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OSUBasketballJunkie
Never Forget 31-0
Dispatch
BIG TEN ROUNDUP
Ryan notches 500 th win
Sunday, November 26, 2006
ASSOCIATED PRESS
AL GOLDIS ASSOCIATED PRESS Michigan State?s Drew Neitzel, center, has nowhere to go after being tied up by Johnathon Jones, left, and Vova Severovas of Oakland, Mich.
No. 7 Wisconsin 77, Auburn 63
Kammron Taylor scored 16 points and No. 7 Wisconsin rebounded from its first loss of the season by winning the third-place game in the South Padre Island (Texas) Invitational and giving coach Bo Ryan his 500 th career victory.
Ryan became the 15 th active Division I coach to reach 500 victories. His career record is 500-153 in 23 seasons at Division III Wisconsin-Platteville (15 seasons), Wisconsin-Milwaukee (two seasons) and Wisconsin (sixth season).
"I got the gray hair," Ryan said. "(The players) know how I am. It?s (onto) the next game. Now we?ve got Florida State."
Alando Tucker had15 points for Wisconsin (5-1), which lost to Missouri State on Friday. DeWayne Reed led Auburn (4-2) with 17 points.
After leading 35-25 at halftime, the Badgers led by double digits for most of the second half, and they were up by many as 19.
Illinois 75, Bradley 71
Jamar Smith hit a go-ahead three-pointer and Illinois (7-0) stormed back from a nine-point, second-half deficit to defeat Bradley (5-1) in the Chicago Invitational Challenge in Hoffman Estates, Ill.
Leading by six at halftime, Bradley went up nine as Daniel Ruffin twice hit floating baskets in the lane. Chester Frazier?s two three-pointers and strong inside play by 6-foot-10 Shaun Pruitt helped rally the Illini, who pulled to 54-53 with just under eight minutes left.
Warren Carter scored 17 points, Pruitt 16 and Smith 14 for Illinois. Will Franklin scored 17 to lead Bradley.
Arizona St. 67, Iowa 64
Christian Polk made a 35-footer at the shot-clock buzzer with 12.7 seconds to play to give Arizona State (3-2) a wild, come-from-behind victory over Iowa (2-3) in Tempe, Ariz.
Arizona State outscored Iowa 19-4 over the final six minutes. The Hawkeyes? Tony Freeman missed a three-pointer in the finals seconds. A turnover gave Iowa one last shot with less than a second to play, but Brett Wessel?s desperation attempt was off the mark.
Polk scored 20 points and hit 4 of 5 three-pointers. Adam Haluska scored 24 for the Hawkeyes.
Penn State 65, St. Joseph?s 61
Brookhaven graduate Jamelle Cornley had 18 points and 10 rebounds, Danny Morrissey scored 10 of his 15 points in the second half and Penn State (4-1) staged a last-minute comeback to beat St. Joseph?s (3-1) in State College, Pa.
Morrissey banked in a 24-foot three-pointer and Ben Luber and David Jackson made free throws in the final seconds as the Nittany Lions rallied from a 60-53 deficit in the final 1:04.
Geary Claxton blocked a layup attempt by St. Joe?s Ahmad Nivins from behind with 2.7 seconds remaining, and coach Phil Martelli was given a technical foul with 1.6 seconds left after arguing that Nivins was fouled. Pat Calathes scored 16 points to lead the Hawks.
Michigan 66, UMBC 54
Courtney Sims scored 18 points and Brent Petway 14 to rally Michigan (7-0) past Maryland-Baltimore County (2-3) in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Sims also had a season-high 12 rebounds for Michigan. Brian Hodges led UMBC with 18 points.
Michigan St. 71, Oakland 53
Drew Neitzel, who scored 21, and a 32-6 first-half blitz powered Michigan State (6-1) past Oakland, Mich. (4-3) in East Lansing, Mich.
Neitzel also had seven assists for the Spartans, who shot 59.3 percent before halftime. Marquise Gray had 14 points and 12 rebounds, his first career double-double.
Vova Severovas led Oakland with 13 points and six rebounds.
