Finally...Billy Packer is Gone

Due to Billy Packer's removal from the CBS NCAA Tournament coverage I had to make a post just to say... Thank you CBS!

Iman Shumpert Highlight Video

With the state of the Jackets basketball program right now, I thought the first post in quite a while should at least provide something positive. For your viewing pleasure is the following Iman Shumpert highlight video. He will be a much needed addition to the team on the Flats next year.

The Worst Top 50 List of All Time

Okay so according to EA Sports and NCAA March Madness 08 the following is the list of the top 50 collegiate players of all time. There are so many things wrong with this list it is hard to even know where to start. I guess the 1st huge is issue is the fact that Lew Alcindor, Bill Walton, David Thompson, Bill Russell, and Patrick Ewing aren't even on the list. How is Pistol Pete only at 44 and the Big O is only 30? MJ at 1? Cover boy Kevin Durant at 2? Chris Bosh at 8? Steve Nash at 6? Mike Dunleavy as the greatest college player ever at Duke? Ed O'Bannon the best ever from UCLA? I could go on and on, but this post would be the length of War and Peace.

It may have been possible to do worse than this, but it would have taken some effort.

1. Michael Jordan -- UNC -- 96 2. Kevin Durant -- Texas -- 94 3. Earvin Johnson -- Michigan St. -- 94 4. Clyde Drexler -- Houston -- 92 5. Larry Bird -- Indiana State -- 92 6. Steve Nash -- Santa Clara -- 91 7. Kenny Anderson -- GT -- 89 8. Chris Bosh -- GT -- 89 9. Richard Hamilton -- UConn -- 89 10. Jamal Mashburn -- Kentucky -- 89 11. Jason Terry -- Arizona -- 89 12. Reggie Williams -- Georgetown -- 89 13. Ray Allen -- UConn -- 88 14. Carmelo Anthony -- Syracuse -- 88 15. Butch Beard -- Louisville -- 88 16. Travis Best -- Georgia Tech -- 88 17. Mike Bibby -- Arizona -- 88 18. Junior Bridgeman -- Louisville -- 88 19. Caron Butler -- UConn -- 88 20. Mike Dunleavy -- Duke -- 88 21. Ben Gordon -- Connecticut -- 88 22. Chris Jackson -- LSU -- 88 23. Kevin Jackson -- California -- 88 24. Jason Kidd -- California -- 88 25. Christian Laettner -- Duke -- 88

26. Randy Livingston -- LSU -- 88 27. Kenyon Martin -- Cincinnati -- 88 28. Rashad McCants -- UNC -- 88 29. Laron Profit -- Maryland -- 88 30. Oscar Robertson -- Cincinnati -- 88 31. Jerry Stackhouse -- UNC -- 88 32. Charlie Tyra -- Louisville -- 88 33. John Wallace -- Syracuse -- 88 34. Derek Anderson -- Kentucky -- 87 35. Keith Bogans -- Kentucky -- 87 36. Sean Elliott -- Arizona -- 87 37. Brian Evans -- Indiana -- 87 38. Art Heyman -- Duke -- 87 39. Larry Johnson -- UNLV -- 87 40. DeMarr Johnson -- Cincinnati -- 87 41. Pete Maravich -- LSU -- 87 42. Stephon Marbury -- GT -- 87 43. Ron Mercer -- Kentucky -- 87 44. Andrew Miller -- Utah -- 87 45. Chris Mills -- Arizona -- 87 46. Joakim Noah -- Florida -- 87 47. Ed O'Bannon -- UCLA -- 87 48. Glen Rice -- Michigan -- 87 49. Cliff Robertson -- UNC -- 87 50. Dennis Scott -- GT -- 87

The View From Section 16 - 5 Games In

Due to the long break until the December 18th, here is a special 5 games in version of The View From Section 16.

After a 2-1 trip to St. Thomas the Jackets now sit at 3-2 for the year going into the Thanksgiving break. The team has a lot to improve on become a competitive ACC team, but it is way to early to call this a lost season like some message board posters have already done. Notre Dame is not a bad team and is currently projected to be a tournament team by Joe Lunardi. Here at the Complex we predicted 5 out of conference losses and that is still attainable with improved play. Many fans try way to hard to equate basketball to football and it just doesn't work.

