guarantee a finals appearance. With Pitt out I don't think there's a single team UC can't beat.
We should all be Marquette fans if Cincy beats Notre Dame as that would mean Marquette would be playing their fourth game of the tournament. The Bearcats would be playing their third game, but play nine players double digit minutes and only one player played more than 25 minutes last night. The Bearcats would have a distinct advantage because their players would only have played about half the minutes Marquettes have as they don't go very deep into their bench. Louisville doesn't either, but they had the double bye so as far as minutes go it would be close between the two. For now though I'm getting ahead of myself and the Cats need to go out, guard the perimeter, rebound, and beat Notre Dame tonight.
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It's quarterfinals day in the Big East Tournament today. I'm a little late getting this post put up. Connecticut just upset the top seed Pittsburgh on a Kemba Walker buzzer beater. The final play was defended poorly by Pitt. Kemba Walker inbounded the ball and then got it back and received a screen up top. Pitt switched and had their Center 22 feet away from the basket trying guard Walker with no help. I thought there is no way this can be happening. The shot clock was off and UConn had the ball with 15 seconds left. The entire building knew who was taking that last shot. If I'm the coach I want my quickest Guard out on Walker and my most athletic Forward with good length helping him. The Guard covers him tight and the Forward helps if Walker drives. That's not what Pitt did though and Walker drained the last shot at the buzzer. You have to make someone else take that shot, not one of the best players in the nation.
The Syracuse vs St. Johns game just started. Syracuse always fairs well in this tournament and St. Johns played tight yesterday with the pressure of being the defacto home team. Hopefully they bring their A game today or they will get blown out. I'm rooting for St. Johns, but think Syracuse will win.
The two night games are the Bearcats against Notre Dame and Marquette against Louisville. Marquette had the mini upset over West Virginia last night and pretty much assured the Big East gets 11 teams into the NCAA Tournament. Now I'd say the closest team to the bubble in the conference is Villanova with Georgetown right on their heels. I'm taking Marquette in the late game and obviously the Bearcats. In fact, with Pitt going down if UC pulls off the win over Notre Dame, I like them to win the tournament. Pitt was the only team in the Big East that plays as many guys as the Bearcats do and they're out. If Cincy wins tonight they get the Louisville/Marquette winner. They have beaten both of those teams this year already and neither game even came down to the wire. If they win tonight, I guarantee a finals appearance. With Pitt out I don't think there's a single team UC can't beat.
We should all be Marquette fans if Cincy beats Notre Dame as that would mean Marquette would be playing their fourth game of the tournament. The Bearcats would be playing their third game, but play nine players double digit minutes and only one player played more than 25 minutes last night. The Bearcats would have a distinct advantage because their players would only have played about half the minutes Marquettes have as they don't go very deep into their bench. Louisville doesn't either, but they had the double bye so as far as minutes go it would be close between the two. For now though I'm getting ahead of myself and the Cats need to go out, guard the perimeter, rebound, and beat Notre Dame tonight.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Bearcats Dominant!!!
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The title says it all, UC beat the crap out of South Florida. They dominated about every statistical category. The Bearcats came out and jumped to an early lead and once that happened I felt like they were going to dominate this game and they did. South Florida's best chance was to come out and build an early lead. Honestly I thought there was a good possibility of that happening with them playing yesterday and already having their feet wet. You see it happen all the time when a team has a bye in a tournament, they come out sluggish, while the other team is immediately into the flow of the game having played one day earlier. Usually that is made up for in the second half as the team without the bye has tired legs. Once the Bearcats jumped out to an early lead I figured South Florida was in trouble.
Yancy Gates was the star of the game and is playing like he belongs in the NBA right now. Whatever happened to turn the switch on for Yancy has ignited this entire team and they are playing like a top 15 team in the nation, if not better than that. Gates was an incredible 10 for 11 from the field with 25 points. He also had 4 rebounds and an assist. He did all this playing 23 minutes, that's barely over half the game. If you double his stats for a full 40 minutes, you're talking 50 points and 8 rebounds. That's how dominant he was tonight. If Gates keeps playing with intensity the sky is the limit for him, and he could carry this team to a Big East Tournament Championship and possibly a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.