Northwestern 40, North Florida 39
Freshman Kevin Coble rebounded a missed three-pointer and made the winning shot with 3.2 seconds left to lift Northwestern (2-3) past North Florida (1-5) in Evanston, Ill. Tim Doyle had eight points and six rebounds to lead the Wildcats in their lowest-scoring game since a win at Purdue by the same score in February 2004. Chris Timberlake and Aaron Caruthers had 10 points each for North Florida.
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OSUBasketballJunkie
Never Forget 31-0
Dispatch
COLLEGE BASKETBALL ROUNDUP
Monson quits Minnesota amid 5-game skid
Friday, December 01, 2006
ASSOCIATED PRESS
</IMG> CRAIG LASSIG ASSOCIATED PRESS Minnesota coach Dan Monson resigned after a 90-68 home loss to Clemson.
Dan Monson resigned as the men?s basketball coach at Minnesota yesterday, one day after the Gophers? fifth straight defeat left them with their longest losing streak in more than 40 years.
Assistant coach Jim Molinari will take over as interim head coach.
The Gophers fell to 2-5 with a 90-68 home loss to Clemson on Wednesday night. Minnesota?s skid is its worst since a six-game slide during the 1962-63 season.
"The program?s not in the position we want it to be in," athletic director Joel Maturi said.
Monson said "a new voice" was needed.
"I think at the end of the day as a coach, if you?re not putting the players first, if you?re not putting the university first, you?re not doing the job. And I?m trying to do my job here," he said.
Monson had come under increasing pressure to turn around a once-proud program brought down by an academic fraud scandal under former coach Clem Haskins that wiped out Minnesota?s 1997 Final Four trip.
Monson took over in 1999 and had some success, going 118-106 overall record ? but 44-68 in the Big Ten. Two seasons ago, he led the team to the NCAA Tournament after a 21-11 season. But that quickly faded as the Gophers went 5-11 in the Big Ten last season.
The problems began in the preseason when the Gophers lost to Division II Winona State at home. That carried over into the regular season with losses to Marist and Montana in a Florida tournament last weekend and the blowout loss Wednesday night in Williams Arena.
Monson had said the team had its best foundation in his eight seasons in the Twin Cities, with a freshman class that included Bryce Webster and Lawrence Westbrook and redshirt freshmen Damian Johnson and Kevin Payton. But the Gophers, without a senior, haven?t won a game since beating North Dakota State and Long Island to start the season.
"I feel like I did what I was asked to come here to do," Monson said. "With that, I have no apologies for where the program is." But he added, "It?s time for somebody else to make the next step and that?s to have more success on the court than I had."
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crazybuckfan40
Head Coach
As of now, the conference looks like the blueprint for the big ten in football...
The big 2 and then there is everyone else...It is going to come down to us and Wisky...
Also some thoughts on first second teams for the conference as of now...
pg: Cameron Taylor
sg: Adam Haluska
sf: Alando Tucker
pf: Carl Landry
c: Greg Oden (has only played one game, but his impact was obvious)
pg: Drew Neitzel
sg: Ron Lewis
sf: Teague ???(kind of a toss up here)
pf: Jamelle Cornley
c: DJ White
6th man: Daequan Cook
Overall it is early for a thing, like this, but jsut rying to get an idea of who the players in the big ten that have been stepping up early in the season...
Feel free to add your own All-conference teams...
The big 2 and then there is everyone else...It is going to come down to us and Wisky...
Also some thoughts on first second teams for the conference as of now...
pg: Cameron Taylor
sg: Adam Haluska
sf: Alando Tucker
pf: Carl Landry
c: Greg Oden (has only played one game, but his impact was obvious)
pg: Drew Neitzel
sg: Ron Lewis
sf: Teague ???(kind of a toss up here)
pf: Jamelle Cornley
c: DJ White
6th man: Daequan Cook
Overall it is early for a thing, like this, but jsut rying to get an idea of who the players in the big ten that have been stepping up early in the season...
Feel free to add your own All-conference teams...