As an example - Lets take at look at last year's co-ACC champion Virginia Cavaliers. They started off the year strong with a win against Arizona and were 6-1 going into the San Juan Shootout. However, when they got to San Juan the wheels seemed to fall off. They lost their 1st game by 11 to Applachian State and lost their 2nd by 24 to a Utah team that went 11-19. They did win the final game of the tournament by 7 over Puerto Rico-Mayaguez. The team then won 2 more, but after that lost 3 in a row to sit at 9-6 overall and 1-2 in the ACC. The team then turned it around to finish 21-11 overall and 10-5 in conference. In no way does this mean that this Georgia Tech team is as good as last year's Cavalier's that were led by Sean Singletary and J.R. Reynolds. However, it does go to show that a season is not over after a couple of lackluster early season performances.

A Few Thoughts:

• Talk that this team is at the same place pg wise, that the team was 2 years ago with Zam Frederick is ridiculous. With a healthy Mo Miller and Matt Causey the team has a fairly solid pg duo.
  
• De'Andre Bell is not a pg. He might provide some match up problems in the post and be able to defend, but with any pressure he struggles. The offense starts at 35 feet and leads to the standing around that many have complained about.
  
• Defense needs to improve, both on the interior and on the perimeter. There have been way to many
  
• Rebounding needs to improve. The team seems to like to try to rebound on athletic ability rather than boxing out - if this doesn't change it will be a long year on the boards. A healthy Peacock and the return of Dickey will help in this area.
  
• Anthony Morrow's mid-range game could be very big for the team this year. This new aspect to his game makes him much more difficult to defend. He also looks to have regained his confidence after a difficult junior year.
  
• Morrow has also looked much better coming off screens. In the past he tended to not hit them hard, but so far this year he has rubbed them much tighter.
  
• Lewis Clinch seems to be working his way out of his early season funk. He still isn't playing up to the level he was pre-suspension last year, but he did show some glimpses in the Virgin Islands.
  
• If the team can get Morrow and Clinch going at the same time they become a dangerous offensive team. In the loss to Winthrop Morrow went 3-17 and Clinch made no shots down the stretch. This turned the offensive into the stand around and watch offense that we have seen the last couple of years.
  
• Gani Lawal needs a lot of improvement on the boards and the defensive end. I don't see his playing time increasing without improvement in these areas.
  
• Jeremis Smith is playing very hard. He is by far the best player Tech has on the glass. His passing to Aminu in the post has been a huge plus thus far.

The team now has 8 days before a trip to Bloomington to play the Number 8 Indiana Hoosiers featuring freshman Eric Gordon, who is averaging 28 ppg, 3.3 rpg, and 4.3 apg through his first 3 collegiate games. If the Jackets want to compete in this game they will need to improve some of the current weaknesses and play a much more complete game.

ACC Basketball Roundup, 11/16

Two teams off the mainland today in tournament action, plus FSU taking on UAB in Daytona.


Georgia Tech 82, Charlotte 77
While listening to this game on the radio at work today, I was scared that the Jackets wouldn't be able to hold on, but, alas, they came out on top. Anthony Morrow as huge again in scoring 19, and the Jackets shot 52% from the field and 74% from the line. Charlotte made 11 threes that kept them in the game, led by Leemire Goldwire and Anjuan Wilderness with 17 apiece. Next up: Winthrop (11/18, Paradise Jam semi-finals).


Miami 69, VCU 63
A big win for the Hurricanes over a solid Rams club. Eric Maynor, the national hero after the Duke game in the NCAA tournament last year, led VCU with 27, but Jack McClinton countered with 23. Neither team shot well from the floor, but Miami was 27 of 32 from the line, which was the difference in this one. Next up: Providence (11/18, Puerto Rico Tip-Off Championship).


Florida State 78, UAB 70
Isaiah Swann continues his hot shooting with 28 points on 9 of 15 field goals, including 6 threes. Indiana transfer Robert Vaden led the Blazers with 17. Next up: Cleveland State (11/17).

ACC Basketball Roundup, 11/15

NC State 66, William & Mary 47
J.J. Hickson makes a splash in his collegiate debut, scoring 31 on 12 of 12 shooting. The freshman also grabbed 7 rebounds. Brandon Costner started the year with a double double of 13 points and 12 rebounds. Next up: New Orleans (11/18).