Dion Dixon and Sean Kilpatrick both also scored in double digits with 21 points and 12 points respectively. Both of them shot 50% or better as well. Between the two of them they also brought down 9 rebounds with Dixon having six. The only player to play over 30 minutes was Dixon as he had 31. I've said it before, over and over again, that if UC can get by Notre Dame tomorrow they have a good chance to win this whole thing with them playing 9 players double digit minutes. They did it again tonight as 9 players had double digit minutes. If they get by Notre Dame they will be in the semifinals and by then each team will have played a game and some two or three if Marquette can beat West Virginia in the game going on right now and get by Louisville tomorrow.
The Bearcats are playing as a team better than anyone in the country in my opinion. They need to, if you aren't the most talented team the best way to beat a more talented team is through teamwork. Don't get me wrong, the Bearcats have some talent. To me, a lot of their players are underrated. That said of the teams remaining in this tournament most of them have more talent on their team. Or at least one or two players that are more talented than anyone the Bearcats have on their roster. That doesn't necessarily mean they are more talented top to bottom though and I would take the Bearcats 8th and 9th guys over about any other team's 8th and 9th guys and our top players aren't too far over matched, especially Gates and Cashmere Wright.
One team that may not be more talented than the Bearcats is Notre Dame, who is next on the checklist for UC in this tournament. They do have Ben Hansborough who is the conference player of the year. While he's a great college player, he isn't going to be an NBA star, just like his brother. I think the Bearcats are more athletic than Notre Dame and they will need to use their length and athleticism to beat the Irish tomorrow night. Everyone knows what Notre Dame is going to do, the high screen and roll. They do it all the time. The Bearcats are going to have to fight through those screens and come over the top. They can not drop below and give them open looks at the three. That's how the Irish win. There will be more on this tomorrow, but Notre Dame is a team that lives by the three. When you live by the three you die by the three.
Anyway back to the impressive win over South Florida tonight. The defense has been carrying this team all year and was good again tonight. They are now the fourth best scoring defense in the country and the best in the Big East. I'm surprised to be saying this, but this defense is better than any of the Huggin's teams that I can remember. They are smothering offenses and opponents aren't getting many good looks. Their press has been effective all year and was again tonight. It wore South Florida down and there was no chance of them making a big comeback again tonight. With the Bearcats playing 9 guys double digit minutes, the press doesn't have to create a bunch of steals to be effective. They can use it to wear teams down as other than Pitt nobody goes as deep to their bench as UC does.
The Bearcats need to go out to dinner and enjoy this tonight and then it's back to work tomorrow. Make sure they get a good nights rest. I'd like to be talking about how the Bearcats won by blowout again tomorrow night and didn't have to play their best players more than 25 minutes or so like they did tonight. If UC can keep playing as a team and smothering opposing offenses with their great defenses they can make runs this year. Forget building for the future, the time is now to win Big East Tournaments and make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament
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The title says it all, UC beat the crap out of South Florida. They dominated about every statistical category. The Bearcats came out and jumped to an early lead and once that happened I felt like they were going to dominate this game and they did. South Florida's best chance was to come out and build an early lead. Honestly I thought there was a good possibility of that happening with them playing yesterday and already having their feet wet. You see it happen all the time when a team has a bye in a tournament, they come out sluggish, while the other team is immediately into the flow of the game having played one day earlier. Usually that is made up for in the second half as the team without the bye has tired legs. Once the Bearcats jumped out to an early lead I figured South Florida was in trouble.
Yancy Gates was the star of the game and is playing like he belongs in the NBA right now. Whatever happened to turn the switch on for Yancy has ignited this entire team and they are playing like a top 15 team in the nation, if not better than that. Gates was an incredible 10 for 11 from the field with 25 points. He also had 4 rebounds and an assist. He did all this playing 23 minutes, that's barely over half the game. If you double his stats for a full 40 minutes, you're talking 50 points and 8 rebounds. That's how dominant he was tonight. If Gates keeps playing with intensity the sky is the limit for him, and he could carry this team to a Big East Tournament Championship and possibly a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.