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OSU_Buckguy
Head Coach
if ohio state needed conley to score more, as neitzel is needed by his team, then i could see conley making second team. conley's assist:turnover ratio is 3:1, while neitzel's is a little worse than 2:1. neitzel scores nearly double what conley does; however, he attempts nearly twice as many shots, too. conley averages 2.8 to neitzel's 1.2 steals per game. conley's ability to hit the jumper will determine how much he'll battle for second team all-big ten. only eight games into the season, conley's ceiling must be higher than neitzel's. mike's confidence to finish off the drive and hit the jumper should, we hope, only get better.
i wrote a paragraph about cook supplanting teague, but what i wrote also addressed butler's starting role... and i then erased it. i have no issue whatsoever with butler's starting, yet cook would likely be the one to assume his spot. if cook were starting, he would likely be the leading scorer in the big ten. he averages four minutes fewer than landry and tucker and ten minutes fewer than haluska. cook is a better shooter than tucker, far better than haluska (though he's streaky), and cook also rebounds just as well as landry, who plays mostly within the arc. just like conley, cook's ceiling is much taller.
it will be interesting to see if matta goes to a starting lineup of conley, butler, lewis, cook, and oden. against smaller and quicker opposition, i can definitely see that. however, florida is the only team i see on our remaining schedule that will dictate whom matta starts; otherwise, we should dictate other teams' lineups. against florida, it'll likely be conley, butler, lewis, hunter, and oden. the more that i see hunter play, the more that i think i'll love his defensive presence alongside oden.
i guess i've strayed here. anyway, it's just fun thinking about having a rotation of nine strong players. twiggy's showing me something, and harris has impressed me the most this season. i no longer feel that i'm being partial when i state that ohio state is a legit title contender. i'm just being honest with myself.
i wrote a paragraph about cook supplanting teague, but what i wrote also addressed butler's starting role... and i then erased it. i have no issue whatsoever with butler's starting, yet cook would likely be the one to assume his spot. if cook were starting, he would likely be the leading scorer in the big ten. he averages four minutes fewer than landry and tucker and ten minutes fewer than haluska. cook is a better shooter than tucker, far better than haluska (though he's streaky), and cook also rebounds just as well as landry, who plays mostly within the arc. just like conley, cook's ceiling is much taller.
it will be interesting to see if matta goes to a starting lineup of conley, butler, lewis, cook, and oden. against smaller and quicker opposition, i can definitely see that. however, florida is the only team i see on our remaining schedule that will dictate whom matta starts; otherwise, we should dictate other teams' lineups. against florida, it'll likely be conley, butler, lewis, hunter, and oden. the more that i see hunter play, the more that i think i'll love his defensive presence alongside oden.
i guess i've strayed here. anyway, it's just fun thinking about having a rotation of nine strong players. twiggy's showing me something, and harris has impressed me the most this season. i no longer feel that i'm being partial when i state that ohio state is a legit title contender. i'm just being honest with myself.
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OSUBasketballJunkie
Never Forget 31-0
cnnsi.com
Big 10 Power Rankings
By Matthew Henry Dollinger
You've got the second coming of Bill Russell under at Ohio State, a polar bear in Wisconsin and the Hoosiers are still trying to replace The General in Bloomington. No, it's not Big Ten season yet, but all eleven teams are active. Let's take a look at how this season looks to be shaping up.
1. Ohio State Buckeyes (7-1 overall)
Did you catch the NBA game that took place in the middle of the Big Ten-ACC Challenge last week? The Buckeyes may have dropped the game to the Tar Heels at UNC last week, but they clearly showed that they are the cream of the Big Ten crop. If they didn't look good against UNC to you (you should get HDTV), they had some 7-foot freshman return a month early from wrist surgery in their 20-point romp over Valparaiso. I think his name is Greg? Whatever his name is, in his college debut he managed to register a double-double and block 5 shots. Ladies and gentleman, Greg Oden.