Clemson 84, Mississippi State 82
Shameless Gunner Terrance Oglesby scored 17 points in 19 minutes, including 3 of 7 from 3 point land, as the Tigers held off an upstart Bulldog squad. Jamont Gordon scored 23 for Miss State. Next up: Old Dominion (11/18).

Miami 85, Marist 61
In Puerto Rico, Miami jumped out to an 18 point half time lead and never looked back in dismantling the Jared Jordan-less Red Foxes. Anthony King led a balanced scoring attack with 13 points, and every player for the Hurricanes scored at least 4. Next up: VCU (11/16).

Maryland 73, Northeastern 71 (OT)
The Terps needed overtime, even shooting 46 free throws, to hold off Northeastern. James Gist scored 27, Bambale Osby recorded a double double with 16 and 13, and Greivis Vasquez had 10 assists. Again, the bench was nonexistant, with all 5 starters playing at least 32 minutes, and Vasquez playing 43. Next up: UCLA (11/19).

ACC/SEC Basketball Roundup, 11/12

Lots of action for a Monday night, let's see if any new faces stood out besides Chris Bosh in an ESPN commercial with Mike Breen wearing his jersey.

Duke 86, New Mexico State 61
Most exciting thing about this one was the rediscovery of Martin Iti, one time big recruit for Charlotte, who disappeared for a few years, and is now, obviously an Aggie. Duke jumped out to a 21 point first half lead, with Jon Scheyer scoring 22. Next up: Princeton, 11/19.

Boston College 68, Florida Atlantic 62
The Eagles trailed in the first half, but rallied behind 21 from Tyrese Rice. Rice also had 9 assists against 5 turnovers. Shamari Spears added 18 points and 8 rebounds in his season debut. Next up: Mercer, 11/18.

South Carolina 103, The Citadel 42
Is this a new breed of Gamecock? Four players scored in double figures, led by Brandis Raley-Ross with 13. Devan Downey and Zam Frederick combined for 18 assists. Next up: Southern Cal, 11/17.

Clemson 91, Furman 46
Clemson destroys the Paladins, with James Mays, Cliff Hammonds, KC Rivers, and Demontez Stitt all scoring double figures. Terrance Oglesby only managed to put up 8 shots in 14 minutes, which is disappointing for our new Shameless Gunner. Next up: at Mississippi State, 11/15.

LSU 72, Southeastern Louisiana 62
Juco transfer Marcus Thornton scores 27 to lead the Bengal Tigers, and freshman Anthony Randolph added 19. Tasmin Mitchell only scored 6, which could be a damaging trend for LSU. Next up: McNeese State, 11/14.

Florida State 92, Georgia Southern 67
Ralph Mims started in place of Toney Douglas in this one, but Douglas came off the bench to score 18. Isaiah Swann led all scorers with 25, and freshman Julian Vaughn scored12 off the bench. Next up: UAB, 11/16.

Maryland 70, Hampton 64
No doubt Gary was not happy with this performance, as the Terps were outscored in the second half. James Gist had a double double in his season debut with 16 and 12, and Greivis Vasquez scored 21, but was only 6 for 15 from the field and had 8 turnovers. Maryland's starters played 151 of the possible 200 minutes, and would have played more if not for Landon Milbourne's foul trouble. Next up: Northeastern, 11/15.

ACC/SEC Basketball Roundup, 11/11

Today we salute our veterans, and check in on some southeast college basketball.


Georgia Tech 99, Tennessee State 85
The Jackets trailed 39-35 at the half before exploding for 64 second half points. Alade Aminu scored 27 on 13 of 15 shooting, and Anthony Morrow scored 31 on 12 of 16 shooting, including 5 of 7 from three. Finally showing the offensive fire power everyone knew this team has by shooting 62% from the field. Next up: Charlotte, at Paradise Jam, 11/16.


Virginia 90, Vermont 72
Playing without Tunji Soroye, who is out after having his knee scoped, Sean Singletary and Adrian Joseph each scored 19 points to lead the Cavs. Joseph made 5 of 8 from the bonus sphere. Next up: Howard, 11/14.


Florida 93, Tennessee Tech 65
Extremely balanced scoring for Florida, as Marreesse Speights, and freshmen Nick Calathes, Chandler Parsons, Adam Allen, and Jai Lucas, each scored over 13 points. Calathes added 8 assists, while Parsons had 6. Next up: North Carolina Central, 11/14.