Dion Dixon and Sean Kilpatrick both also scored in double digits with 21 points and 12 points respectively. Both of them shot 50% or better as well. Between the two of them they also brought down 9 rebounds with Dixon having six. The only player to play over 30 minutes was Dixon as he had 31. I've said it before, over and over again, that if UC can get by Notre Dame tomorrow they have a good chance to win this whole thing with them playing 9 players double digit minutes. They did it again tonight as 9 players had double digit minutes. If they get by Notre Dame they will be in the semifinals and by then each team will have played a game and some two or three if Marquette can beat West Virginia in the game going on right now and get by Louisville tomorrow.
The Bearcats are playing as a team better than anyone in the country in my opinion. They need to, if you aren't the most talented team the best way to beat a more talented team is through teamwork. Don't get me wrong, the Bearcats have some talent. To me, a lot of their players are underrated. That said of the teams remaining in this tournament most of them have more talent on their team. Or at least one or two players that are more talented than anyone the Bearcats have on their roster. That doesn't necessarily mean they are more talented top to bottom though and I would take the Bearcats 8th and 9th guys over about any other team's 8th and 9th guys and our top players aren't too far over matched, especially Gates and Cashmere Wright.
One team that may not be more talented than the Bearcats is Notre Dame, who is next on the checklist for UC in this tournament. They do have Ben Hansborough who is the conference player of the year. While he's a great college player, he isn't going to be an NBA star, just like his brother. I think the Bearcats are more athletic than Notre Dame and they will need to use their length and athleticism to beat the Irish tomorrow night. Everyone knows what Notre Dame is going to do, the high screen and roll. They do it all the time. The Bearcats are going to have to fight through those screens and come over the top. They can not drop below and give them open looks at the three. That's how the Irish win. There will be more on this tomorrow, but Notre Dame is a team that lives by the three. When you live by the three you die by the three.
Anyway back to the impressive win over South Florida tonight. The defense has been carrying this team all year and was good again tonight. They are now the fourth best scoring defense in the country and the best in the Big East. I'm surprised to be saying this, but this defense is better than any of the Huggin's teams that I can remember. They are smothering offenses and opponents aren't getting many good looks. Their press has been effective all year and was again tonight. It wore South Florida down and there was no chance of them making a big comeback again tonight. With the Bearcats playing 9 guys double digit minutes, the press doesn't have to create a bunch of steals to be effective. They can use it to wear teams down as other than Pitt nobody goes as deep to their bench as UC does.
The Bearcats need to go out to dinner and enjoy this tonight and then it's back to work tomorrow. Make sure they get a good nights rest. I'd like to be talking about how the Bearcats won by blowout again tomorrow night and didn't have to play their best players more than 25 minutes or so like they did tonight. If UC can keep playing as a team and smothering opposing offenses with their great defenses they can make runs this year. Forget building for the future, the time is now to win Big East Tournaments and make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Cincinnati vs. South Florida Preview
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University of Cincinnati vs. University of South Florida
@ Madison Square Garden
Game Time 7 pm.
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Well I Can't believe I'm writing this but South Florida overcame a sixteen point deficit against Villanova to advance to the 2nd round of the Big East Tournament. This is a big time trap game for Cincinnati and I hope they don't come in too cocky and unprepared. If they do they could be coming back to Cincinnati tomorrow night. South Florida will have an early edge, I'm talking first four minutes, due to the fact they played on Tuesday and will be into the flow of the game. That early edge though will be given back late when the Bearcats are fresh and South Florida could be on tired legs.
Mick Cronin said it best the other day, when he said if they play and lost to Villanova it's no big deal. If they lose to South Florida it's a big deal and will likely cost them a few spots in the seeding in the NCAA Tournament. That said, this is a game the Bearcats should win and advance to the Quarterfinals against Notre Dame, which should help their seed a bit. South Florida comes into this game with 10 wins and 22 losses, including a 3-15 record in the Big East regular season.
The thing that worries me about the Bulls is they have a stud 3 point shooter, Shaun Noriega. If he gets hot and the Bearcats allow him open looks on the perimeter they could be in trouble. That's the thing that makes college basketball, especially March, great. One player can get hot and carry a smaller school on a run through their conference and NCAA tournaments. The Bulls run a set of 3 Guards and 2 Forwards who are basically Centers at 6-10 and 6-11. They like to play inside out, feeding those big men to force doubles and kick it out to Noriega. Gilchrist is their best big man and Famous the other Center is a good defender and rebounder. The Bulls don't have much, really any, depth on the inside and if Gates can get their bigs in foul trouble it should be game over. The Bulls basically play 7 players, 9 got in the game tonight, but the other two were for 3 and 4 minutes. When they sub for their bigs they basically run a 4 Guard set and when that happens UC should be able to use their size to their advantage, and still have the length and athleticism to guard the smaller, 4 Guard set. The Bulls aren't a great rebounding team even with the two Centers underneath, and the Bearcats should be able to put up a lot of second chance points.