Upcoming games: Cleveland State (Dec. 9), at Cincinnati (Dec. 16)
2. Wisconsin Badgers (8-1)
How did Brian Butch make the cover of SI's men's basketball preview issue? How many strings did Wisconsin's athletic director have to pull? Did Bo Ryan have to sell his soul to someone? Were no other Badgers available for the shoot? No offense to Butch, but he's the third best player on the team. The "Polar Bear" doesn't even average double-digits in points. Nevertheless, the Badgers along with the Buckeyes have distanced themselves from the rest of the conference early this season. The Badgers haven't played anyone noteworthy yet, but they do take on in-state rival Marquette on December 9. It'll be the first big game in the state of Wisconsin that John Madden hasn't covered since Brett Favre became a Packer
Upcoming games: at Marquette (Dec. 9), Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Dec. 13)
3. Michigan State Spartans (6-2)
I'm putting the Spartans this high solely on Tom Izzo's reputation. So far this season, this team has looked as impressive as Charles Barkley's golf swing. In their first exhibition game of the season the Spartans defeated Grand Valley State by four points. Four. Two games later, they only managed 45 points against Brown. They were able to defeat Texas, but then suffered let downs in close losses to Maryland and Boston College. This team is one Drew Neitzel injury away from making their NIT hotel reservations tomorrow. Michigan State, which doesn't feature a senior on the entire roster, has "next year" written all over them.
Upcoming games: IPFW (Dec. 6), BYU (Dec. 9)
4. Indiana Hoosiers (4-2)
Senior Errek Suhr has gone from an ending punch line to a starting point guard. After walking on his freshman year simply to fill the seat at the end of the bench, Suhr has transformed himself into the Hoosier's starting point guard. The 5-foot-9 product of Bloomington High School North started the first game of his four-year career last Saturday versus the Charlotte 49ers. Suhr earned the start after a gutsy performance in Indiana's loss to Duke, where he helped spark the Hoosier's second-half comeback. Suhr nearly completed the fairy-tale story at Cameron Indoor Stadium when he stole the inbounds pass and missed a leaning three-point shot that would have sent the game to overtime.
Upcoming games: Western Illinois (Dec. 6), at Kentucky (Dec. 9)
5. Illinois Fighting Illini (7-2)
When you lose three starting guards to the NBA Draft in two seasons, you know you're going to be in a Billy Crystal-like "process." The Illini are in exactly that. With a quick scan of their roster, you quickly notice that they are composed completely of role players, but lack any type of star power. It'd be like watching Seinfeld without Jerry. No matter how good the role players are, George, Kramer and Elaine just aren't going to get it done in the big games. The Fighting Illini's closest thing to Jerry might be senior forward Warren Carter, who put up a career-high 24 points against Arizona.
Upcoming games: IUPUI (Dec. 6), Illinois-Chicago (Dec. 9)
6. Michigan Wolverines (8-1)
You might wonder why Michigan and its impressive record aren't higher on the power rankings. Luckily, I have eight reasons to back my decision: Central Connecticut State, Davidson, Eastern Michigan, Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Harvard, Youngstown State, Maryland-Baltimore County, and Wofford. And no, that isn't a list of the Harlem Globetrotters schedule in the month of December. We'll get a much better idea of what kind of team Tommy Amaker has this season when the Wolverines travel to UCLA on Dec. 23.
Upcoming games: at Miami (OH) (Dec. 7), Delaware State (Dec. 9)
7. Purdue Boilermakers (6-1)
Since losing to Georgia Tech in mid-November by 18 points, the Boilermakers have showed some resiliency under second-year head coach Matt Painter. In a three-game span, the Boilers won on the road versus Oklahoma, beat DePaul who recently upset the Kansas Jayhawks, and defeated Virginia in West Lafayette on a buzzer beater via a Tarrance Crump floater. The Boilermaker's will live and die at the hands of their guards this season. The good news is senior Carl Landry (19.3 ppg) is back from injury to lead Purdue. The bad news is, the 6-foot-7 Landry is the tallest player in the Boilermaker's regular rotation. Yikes.
Upcoming games: Loyola-Chicago (Dec. 5), Missouri (Dec. 9)
8. Penn State Nittany Lions (5-2)
He might only be their fourth-leading scorer, but senior Ben Luber has got my full-undivided attention this season. According to the Nittany Lion's official website, former Nazi leader Adolf Hitler is one of three people Luber would most like to have dinner with. If that didn't catch you off guard, wait until you hear this tidbit about Luber. Under "Surprising Thing About Him", Luber is quoted saying, "I actually like to shoot the basketball." If that comes as a surprise for someone who plays basketball, let me takes time to inform you that that Peyton Manning actually likes to play football and O.J. Simpson isn't shy of the limelight.