Maryland 79, North Florida 50
Without two starters in James Gist and Landon Milbourne, the Terps got off to a slow start, but turned it on in the second half to top the Osprey. Greivis Vasquez scored 18, and Bambale Osby and Eric Hayes added 15 for Maryland. Next up: Hampton, 11/12.

ACC/SEC Basketball Roundup, 11/10

Four more teams tipped off last night, let's see how they did against the challenging teams they have scheduled.

Vanderbilt 81, Austin Peay 67
In an actually challenging game, Vandy took control early and maintained a constant lead throughout. Shan Foster rebounded from a shaky outing in the exhibition to hit seven 3's on his way to 21 points. Alex Gordon added 19, and Australian freshman A.J. Ogilvy scored 18. Next up: at Toledo, 11/13.

Boston College 67, New Hampshire 57
A great sign for BC, as two freshmen, Rakim Sanders and Biko Harris, scored 22 and 19 respectively, as Tyrese Rice and Shamari Spears did not play. They were suspended one game for playing in a non-sanctioned event over the summer. Next up: Florida Atlantic, 11/12.

Ole Miss 97, Mississippi Valley State 63
Freshman from Atlanta Trevor Gaskins made seven of ten 3's attempted, scoring 21 points in just 20 minutes of action. David Huertas added 12 in this dominating performance. Next up: South Alabama, 11/13.

Mississippi State 75, Louisiana Tech 45
Not even the Mailman could help the Techsters in this one, as Jamont Gordon scored 21 to lead the Bulldogs of Miss State. Charles Rhodes added 17, and guard Barry Stewart recorded a double double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Next up: Clemson, 11/15.

ACC/SEC Basketball Roundup, 11/9

The first big night of the season, with 13 of the 24 teams in the ACC and SEC tipping off.

UNC Greensboro 83, Georgia Tech 74
One of those that you feel like you got punched in the stomach after hearing about. When I turned on the radio in the second half, and heard an 11 point game, I figured the Jackets were struggling. I never figured they'd be on the losing end of that. Anthony Morrow led the Jackets with 23, and two freshmen, Mo Miller and Gani Lawal, joined him in double figures. Next up: at Tennessee State, 11/11.

South Carolina 92, South Carolina State 67
Devan Downey led the Cocks with 24, while Zam Frederick added 14 in the dominating performance. Next up: The Citadel, 11/12.

Duke 121, North Carolina Central 56
The Devils dominated, making 16 three pointers. Three freshmen led Duke in scoring, with Taylor King having 20, Nolan Smith 16, and Kyle Singler 15. Next up: New Mexico State, 11/12 (7:00, ESPN2).

Tennessee 80, Temple 63
Tennessee jumped out to a 15 point half time lead, and never looked back. JaJuan Smith scored 15, and Ramar Smith added 14. Next up: Arkansas-Monticello, 11/14.

Florida State 81, Nicholls State 58
The backcourt trio of Jason Rich, Isaiah Swann, and Toney Douglas combined for 42 points to lead the Noles. Freshman post Julian Vaughn cracked the starting line up, and scored 8. Next up: Georgia Southern, 11/12.

Alabama 84, Troy 72
Stud Richard Hendrix put up 22 points and 23 rebounds to lead Bama. As a team, the Tide outrebounded the Trojans 61 to 35. Next up: at Mercer, 11/13.

Virginia Tech 69, Elon 64
The Hokies were led by freshman Jeff Allen's 19 points and 10 rebounds, as they were able to overcome poor foul shooting (58.8%) to defeat the former Fightin' Christians. Next up: Eastern Washington in Great Alaska Shootout, 11/22.

Florida 75, North Dakota State 65
Nick Calathes scored 21 points in his collegiate debut for Florida. It could be a long year in Gainesville. Next up: Tennessee Tech, 11/11.

Wake Forest 85, Fairfield 60
James Johnson begins his college career with a double double of 17 points and 10 rebounds as the Deacs blew out the Stags. Wake made 14 three pointers, including 5 from Harvey Hale. Next up: North Carolina Central, 11/19.