Keys to the Victory:
- Hit the offensive glass hard
- Dominate the glass on the defensive end
- Feed the ball inside to Gates and get their bigs in foul trouble (if they do this it's game over)
- Guard Noriega on the perimeter
- Use the bench and the advantage with the bye, giving yourself fresher legs
- With the fresher legs, press and make them run the full court
- Get up big so we can rest players for Notre Dame
Wow South Florida With The Upset
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Is it good or bad that Villanova lost to South Florida? They squandered a 16 point halftime lead in the second half. That tells me that they were worn down, which I suspected they would be with Stokes and Fisher being hurt lately and not in top shape. That said, Villanova is clearly a better team, which is why they had a 16 point lead at halftime. The problem is they would have had even more tired legs in tomorrow's game. Likely matching up two even teams with one being worn down and the other fresher than probably any team in the Big East. South Florida wasn't the 15th place team out of 16 teams for nothing. They aren't a very good team, or very deep, so they had lots of players playing a lot of minutes which should give UC an advantage.
The problem is any team can get hot. Especially when they have a stud 3 point shooter. This would be considered a bad loss as well and if UC gets upset that will likely affect their seeding big time. They could drop from a 6th seed to a 8th, 9th, or even 10th seed. You never know with the tournament committee. Really though I'm glad they won, I think UC will take care of business as they know what's at stake. Hopefully they can get up big fairly early and keep key players rested. That is not necessary though as the Bearcats routinely play 9 players double digit minutes with little drop off coming off the bench. That should have them fresher than anyone in this conference and this tournament is set up for them to make a big run if they can get past their first two games. With the depth they play with they have a distinct advantage over about everyone, except for Pittsburgh who they wouldn't meet until the Finals.
If they do get by South Florida, Notre Dame, who is on fire, is waiting for them. Notre Dame has the double bye as well so no advantage over them which is why I said they need to get past their first two games. There are two things about Notre Dame though. They are most dominant at home and not so much on the road. Well Madison Square Garden isn't Notre Dame's home court. The other thing is they live by the three. The saying goes, "if you live by the three, you die by the three." So an off shooting night could cause Notre Dame to be in trouble and that could very well happen with them coming off the double bye. Sitting around waiting to play could give them an off shooting night, lets hope so! Anyway look out for the next article which will be a UC vs South Florida preview. I didn't get to watch the second half of tonight's game, so you can imagine I was shocked that South Florida is the opponent. When I left my house they were down by sixteen!
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Is it good or bad that Villanova lost to South Florida? They squandered a 16 point halftime lead in the second half. That tells me that they were worn down, which I suspected they would be with Stokes and Fisher being hurt lately and not in top shape. That said, Villanova is clearly a better team, which is why they had a 16 point lead at halftime. The problem is they would have had even more tired legs in tomorrow's game. Likely matching up two even teams with one being worn down and the other fresher than probably any team in the Big East. South Florida wasn't the 15th place team out of 16 teams for nothing. They aren't a very good team, or very deep, so they had lots of players playing a lot of minutes which should give UC an advantage.
The problem is any team can get hot. Especially when they have a stud 3 point shooter. This would be considered a bad loss as well and if UC gets upset that will likely affect their seeding big time. They could drop from a 6th seed to a 8th, 9th, or even 10th seed. You never know with the tournament committee. Really though I'm glad they won, I think UC will take care of business as they know what's at stake. Hopefully they can get up big fairly early and keep key players rested. That is not necessary though as the Bearcats routinely play 9 players double digit minutes with little drop off coming off the bench. That should have them fresher than anyone in this conference and this tournament is set up for them to make a big run if they can get past their first two games. With the depth they play with they have a distinct advantage over about everyone, except for Pittsburgh who they wouldn't meet until the Finals.