Upcoming games: Hartford (Dec. 6), at Seton Hall (Dec. 9)
9. Northwestern Wildcats (4-2)
It kind of feels like you're looking for Waldo, but there are some bright spots in Northwestern's play at the start of this season. In their four victories, the Wildcats are holding their opponents to under 45 points a game. The Wildcats have a more than reasonable chance of winning four of their next five games before they start Big Ten season play. Look for Northwestern's record to take dramatic turn for the worse once conference play begins.
Upcoming games: Western Michigan (Dec. 9), Wheaton College (Dec 14.)
10. Iowa Hawkeyes (4-4)
You know those college players that feel like they've been playing at the collegiate level for eight years? I swear Iowa's senior guard Adam Haluska has been playing for the Hawkeyes since the mid-90s. The fifth-year senior is taking advantage of his extended stay averaging 18.5 ppg this season, including 31 points against Coppin State last week. One thing is for sure, Hawkeye fans are hoping freshman Tyler Smith stays as long as Haluska did. In his first eight games, Smith has scored in double digits in six of them. But Steve Alford's club managed to lose four games in 10 days in November and it looks as if Haluska's last year with the Hawkeyes will be a frustrating one.
Upcoming games: Northern Iowa (Dec. 5), Iowa State (Dec. 8)
11. Minnesota Gophers (3-5)
Is there a worse way to start a season than have your head coach resign seven games in? What kind of message does that send to the fans? Dan Monson didn't resign from Minnesota, he fled. After that early five-game losing streak, Monson saw things were going to get messier in Minnesota than a Vikings boat party. The final straw came for the coach when his team lost by 22 to Clemson despite shooting 56 percent from the field. That's tough to do. In Monson's defense, the game was officiated by Ted Valentine and Ed Hightower, which is the equivalent of a country being run by Homer Simpson and a blind horse. I'm not telling you who is who.
Upcoming games: at UAB (Dec. 5), South Dakota State (Dec. 7)
Big 10 Power Rankings
By Matthew Henry Dollinger
You've got the second coming of Bill Russell under at Ohio State, a polar bear in Wisconsin and the Hoosiers are still trying to replace The General in Bloomington. No, it's not Big Ten season yet, but all eleven teams are active. Let's take a look at how this season looks to be shaping up.
1. Ohio State Buckeyes (7-1 overall)
Did you catch the NBA game that took place in the middle of the Big Ten-ACC Challenge last week? The Buckeyes may have dropped the game to the Tar Heels at UNC last week, but they clearly showed that they are the cream of the Big Ten crop. If they didn't look good against UNC to you (you should get HDTV), they had some 7-foot freshman return a month early from wrist surgery in their 20-point romp over Valparaiso. I think his name is Greg? Whatever his name is, in his college debut he managed to register a double-double and block 5 shots. Ladies and gentleman, Greg Oden.
Upcoming games: Cleveland State (Dec. 9), at Cincinnati (Dec. 16)
2. Wisconsin Badgers (8-1)
How did Brian Butch make the cover of SI's men's basketball preview issue? How many strings did Wisconsin's athletic director have to pull? Did Bo Ryan have to sell his soul to someone? Were no other Badgers available for the shoot? No offense to Butch, but he's the third best player on the team. The "Polar Bear" doesn't even average double-digits in points. Nevertheless, the Badgers along with the Buckeyes have distanced themselves from the rest of the conference early this season. The Badgers haven't played anyone noteworthy yet, but they do take on in-state rival Marquette on December 9. It'll be the first big game in the state of Wisconsin that John Madden hasn't covered since Brett Favre became a Packer
Upcoming games: at Marquette (Dec. 9), Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Dec. 13)
3. Michigan State Spartans (6-2)
I'm putting the Spartans this high solely on Tom Izzo's reputation. So far this season, this team has looked as impressive as Charles Barkley's golf swing. In their first exhibition game of the season the Spartans defeated Grand Valley State by four points. Four. Two games later, they only managed 45 points against Brown. They were able to defeat Texas, but then suffered let downs in close losses to Maryland and Boston College. This team is one Drew Neitzel injury away from making their NIT hotel reservations tomorrow. Michigan State, which doesn't feature a senior on the entire roster, has "next year" written all over them.