Arkansas 67, Wofford 45
The Razorbacks were able to pull away in the second half by holding the Terriers to only 19 points on 28% shooting in the second half. Next up: College of Charleston, in Puerto Rico, 11/15.

Tulane 77, Auburn 62
Not a good night in New Orleans for the Tigers, as they shot only 39% from the field and 48% from the line in a disheartening loss. Next up: Kennesaw State, 11/13.

Miami 104, Florida Southern 61
Miami beats up on Division II Florida Southern. Hope they're happy with themselves. Next up: Marist, in Puerto Rico, 11/15.

Georgia 107, Jacksonville State 65
The freshmen led Georgia in this one, with Jeremy Price scoring 18, Chris Barnes 14, and Jeremy Jacob 13. Freshman Zac Swansey had 10 assists as well. Next up: Grambling, 11/14.

The View From Section 16 - UNC Greensboro 11/9/07

The view from Section 16 was not very good last night at Alexander Memorial Coliseum. The Jackets lost to the Spartans of UNC Greensboro 84-73. It was the Jackets first loss to open the season since 1993 and first home loss to open the season since 1980.

UNC Greensboro
The Spartans were led by 6'6" Kyle Hines and his 25 points and 9 rebound, 18 of those points came in the 1st half. Last year Hines was the Southern Conference player of the year, an honorable mention AP All-American, Mid-Major All-American according to College Insider.com and CollegeHoopsNet.com, CNN-SI All-Mid major second team, a USBWA All-District selection, and a NABC All-District second-team selection. His preseason honors this year include: presesaon 1st Team Mid-Major All American by CollegeHoops.net, media pick for Southern Conference player of the year, and coach's pick for all conference team. The Spartans as a team were picked to win the North Division of the Southern Conference. All this to say, they were not a bad team. However, a school from the ACC should be able to handle a Southern Conference team at home.

Game Recap
At the half Tech was up 43-39 after a back and forth first half. In the second half UNCG thoroughly out played and basically dominated the Jackets. The Spartans took the lead at the 16:46 mark and never relinquished it. With just under 10 minutes to go they had stretched the lead to double figures and with 6:19 took their biggest lead of 14. Matt Causey entered the game at that point, after being on the bench since about the 13 minute mark after his third foul. With Causey's energy on the defensive end and the better sets they seem to run with him in the game, the team made a dent in the lead. However, they could never get it below 7 and only a last second three by Anthony Morrow was the only thing that made the final margin less than 10.

Thoughts and Observations
There really aren't a lot of positives in a game like this. You can only hope that it serves as a wake up call for both the players and the coaching staff.

• Morrow played well in the 1st half and showed a much more developed mid range game.
  
• The team gets into better half court sets and rhythm with Causey at that point.
• Mo Miller will be a good ACC point guard. He played a pretty good 1st half, but at this point he doesn't have the point guard skills of Causey.
  
• Causey was at worst Tech's 2nd best perimeter defender behind D'Andre Bell. He forced UNCG into a 5 second call and brought great energy.
  
• Causey only played 10 minutes and I assume this was due to his knee. If it was not due to his knee I believe he earned more playing time and likely the starting position.
  
• From the stands I was not sure why Bell was in the game for an extended time at the point. He will bring good defensive energy, but the offense started way too high and really struggled with him in the game.
  
• The team continues to struggle on inbounds plays. I remember at least 2 turnovers last night as a result.
  
• Tech's big men were dominated on the interior by Hines. Obviously he is a good player, but this type of performance does not bode well for a match up with Tyler Hansbrough. Zach Peacock was out and his return should help the team in this area.
  
• Hines could play in the ACC and be successful.
  
• Gani Lawal is scary at the free throw line. He made 2 of 3, but one was bank and the miss wasn't close.
  
• Lewis Clinch probably had what will be his worst shooting game of the year. He finished with only 5 points on 2 of 13 shooting.
  
• The team gave up way to many easy baskets in transition, especially when they tried to apply full court pressure. The deep man continually allowed a UNCG player to slip behind him.
  
• The team allowed a lot of open jumpers in the 2nd half. This could have been at least part to an effort to help on Hines, but is another area the team definitely needs to work on.
  
• Tech won the battle on the boards by a slim margin, but it was not due to boxing out.
  
• Why would anyone ever schedule a game at 6:00 pm on Friday in Atlanta?
  