If they do get by South Florida, Notre Dame, who is on fire, is waiting for them. Notre Dame has the double bye as well so no advantage over them which is why I said they need to get past their first two games. There are two things about Notre Dame though. They are most dominant at home and not so much on the road. Well Madison Square Garden isn't Notre Dame's home court. The other thing is they live by the three. The saying goes, "if you live by the three, you die by the three." So an off shooting night could cause Notre Dame to be in trouble and that could very well happen with them coming off the double bye. Sitting around waiting to play could give them an off shooting night, lets hope so! Anyway look out for the next article which will be a UC vs South Florida preview. I didn't get to watch the second half of tonight's game, so you can imagine I was shocked that South Florida is the opponent. When I left my house they were down by sixteen!
Time to Scout
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Okay Bearcat fans, Villanova and South Florida tip off in an hour and UC should be watching with much interest as they have the winner. It's nice to have a bye and be able to scout two teams that are playing bad basketball right now and know you play one tomorrow. Villanova is capable of beating the Bearcats, USF not so much. However Villanova's best two players are hurt and you wonder if their coach plays them sparingly to get them healed for the NCAA tournament. With Fisher and Stokes hurting, a deep run in this tournament would not be ideal for Villanova. They are going to get into the NCAA Tournament, and a deep run in the Big East Tournament would only beat them up more and give them less time to rest players.
UC plays nine players double digit minutes and gets little dropoff with players coming off the bench. That means our players are fresher right now, better equipped to run through a tournament like this, and can withstand an injury unless it's to Cashmere Wright. Anyway don't be suprised if South Florida pulls the upset tonight. Like I said, Villanova stands to gain very little by winning games in this tournament other than what their seed is in the NCAA's, and they aren't going to get a top seed regardless with how poor they've been playing lately.
Update:
Villanova is up 15 at the half, South Florida jumped out to a 10 point lead early only to see Nova end the half on a 28-7 run. I'm hopeful South Florida can at least get this thing close and force Villanova to play their starters the entire game. Especially Fisher and Stokes who have been hurt and are somewhat out of shape. That could be huge if they can stay up by double digits and sit those two the majority of the second half. If South Florida makes any kind of run and can get this thing to within seven or eight, I like UC's chances tomorrow against a Nova team with their best two Guards worn out. I still think Cincy is playing better right now and should be the favorites, but if they get a worn down Fisher and Stokes they could blow Villanova out and rest their key guys for the match up against Notre Dame on Thursday.
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Okay Bearcat fans, Villanova and South Florida tip off in an hour and UC should be watching with much interest as they have the winner. It's nice to have a bye and be able to scout two teams that are playing bad basketball right now and know you play one tomorrow. Villanova is capable of beating the Bearcats, USF not so much. However Villanova's best two players are hurt and you wonder if their coach plays them sparingly to get them healed for the NCAA tournament. With Fisher and Stokes hurting, a deep run in this tournament would not be ideal for Villanova. They are going to get into the NCAA Tournament, and a deep run in the Big East Tournament would only beat them up more and give them less time to rest players.
UC plays nine players double digit minutes and gets little dropoff with players coming off the bench. That means our players are fresher right now, better equipped to run through a tournament like this, and can withstand an injury unless it's to Cashmere Wright. Anyway don't be suprised if South Florida pulls the upset tonight. Like I said, Villanova stands to gain very little by winning games in this tournament other than what their seed is in the NCAA's, and they aren't going to get a top seed regardless with how poor they've been playing lately.
Update:
Villanova is up 15 at the half, South Florida jumped out to a 10 point lead early only to see Nova end the half on a 28-7 run. I'm hopeful South Florida can at least get this thing close and force Villanova to play their starters the entire game. Especially Fisher and Stokes who have been hurt and are somewhat out of shape. That could be huge if they can stay up by double digits and sit those two the majority of the second half. If South Florida makes any kind of run and can get this thing to within seven or eight, I like UC's chances tomorrow against a Nova team with their best two Guards worn out. I still think Cincy is playing better right now and should be the favorites, but if they get a worn down Fisher and Stokes they could blow Villanova out and rest their key guys for the match up against Notre Dame on Thursday.