Upcoming games: IPFW (Dec. 6), BYU (Dec. 9)
4. Indiana Hoosiers (4-2)
Senior Errek Suhr has gone from an ending punch line to a starting point guard. After walking on his freshman year simply to fill the seat at the end of the bench, Suhr has transformed himself into the Hoosier's starting point guard. The 5-foot-9 product of Bloomington High School North started the first game of his four-year career last Saturday versus the Charlotte 49ers. Suhr earned the start after a gutsy performance in Indiana's loss to Duke, where he helped spark the Hoosier's second-half comeback. Suhr nearly completed the fairy-tale story at Cameron Indoor Stadium when he stole the inbounds pass and missed a leaning three-point shot that would have sent the game to overtime.
Upcoming games: Western Illinois (Dec. 6), at Kentucky (Dec. 9)
5. Illinois Fighting Illini (7-2)
When you lose three starting guards to the NBA Draft in two seasons, you know you're going to be in a Billy Crystal-like "process." The Illini are in exactly that. With a quick scan of their roster, you quickly notice that they are composed completely of role players, but lack any type of star power. It'd be like watching Seinfeld without Jerry. No matter how good the role players are, George, Kramer and Elaine just aren't going to get it done in the big games. The Fighting Illini's closest thing to Jerry might be senior forward Warren Carter, who put up a career-high 24 points against Arizona.
Upcoming games: IUPUI (Dec. 6), Illinois-Chicago (Dec. 9)
6. Michigan Wolverines (8-1)
You might wonder why Michigan and its impressive record aren't higher on the power rankings. Luckily, I have eight reasons to back my decision: Central Connecticut State, Davidson, Eastern Michigan, Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Harvard, Youngstown State, Maryland-Baltimore County, and Wofford. And no, that isn't a list of the Harlem Globetrotters schedule in the month of December. We'll get a much better idea of what kind of team Tommy Amaker has this season when the Wolverines travel to UCLA on Dec. 23.
Upcoming games: at Miami (OH) (Dec. 7), Delaware State (Dec. 9)
7. Purdue Boilermakers (6-1)
Since losing to Georgia Tech in mid-November by 18 points, the Boilermakers have showed some resiliency under second-year head coach Matt Painter. In a three-game span, the Boilers won on the road versus Oklahoma, beat DePaul who recently upset the Kansas Jayhawks, and defeated Virginia in West Lafayette on a buzzer beater via a Tarrance Crump floater. The Boilermaker's will live and die at the hands of their guards this season. The good news is senior Carl Landry (19.3 ppg) is back from injury to lead Purdue. The bad news is, the 6-foot-7 Landry is the tallest player in the Boilermaker's regular rotation. Yikes.
Upcoming games: Loyola-Chicago (Dec. 5), Missouri (Dec. 9)
8. Penn State Nittany Lions (5-2)
He might only be their fourth-leading scorer, but senior Ben Luber has got my full-undivided attention this season. According to the Nittany Lion's official website, former Nazi leader Adolf Hitler is one of three people Luber would most like to have dinner with. If that didn't catch you off guard, wait until you hear this tidbit about Luber. Under "Surprising Thing About Him", Luber is quoted saying, "I actually like to shoot the basketball." If that comes as a surprise for someone who plays basketball, let me takes time to inform you that that Peyton Manning actually likes to play football and O.J. Simpson isn't shy of the limelight.
Upcoming games: Hartford (Dec. 6), at Seton Hall (Dec. 9)
9. Northwestern Wildcats (4-2)
It kind of feels like you're looking for Waldo, but there are some bright spots in Northwestern's play at the start of this season. In their four victories, the Wildcats are holding their opponents to under 45 points a game. The Wildcats have a more than reasonable chance of winning four of their next five games before they start Big Ten season play. Look for Northwestern's record to take dramatic turn for the worse once conference play begins.
Upcoming games: Western Michigan (Dec. 9), Wheaton College (Dec 14.)