• It was embarrassing watching the UNCG fans behind the bench turn and watch Tech fans make a mass exit with 1:30 to go.
  
• There is no need for Tech fans to act like the season is over at this point. This was a game the Jackets should have won, but it doesn't mean the season is over. The team has a lot to work on, but fortunately they are only 1 game in and have time to correct mistakes.

Next up for the Jackets is a visit to Tennessee State on Sunday 11/11/07. There are no more home games until a December 18th game against preseason #4 Kansas.

Weekend Preview 11/9-11/11

Movie

Movies
Lions for Lambs
Tom Cruise, Robert Redford, and Meryl Streep star in a movie that Fox News, you know, "fair and balanced," says could end their careers due to its extreme leftism. As they say, its a "Ticking TOM Bomb," get it? The tagline is also very creative and fresh: "If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything." As a bleeding heart liberal, this is sad. I'll pass.

Fred Claus
Does Vince Vaughn have a gambling problem? Why would he subject himself to this film? Looks like a decent cast, but I'm always wary of Christmas films, ever since Christmas Slay.

Before The Devil Knows You're Dead (out in Atlanta this week)
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Albert Finney, Sidney Lumet directing. It's about 2 brothers robbing their parents. Sounds messed up, but good.

Music
Big night on Austin City Limits, as Arcade Fire performs. This is two solid weeks in a row for ACL, which is really one of the most underrated programs on television, and constantly fuels my desire to move to Austin.

Saturday Night Live this week has a musical flavor, as Jon Bon Jovi, yes JBJ himself, will be the host, and the Foo Fighters will be the musical guest. (Re-run from 10/13).

College Football
Arkansas at #24 Tennessee
Can the Vols horrible run defense shut down the nation's best player?

Illinois at #1 Ohio State
Can the Fightin' Zooks take down the Bucks?

#18 Auburn at #10 Georgia
The South's longest continual rivalry continues, with the road team being the dominant force in the series year in and year out.

Florida State at #11 Virginia Tech
We'll see if the Noles really are back this week.

NBA (Friday night)
Hawks at Celtics
The young Hawks get a huge road test, as their initial tough gauntlet continues.

Suns at Heat
The Suns should rebound against an aging Heat squad.

College Basketball
The season kicks off tonight with 10 of the top 25 in action, and 13 ACC and SEC teams in action. Check back tomorrow for summaries of the blow outs.

NFL
Lots of divisional match ups this weekend.

Dallas at NY Giants
This should be a good test for both teams. The Cowboys will need to protect Romo against a tough front four for the Giants.

Buffalo at Miami
Do the Dolphins scratch into the win column? Ms. Cleo Lemon says no.

Jacksonville at Tennessee
Take the under, even if it's 10.

Cincinnati at Baltimore
Can even Steve McNair pass against the vaunted Bengals secondary?

ACC/SEC Basketball Roundup, 11/6-11/7

In the first two nights of real basketball action, let's see how the teams involved fared.

Real Games:
Kentucky 67, Central Arkansas 40

In Clyde Gillispie's debut as the head man, Joe Crawford came off the bench to score 20, while the UK defense held the Bears to 20% shooting. Next up: Gardner-Webb, 11/7.

Gardner-Webb 84, Kentucky 68
The honeymoon for Billy Clyde may be over after this one. ESPN got lucky, as their bracket for this made-for-TV tournament was almost entirely blown up by Morgan State, a MEAC school, who barely lost to Connecticut. Looks like parity has really taken over this year. Back to GW. The school was picked 8th pre-season in the Atlantic Sun, and will be leaving the league for the even lower level Big South next season. Good times in Lexington. Next up: Liberty, 11/21.

Fake Games:
Clemson 79, Augusta State 66
We have a new shameless gunner in the ACC, and his name is Terrance Oglesby. The sharpshooter out of Tennessee took 16 shots, 14 of them threes, in 17 minutes of action. Good gracious. Starting line up: K.C. Rivers, James Mays, Trevor Booker, Cliff Hammonds, and freshman Demontez Stitt. Next up: Furman, 11/12.

LSU 72, Global Sports 68
In a dying breed game, so that Jim Calhoun can't pay AAU coaches to help his recruiting anymore, the Tigers were led by Terry Martin's 17 points. Good win for LSU, considering Tasmin Mitchell and Garrett Temple combined for 5 points. Next up: Southeast Louisiana, 11/12.

