Game of the Week: #9 Ohio State vs. #7 Kansas
By Chris Jackson Friday December 21, 2012
COLUMBUS, OH-There isn’t a reason not to watch this game between
the 9th ranked Buckeyes and the 7th ranked Jayhawks,
unless you’re a Michigan or Kansas State fan, or one of your schools is playing
in a Bowl Game.
Both schools bring in well-known talents. Ohio State brings in a
great point guard in Aaron Craft and an underrated talented forward DeShaun Thomas.
Kansas brings in guard Travis Releford and forward Jeff Withey.
All 4 of those players are scary to match up with. All of them
can score. Withey can rebound and dominate in the paint. Buckeyes forward
DeShaun Thomas can score and rebound.
Jayhawks guard Travis Releford is almost automatic from the free
throw line. He has made 93 percent of his free throws this season and he
averages 13 points per game.
Forward Jeff Withey is averaging 14 points per game for Kansas
and is also averaging 8 rebounds and a conference high 5 blocks per game.
Tough to figure out how Ohio State will get by Withey without
him blocking a shot near the hoop. If the 3 main forward for Ohio State can get
by him somehow, they would have a great shot at winning the game.
Ohio State has 4 main forward, 3 of which are great near the
hoop. Small forward Sam Thompson can play solid basketball and the 3 power
forwards/centers are DeShaun Thomas, Evan Ravenel and Amir Williams. All 3 of
them are great near the hoop, and Ravenel’s size near the hoop is uncanny.
DeShaun Thomas leads the way as he averages 20 points per game.
He has great inside scoring along with a nice jump shot for a big man.
Guard Aaron Craft is more of a point guard that crates plays for
others. While he averages 9 points per game, he averages 4.8 assists per game.
The matchups at every position should be exciting to watch.
Every matchup creates more intensity fighting for the ball.
If Ohio State wins, they will get by Withey in the paint and score at will.
If Kansas wins, they will go to Withey near the hoop and scoring fast.
Here's the video of our simulation
COLUMBUS, OH-There isn’t a reason not to watch this game between
the 9th ranked Buckeyes and the 7th ranked Jayhawks,
unless you’re a Michigan or Kansas State fan, or one of your schools is playing
in a Bowl Game.
Both schools bring in well-known talents. Ohio State brings in a
great point guard in Aaron Craft and an underrated talented forward DeShaun Thomas.
Kansas brings in guard Travis Releford and forward Jeff Withey.
All 4 of those players are scary to match up with. All of them
can score. Withey can rebound and dominate in the paint. Buckeyes forward
DeShaun Thomas can score and rebound.
Jayhawks guard Travis Releford is almost automatic from the free
throw line. He has made 93 percent of his free throws this season and he
averages 13 points per game.
Forward Jeff Withey is averaging 14 points per game for Kansas
and is also averaging 8 rebounds and a conference high 5 blocks per game.
Tough to figure out how Ohio State will get by Withey without
him blocking a shot near the hoop. If the 3 main forward for Ohio State can get
by him somehow, they would have a great shot at winning the game.
Ohio State has 4 main forward, 3 of which are great near the
hoop. Small forward Sam Thompson can play solid basketball and the 3 power
forwards/centers are DeShaun Thomas, Evan Ravenel and Amir Williams. All 3 of
them are great near the hoop, and Ravenel’s size near the hoop is uncanny.
DeShaun Thomas leads the way as he averages 20 points per game.
He has great inside scoring along with a nice jump shot for a big man.
Guard Aaron Craft is more of a point guard that crates plays for
others. While he averages 9 points per game, he averages 4.8 assists per game.
The matchups at every position should be exciting to watch.
Every matchup creates more intensity fighting for the ball.
If Ohio State wins, they will get by Withey in the paint and score at will.
If Kansas wins, they will go to Withey near the hoop and scoring fast.
Here's the video of our simulation
Oregon Basketball is Making a Name for Itself
By Chris Jackson Sunday December 16, 2012
EUGENE, OR-Like it or not, Oregon basketball is becoming to make
its mark.
That mark is the "Duck Way.”
Quality games have come at a premium for Oregon. Here’s a look
at 9 of their wins: Northern Arizona (83-73), Portland State (80-69), Vanderbilt
(74-48), Jacksonville State (67-45), #20 UNLV (83-79), Texas-San Antonio
(95-78), Arkansas-Pine Bluff (80-59), Idaho State (87-35) and Nebraska (60-38).