10. Iowa Hawkeyes (4-4)
You know those college players that feel like they've been playing at the collegiate level for eight years? I swear Iowa's senior guard Adam Haluska has been playing for the Hawkeyes since the mid-90s. The fifth-year senior is taking advantage of his extended stay averaging 18.5 ppg this season, including 31 points against Coppin State last week. One thing is for sure, Hawkeye fans are hoping freshman Tyler Smith stays as long as Haluska did. In his first eight games, Smith has scored in double digits in six of them. But Steve Alford's club managed to lose four games in 10 days in November and it looks as if Haluska's last year with the Hawkeyes will be a frustrating one.
Upcoming games: Northern Iowa (Dec. 5), Iowa State (Dec. 8)
11. Minnesota Gophers (3-5)
Is there a worse way to start a season than have your head coach resign seven games in? What kind of message does that send to the fans? Dan Monson didn't resign from Minnesota, he fled. After that early five-game losing streak, Monson saw things were going to get messier in Minnesota than a Vikings boat party. The final straw came for the coach when his team lost by 22 to Clemson despite shooting 56 percent from the field. That's tough to do. In Monson's defense, the game was officiated by Ted Valentine and Ed Hightower, which is the equivalent of a country being run by Homer Simpson and a blind horse. I'm not telling you who is who.
Upcoming games: at UAB (Dec. 5), South Dakota State (Dec. 7)
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crazybuckfan40
Head Coach
OSU_Buckguy;678918; said:
About Neitzel vs. Conley I had Conley down and then erased him b/c at this point I would say that Neitzel is more important to his team. I think that could very easily change by the end of the year.
I also agree about Cook and he could very easily be on there by the end of the year and probably will be.
I also think that if Lewis keeps playing the way he is playing he is going to be on the first team.
Also Lighty, Butler, and Oden could make up the first team defense...
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OSU_Buckguy
Head Coach
i don't doubt you there; although, i'm having difficulty contemplating conley meaning more to his team and/or neitzel meaning less. certainly, conley can mean more to his team as the season goes along without it being a bad thing. neitzel, on the other hand, must mean as much to his team for the remainder of the season as he means to it right now. walton has been an adequate point guard, which allows for neitzel's teammates to create shooting opportunties for him. neitzel's not a true 1 and he's scraping the barrel as a 2. he does not create well off the dribble (why not a true 1); he must be coming off screens and picks for jumpers. with walton at the 1 and raymar being an inside/out threat, neitzel can remain potent. however, as we both (and many here) agree, conley's just a more confident jumpshot and a little better finisher from becoming as solid as any other point guard in the big ten.crazybuckfan40;679103; said:
shoot. i feel like an idiot for not mentioning lighty. he's just a solid, all-around player. i'd like to see more from him on offense (how about that shot clock beater against valpo?), but he's shown to be a player that you can have absolutely no reservation with playing. as i stated before, it will be interesting to see matta's lineup for florida. will lighty start instead of butler and have hunter man the post with oden? is there a sufficient amount of offense with that lineup, having lewis and oden as the two real scoring threats. has harris proved himself on defense to start at the 4? certainly his scoring will be necessary.
of course, the starting lineup can be changed quickly, and florida is still over two weeks away with a few games in between. i'm not a coach. my opinions don't matter. that's why matta gets the big bucks. pun intended.
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crazybuckfan40
Head Coach
I agree about Neitzel and don't see any reason by the end of the year that Conley doesnt end up ahead of him...
As for the Florida lineup I think that Matta likes having the instant offense off the bench so I see him sticking with the lineup that he has been using...
As for the Florida lineup I think that Matta likes having the instant offense off the bench so I see him sticking with the lineup that he has been using...
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MaxBuck
SoCal, Baby!
As for league strength, I'll go as follows:crazybuckfan40;678876; said:
1. Buckeyes
2. Badgers
3. Purdue (frankly, they looked better losing to GaTech than any other team 4 through 11 has looked in their victories)
4. Indiana
5. through 8. Illinois, Sparty, Iowa, Penn State in any order you prefer
9. Michigan. Amaker - what else needs be said? 3rd best talent, 9th best team.
10. Northworstern
11. Minnesota
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