Allegations Against Tressel and Ohio State
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Yahoo Sports has a story out that Jim Tressel knew about players selling memorabilia as many as eight months before the NCAA suspended the five players and did not report it. These are the same people that broke the Reggie Bush scandal and OJ Mayo scandal at USC. These two guys are obviously out to go after major universities to make a name for themselves. These are two scumbags that want to go out and go after mistakes that kids made in college. Why don't they grow a pair and go after grown men who are professionals. That's because they don't want to be blacklisted by the pros and get no interviews and no stories. Instead they go after college kids who can't do anything about it.
I for one am having a hard time believing that Tressel knew about this and did not report it. This is a genuine good guy who does everything by the book. Maybe he did hear something about it, but I'm sure college coaches hear things every day about players doing this or that and if they investigated every thing they heard all their time would be spent dealing with that and not coaching football. These coaches are not babysitters and can not possibly spend the time looking into everything they hear about 100 or so players that are on their teams. This is a guy who wrote a book called the Winner's Manuel in which the premise is doing things the right way and being a winner in life as well as football. This is a guy who has players come to his school because they are known for being taught how to be better people as well as better football players. I honestly just can't believe that Tressel had real knowledge and proof that these guys were breaking the rules and covered it up. I do believe someone probably told these two D bags from Yahoo that Tressel heard someone talking about it, but never had any proof, and therefore didn't report everything. Is he supposed to call the NCAA everytime he catches wind that one of his players did this or that. If that's the case then every coach in the nation should be in trouble. Since Ohio State is a mainstay in the BCS and has more BCS bowl wins than any other school they decided to go after them. Why? It's simple they are trying to make names for themselves. The Reggie Bush and OJ Mayo stories didn't do it, no one knows who these two are. So they decided to go after the next biggest program out there and see if that would work.
There is a press conference at Ohio State tonight. I can't wait to hear what they have to say. I want to hear more to this story and I want to see some solid proof that Tressel had undeniable knowledge that these guys were breaking the rules and either didn't report it or tried to cover it up. I just think there's a lot more to this story than the two yahoos from Yahoo are saying. So far they've said Tressel knew and did nothing. They didn't offer any proof other than they heard from someone that this was going on.
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Yahoo Sports has a story out that Jim Tressel knew about players selling memorabilia as many as eight months before the NCAA suspended the five players and did not report it. These are the same people that broke the Reggie Bush scandal and OJ Mayo scandal at USC. These two guys are obviously out to go after major universities to make a name for themselves. These are two scumbags that want to go out and go after mistakes that kids made in college. Why don't they grow a pair and go after grown men who are professionals. That's because they don't want to be blacklisted by the pros and get no interviews and no stories. Instead they go after college kids who can't do anything about it.
I for one am having a hard time believing that Tressel knew about this and did not report it. This is a genuine good guy who does everything by the book. Maybe he did hear something about it, but I'm sure college coaches hear things every day about players doing this or that and if they investigated every thing they heard all their time would be spent dealing with that and not coaching football. These coaches are not babysitters and can not possibly spend the time looking into everything they hear about 100 or so players that are on their teams. This is a guy who wrote a book called the Winner's Manuel in which the premise is doing things the right way and being a winner in life as well as football. This is a guy who has players come to his school because they are known for being taught how to be better people as well as better football players. I honestly just can't believe that Tressel had real knowledge and proof that these guys were breaking the rules and covered it up. I do believe someone probably told these two D bags from Yahoo that Tressel heard someone talking about it, but never had any proof, and therefore didn't report everything. Is he supposed to call the NCAA everytime he catches wind that one of his players did this or that. If that's the case then every coach in the nation should be in trouble. Since Ohio State is a mainstay in the BCS and has more BCS bowl wins than any other school they decided to go after them. Why? It's simple they are trying to make names for themselves. The Reggie Bush and OJ Mayo stories didn't do it, no one knows who these two are. So they decided to go after the next biggest program out there and see if that would work.
There is a press conference at Ohio State tonight. I can't wait to hear what they have to say. I want to hear more to this story and I want to see some solid proof that Tressel had undeniable knowledge that these guys were breaking the rules and either didn't report it or tried to cover it up. I just think there's a lot more to this story than the two yahoos from Yahoo are saying. So far they've said Tressel knew and did nothing. They didn't offer any proof other than they heard from someone that this was going on.
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