The Ducks’ lone loss came at #11 Cincinnati (77-66).
Oregon’s high-potent offense has helped lead to all of these
lopsided victories. Their offense is 40th in the country as they
average 77.5 points per game.
Not one player is showing that they are the best offensive
player on the team. Instead, they are led by 4 solid basketball players that
average just over 10 points per game. That shows a team doesn’t need one
breakout player to make a dominating team.
4 players are carrying the main load on offense, but those
aren’t the only 4 that are contributing on the offensive side. Along with the 4
players averaging 10 points per game, and those are Damyean Dotson, E.J.
Singler, Tony Woods and Dominic Artis, both Carlos Emery and Arsalan Kazemi are
contributing to the high-potent Oregon offense. Both are averaging over 9 points
per game. That’s another reason to show that the Ducks don’t need a breakout
player on offense to win games.
One thing to note is that in the win over Nebraska on Saturday
night, senior Arsalan Kazemi recorded his 47th career
double-double.
But for some reason, coach Altman seems to think Oregon isn’t
making enough shots.
“We haven’t shot it well this year, a lot of it is shot
selection, which needs to improve,” Altman said. “We’re a better shooting team
than we’ve showed.”
The Oregon offense is in the top 40 in the country, and there is
over 300 Division 1 basketball schools. But when you run an up tempo offense
like the Ducks, there will be more questions wondering why some players took
that shot. So there is always a con to every offense, but the Oregon offense
seems just fine no matter what coach Altman says, but he is more connected to
his team than we are.
When you watch the Oregon team, you notice great ball movement
and shots about 10 seconds into the possession as they try and wear out their
opponent fast, and that is what is helping them win games.
Oregon is also 29th in the country in field goal
percentage as they make 48 percent of their shots.
Rebounding is also helping the Ducks win games. They average
39.5 rebounds per game, which is 47th in the nation.
Oregon’s top rebounder is Arsalas Kazemi, who average 10.3
rebounds per game. He is their top rebounder and that shows why he has 47 career
double-doubles.
With the way Oregon is playing this season, there is reason to believe they can be
at least an 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament this year. If they can beat Arizona
in January, they will definitely be able to show the world that they can play
with many big name schools.
EUGENE, OR-Like it or not, Oregon basketball is becoming to make
its mark.
That mark is the "Duck Way.”
Quality games have come at a premium for Oregon. Here’s a look
at 9 of their wins: Northern Arizona (83-73), Portland State (80-69), Vanderbilt
(74-48), Jacksonville State (67-45), #20 UNLV (83-79), Texas-San Antonio
(95-78), Arkansas-Pine Bluff (80-59), Idaho State (87-35) and Nebraska (60-38).
The Ducks’ lone loss came at #11 Cincinnati (77-66).
Oregon’s high-potent offense has helped lead to all of these
lopsided victories. Their offense is 40th in the country as they
average 77.5 points per game.
Not one player is showing that they are the best offensive
player on the team. Instead, they are led by 4 solid basketball players that
average just over 10 points per game. That shows a team doesn’t need one
breakout player to make a dominating team.
4 players are carrying the main load on offense, but those
aren’t the only 4 that are contributing on the offensive side. Along with the 4
players averaging 10 points per game, and those are Damyean Dotson, E.J.
Singler, Tony Woods and Dominic Artis, both Carlos Emery and Arsalan Kazemi are
contributing to the high-potent Oregon offense. Both are averaging over 9 points
per game. That’s another reason to show that the Ducks don’t need a breakout
player on offense to win games.
One thing to note is that in the win over Nebraska on Saturday
night, senior Arsalan Kazemi recorded his 47th career
double-double.
But for some reason, coach Altman seems to think Oregon isn’t
making enough shots.
“We haven’t shot it well this year, a lot of it is shot
selection, which needs to improve,” Altman said. “We’re a better shooting team
than we’ve showed.”
The Oregon offense is in the top 40 in the country, and there is
over 300 Division 1 basketball schools. But when you run an up tempo offense
like the Ducks, there will be more questions wondering why some players took
that shot. So there is always a con to every offense, but the Oregon offense
seems just fine no matter what coach Altman says, but he is more connected to
his team than we are.