Miami 82, Barry 50
Pre-season second team conference selection Jack McClinton started where he left off last season by making 6 threes to lead the Canes. Starting line up for Miami was McClinton, Jimmy Graham, Brian Asbury, Anthony King, and Lance Hurdle. Next up: Florida Southern, 11/9.

Arkansas 96, Campbellsville 56
Patrick Beverly scored 20 points, as four others joined him in double figures, as the nationally ranked Hogs rolled. Next up: Wofford, 11/9.

Florida State 87, Valdosta 66
A great sign for FSU as freshman post Julian Vaughn had 15 points on 4 of 5 shooting from the floor, and 7 of 9 from the line. His production will be huge for them to be successful this year. Isaiah Swann led four others in double figures with 21. Starting line up: Swann, Jason Rich, Toney Douglas, Uche Echefu, and Ryan Reid. Next up: Nicholls State, 11/9.

Mississippi State 100, Oklahoma City 69
The Bulldogs showed OKC that NAIA and SEC should never be used in the same sentence. Jamont Gordon scored 20 as MSU shot over 50% from the floor in the win. Next up: Louisiana Tech, 11/10.

NC State 76, UNC Pembroke 41
J.J. Hickson moved into the starting line up in place of Ben McCauley and scored 11 points in 20 minutes on 5 of 5 shooting. Joining Hickson in the first five were Brandon Costner, Courtney Fells, Gavin Grant, and Farnold Degand. Next up: William & Mary, 11/15.

Maryland 75, Concordia 42
Everyone gets in for the Terps tonight, as they roll by 33 over Concordia. Most importantly, they will play their opener Friday without two starters in Landon Milbourne and James Gist. Starting line up: Milbourne, Gist, Bambale Osby, Greivis Vasquez, and Eric Hayes. Next up: North Florida, 11/9.

2007-2008 ACC Team Preview #12

Duke Blue Devils

The Blue Devils return 4 starters from last year's squad, led by last year's leading scorer and 2nd leading rebounder DeMarcus Nelson. The team lost only perimeter wandering PF Josh McRoberts. The very strong recruiting class should more than make up for the loss of McRoberts. One of the biggest problems this year for Coach Mike Krzyzewski could be finding enough minutes to go around at the wing positions.

Key Losses: The only loss of note for the Blue Devils is McRoberts, who left early for the NBA. The loss of the 6'11" McRoberts will hurt, but more so because of the size he brought to the table than his scoring (18% of scoring, 20% of rebounding, 26% of assists).

New Additions: Duke adds 3 top 25 recruits and McDonald's All-Americans. The most highly touted is 6'8" Kyle Singler out of Oregon. The preseason ACC freshman of the year is expected to step in and fill the void left by McRoberts. If the exhibitions (23 pts & 27 pts) are any indication it would appear that he is more assertive offensively than McRoberts ever was. 6'2" guard Nolan Smith, the son of the late former Louisville star Derek Smith, should also make some noise. As should 6'6" sharp shooting wing Taylor King.

Projected Lineup:

• PG- Greg Paulus (6'1", Jr.)
  
• SG- Gerald Henderson (6'4", So.) or Jon Scheyer (6'5", So.)
  
• G- DeMarcus Nelson (6'4", Sr.)
  
• F- Kyle Singler (6'8", Fr.)
  
• F- Lance Thomas(6'8", So.)

Key Reserves:

• G- Nolan Smith (6'2", Fr.)
  
• SG/SF- Martynas Pocius (6'5", Jr.)
  
• SG/SF- Taylor King (6'6", Fr.)
  
• F- David McClure(6'6", Jr.)
  
• C- Brian Zoubek (7'1", So.)

Outlook: Last year broke a streak of 10 straight years that Duke won either the conference regular season or tournament title. This year's team should be better than last year's and should finish near the top of the conference. Just like every year, this Duke team has an abundance of talent (i.e. McDonald's All-Americans). This team is especially strong at the wing positions - many expect Henderson to have a break out year, Nelson was last year's leading scorer, Scheyer was the 3rd leading scorer, and Pocius, Smith, King, and even Singler add more depth. The question marks are in the middle and at the point. This team will not be very big, unless Zoubek can step up. Obviously, this could lead to trouble with teams with quality big men. In addition, Paulus needs to bring more consistency than he showed last year.