When you watch the Oregon team, you notice great ball movement
and shots about 10 seconds into the possession as they try and wear out their
opponent fast, and that is what is helping them win games.
Oregon is also 29th in the country in field goal
percentage as they make 48 percent of their shots.
Rebounding is also helping the Ducks win games. They average
39.5 rebounds per game, which is 47th in the nation.
Oregon’s top rebounder is Arsalas Kazemi, who average 10.3
rebounds per game. He is their top rebounder and that shows why he has 47 career
double-doubles.
With the way Oregon is playing this season, there is reason to believe they can be
at least an 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament this year. If they can beat Arizona
in January, they will definitely be able to show the world that they can play
with many big name schools.
Big East Sports Are Dying
By Chris Jackson Thursday December 13, 2012
The 7 catholic schools in the Big East are now leaving the
conference in basketball.
DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, St. John’s, Seton
Hall and Villanova are leaving Big East
basketball.
Can the Big East slowly be dying though?
It looks like it is all you Big East sports buffs. The Big East
is going to be no more in a few years, and that hurts the whole college
basketball landscape.
It isn’t just dying in basketball, but it’s dying in football.
West Virginia already is competing in the Big 12, and Pittsburgh, Syracuse,
Louisville, and Rutgers are leaving.
Notre Dame is also leaving the Big East in sports and TCU
already left before they were even a member.
Boise State is also re-determining if they will join the Big
East in football. They don’t know if they should be in the Big East or not with
all of these changes and in my opinion, Boise State should remain in the
Mountain West in football, more schools are becoming more known in football.
With Fresno State being dominant in its first year under Tim DeRuyter, San Diego
State doing good, and Nevada staying pretty good as usual, I think the Mountain
West is better for them. There’s also less travel for them.
San Diego State was also supposed to join the Big East next
season in football. But they are also reconsidering if they should go to the Big
East or not.
Big East sports might not be gone, but they won’t be as
recognized anymore either. With Houston, SMU, Memphis, UCF and Tulane joining in
all sports and Navy and East Carolina for sure joining next year, the Big East
is starting to like a mid-major conference.
Big East basketball is dissolving into a melting pot and it will
only go downhill. The catholic schools leaving hurts big time because most of
them are good in most sports and without those schools, less people will care
about basketball in that conference-it may not even be a conference in a few
years.
Without any elite Big East basketball, as it historically is,
that changes the college basketball landscape. It looks like the Big Ten and ACC
will be the 2 most powerful conferences.
Now the 7 catholic schools are debating how to leave the
conference. They will announce it within the next 24 hours. They will probably
get some type of fine for leaving if they leave right away after this season,
but that might be worth it.
The Big East is slowly dying and don’t be surprised if it
doesn’t have any football or much basketball in a few years.
The 7 catholic schools in the Big East are now leaving the
conference in basketball.
DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, St. John’s, Seton
Hall and Villanova are leaving Big East
basketball.
Can the Big East slowly be dying though?
It looks like it is all you Big East sports buffs. The Big East
is going to be no more in a few years, and that hurts the whole college
basketball landscape.
It isn’t just dying in basketball, but it’s dying in football.
West Virginia already is competing in the Big 12, and Pittsburgh, Syracuse,
Louisville, and Rutgers are leaving.
Notre Dame is also leaving the Big East in sports and TCU
already left before they were even a member.
Boise State is also re-determining if they will join the Big
East in football. They don’t know if they should be in the Big East or not with
all of these changes and in my opinion, Boise State should remain in the
Mountain West in football, more schools are becoming more known in football.
With Fresno State being dominant in its first year under Tim DeRuyter, San Diego
State doing good, and Nevada staying pretty good as usual, I think the Mountain
West is better for them. There’s also less travel for them.
San Diego State was also supposed to join the Big East next
season in football. But they are also reconsidering if they should go to the Big
East or not.
Big East sports might not be gone, but they won’t be as
recognized anymore either. With Houston, SMU, Memphis, UCF and Tulane joining in
all sports and Navy and East Carolina for sure joining next year, the Big East
is starting to like a mid-major conference.
Big East basketball is dissolving into a melting pot and it will
only go downhill. The catholic schools leaving hurts big time because most of
them are good in most sports and without those schools, less people will care
about basketball in that conference-it may not even be a conference in a few
years.
Without any elite Big East basketball, as it historically is,
that changes the college basketball landscape. It looks like the Big Ten and ACC
will be the 2 most powerful conferences.
Now the 7 catholic schools are debating how to leave the
conference. They will announce it within the next 24 hours. They will probably
get some type of fine for leaving if they leave right away after this season,
but that might be worth it.
The Big East is slowly dying and don’t be surprised if it
doesn’t have any football or much basketball in a few years.
Indiana Basketball is Getting the Love they Deserve
By Chris Jackson Wednesday November 28, 2012
BLOOMINGTON, IN-Whoa is all you can say to
Indiana men’s basketball this year, whoa.
Just two years ago, the Hoosiers barely amassed
ten wins-they got twelve.
Some wondered win Indiana hired Tom Crean if
they would get back to their old, winning days. And sure enough, they got back
to that last year. Last year they got 27 wins and lost in the Sweet 16 to the
eventual national champions the Kentucky Wildcats. They got 17 more wins than
the previous season. This season, they’re 7-0 and on pace to get undefeated, not
saying that will happen.
They “creaned” North Carolina on Tuesday night,
winning 83-59. Creaning meant they outcoached North Carolina, and flat out won
on both sides of the ball.
In the Tuesday win against North Carolina, they
outshot, outrebounded, and out-teamed the Tar Heels. Here’s a look at the
comparisons: Indiana made 44.6 percent of their shots and 40 percent of their
three-point shots while the North Carolina made just 37.7 percent of their
shots and just 12 percent of their three’s. They also outrebounded the boys
from Chapel Hill 44-34 and had 21 assists, compared to UNC’s 8.
Forward Cody Zeller and guard Jordan Hulls
helped lead the Hoosiers to the blowout victory. Zeller led the team scoring 20
points and also had eight rebounds. Hulls scored 13 points and made three of
five from three-point range. He also had eight assists. It seemed like he made
all the big shots when they made their move to get ahead by more than twenty
points in the second half. Guard Victor Oladipo and forward Will Sheehey also
added 19 points each.
People thought Indiana would lose and claimed
they were “overrated,” but why would you decide to say something like
that?
Guess what, they destroyed the boys from Chapel
Hill.
"It's cool," Oladipo said when asked about the margin of victory
over a program like North Carolina. "I mean, we've been working really hard and
you guys know as well as I know that this program over the last couple of years
was really struggling and we wanted to get it back on top. So to get a win like
that, it's a humbling experience."
It’s humbling, but in a way, it’s an experience, a dream, and a
gift to realize that you’re the number-one team in the country and were able to
beat a team as good as North Carolina by the margin they
did.
Even North Carolina coach Roy Williams had to admit that Indiana
is one heck of a team.
"Boy, I would love to watch them play if it wasn't against my
team," Tar Heels coach Roy Williams said. "You look down the lineup and Cody
Zeller, he's family to begin with, he's really a load to handle, and two other
guys that I didn't even hear of when they were in high school, they just kicked
our rear ends."
Boy, Williams is right. Indiana was dominating in speed,
efficiency, and just about every facet of the game. Zeller dominates every game
by opening up lanes for his teammates and by just having grea basketball IQ. He
can rebound, score, and even help create plays for
others.
Indiana is 5th in the country in scoring, averaging
88 points per game, and they also make 51 percent of their shots. Their defense
may get criticized, but by the way they stopped North Carolina’s offense, and
allowed James-Michael McAdoo to make just 4-15 shots, that’s impressive by all
standards.
"I know people criticize us for our defense, and they say 'If
they can't play defense, how good can they really be?' " Oladipo
said.
If they can’t play defense to all you “so-called” experts, then
why did they take North Carolina’s offense out of their comfort zone. How come
their the number-one team in the country?
You noticed why they’re the top team in the land, it was obvious Tuesday night and
it’s been obvious all season.
Their team is relentless. They will force you to rush shots and
take unnecessary three’s. That was seen all throughout the second half of the
North Carolina game, and even when you think Indiana is taking a so called
“wasteless” three, they make it, they drain it, they swoosh it.
This isn’t an overreacted opinion, this is a point to make that the Indiana Hoosiers
are the number-one team in the country. They aren’t overrated, their rated right
where they should be. If they can win the Big Ten, that would be a huge
statement in proving they are the best team in the country. And let’s face it,
the Big Ten is a great conference in basketball this year, and Indiana is the
tops in the conference right now, and they will remain that way throughout the
rest of the season.
BLOOMINGTON, IN-Whoa is all you can say to
Indiana men’s basketball this year, whoa.
Just two years ago, the Hoosiers barely amassed
ten wins-they got twelve.
Some wondered win Indiana hired Tom Crean if
they would get back to their old, winning days. And sure enough, they got back
to that last year. Last year they got 27 wins and lost in the Sweet 16 to the
eventual national champions the Kentucky Wildcats. They got 17 more wins than
the previous season. This season, they’re 7-0 and on pace to get undefeated, not
saying that will happen.
They “creaned” North Carolina on Tuesday night,
winning 83-59. Creaning meant they outcoached North Carolina, and flat out won
on both sides of the ball.
In the Tuesday win against North Carolina, they
outshot, outrebounded, and out-teamed the Tar Heels. Here’s a look at the
comparisons: Indiana made 44.6 percent of their shots and 40 percent of their
three-point shots while the North Carolina made just 37.7 percent of their
shots and just 12 percent of their three’s. They also outrebounded the boys
from Chapel Hill 44-34 and had 21 assists, compared to UNC’s 8.
Forward Cody Zeller and guard Jordan Hulls
helped lead the Hoosiers to the blowout victory. Zeller led the team scoring 20
points and also had eight rebounds. Hulls scored 13 points and made three of
five from three-point range. He also had eight assists. It seemed like he made
all the big shots when they made their move to get ahead by more than twenty
points in the second half. Guard Victor Oladipo and forward Will Sheehey also
added 19 points each.
People thought Indiana would lose and claimed
they were “overrated,” but why would you decide to say something like
that?
Guess what, they destroyed the boys from Chapel
Hill.
"It's cool," Oladipo said when asked about the margin of victory
over a program like North Carolina. "I mean, we've been working really hard and
you guys know as well as I know that this program over the last couple of years
was really struggling and we wanted to get it back on top. So to get a win like
that, it's a humbling experience."
It’s humbling, but in a way, it’s an experience, a dream, and a
gift to realize that you’re the number-one team in the country and were able to
beat a team as good as North Carolina by the margin they
did.
Even North Carolina coach Roy Williams had to admit that Indiana
is one heck of a team.
"Boy, I would love to watch them play if it wasn't against my
team," Tar Heels coach Roy Williams said. "You look down the lineup and Cody
Zeller, he's family to begin with, he's really a load to handle, and two other
guys that I didn't even hear of when they were in high school, they just kicked
our rear ends."
Boy, Williams is right. Indiana was dominating in speed,
efficiency, and just about every facet of the game. Zeller dominates every game
by opening up lanes for his teammates and by just having grea basketball IQ. He
can rebound, score, and even help create plays for
others.
Indiana is 5th in the country in scoring, averaging
88 points per game, and they also make 51 percent of their shots. Their defense
may get criticized, but by the way they stopped North Carolina’s offense, and
allowed James-Michael McAdoo to make just 4-15 shots, that’s impressive by all
standards.
"I know people criticize us for our defense, and they say 'If
they can't play defense, how good can they really be?' " Oladipo
said.
If they can’t play defense to all you “so-called” experts, then
why did they take North Carolina’s offense out of their comfort zone. How come
their the number-one team in the country?
You noticed why they’re the top team in the land, it was obvious Tuesday night and
it’s been obvious all season.
Their team is relentless. They will force you to rush shots and
take unnecessary three’s. That was seen all throughout the second half of the
North Carolina game, and even when you think Indiana is taking a so called
“wasteless” three, they make it, they drain it, they swoosh it.
This isn’t an overreacted opinion, this is a point to make that the Indiana Hoosiers
are the number-one team in the country. They aren’t overrated, their rated right
where they should be. If they can win the Big Ten, that would be a huge
statement in proving they are the best team in the country. And let’s face it,
the Big Ten is a great conference in basketball this year, and Indiana is the
tops in the conference right now, and they will remain that way throughout the
rest of the season.