Duke goes to Hawaii for the Maui Invitational from November 19th-21st. They will play Princeton in the opening round then potentially Arizona State, Illinois, LSU, and Preseason #11/12 Marquette. Wisconsin comes to Durham on November 27 for an ACC/Big 10 Challenge match up. On December 1st, the Blue Devils will play a very good Davidson team in Charlotte. Michigan visits Durham on December 8th. Finally on December 20th, they will battle top 25 Pittsburgh at Madison Square Garden in the Aeropostale Classic. Overall Duke plays a pretty strong out of conference schedule. However, they do not play 1 true road game against a quality opponent, which obviously bodes well for any team. The Blue Devils will finish with a better conference record than they did last year and garner a high seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Prediction: 11-5 Finish, T-2 in ACC; 24-6 Overall.

ACC Preview #11 - Maryland
ACC Preview #10 - Boston College
ACC Preview #9 - UNC
ACC Preview #8 - Virginia
ACC Preview #7 - Wake Forest
ACC Preview #6 - Virginia Tech
ACC Preview #5- Miami
ACC Preview #4- Florida State
ACC Preview #3- NC State
ACC Preview #2- Clemson
ACC Preview #1- Georgia Tech

2007-2008 ACC Team Preview #11

Maryland Terrapins

After losing three core seniors in Ekene Ibekwe, D.J. Strawberry, and Mike Jones, Maryland will rely on senior big man James Gist and sophomore guards Greivis Vasquez and Eric Hayes to lead the charges and play the majority of the minutes. Five freshmen join the Terrapin squad that is looking to head back to the NCAA tournament again this season after missing the two before last year. This group will not be as talented on the defensive end as last season, but will look to play classic Maryland pressure defense and get out in transition with two strong guards and an athletic big man.

Key Losses: Maryland loses a huge chunk in the three mentioned above. Strawberry was a two year starter and major contributor all four years in College Park, while Ibekwe started more games than that. Jones was a McDonald's All-American coming out of high school, and was a starter the last season and a half at Maryland. Also graduating were tough big man Will Bowers and little used Parrish Brown (55% of scoring, 47% of rebounding, 39% of assists).

New Additions: Five versatile freshmen come to College Park, and each will be looked to add depth at all positions. Two come from national power Montrose Christian, guard Adrian Bowie and post Shane Walker, joining Vasquez. Also entering will be posts Braxton Dupree and Dino Gregory, and wing Cliff Tucker.

Projected Lineup:

• PG- Greivis Vasquez (6'5", So.)
• SG- Eric Hayes (6'4", So.)
• SF- Landon Milbourne (6'7", So.)
• PF- Bambale Osby (6'8", Sr.)
• C- James Gist (6'9", Sr.)

Key Reserves:

• SG- Adrian Bowie (6'2", Fr.)
• SF- Cliff Tucker (6'6", Fr.)
• PF- Jerome Burney (6'9", R-Fr.)
• C- Braxton Dupree (6'8", Fr.)
• PF- Dino Gregory (6'7", Fr.)

Outlook: Maryland looks to have a strong starting four, with two play making guards who can also score and two very active big men inside. The key will be if they can get any scoring punch at the wing forward spot, and if the freshmen can make an impact. Milbourne doesn't have to be a world beater in that spot, but at least needs to be a threat so that defenses cannot key on Vasquez and Hayes as much. Either Bowie or Tucker also needs to provide solid depth that the Terps are definitely lacking. Thankfully, Gary Williams runs a version of the flex that doesn't reply upon lots of one on one play. If the depth can be solid and provide enough rest for the starters, and if Gist and Osby can stay out of foul trouble, this team will be very solid.

The opening schedule will tell a lot about Maryland. Beginning the season in the College Basketball Experience tournament will give the Terps a shot at UCLA and, probably, Missouri early in the year. Additionally, games against Illinois and VCU will be good tests. The rest of the schedule is relatively weak.

Prediction: 10-6 finish, T-4 in ACC; 24-7 Overall.

ACC Preview #10 - Boston College
ACC Preview #9 - UNC
ACC Preview #8 - Virginia
ACC Preview #7 - Wake Forest
ACC Preview #6 - Virginia Tech
ACC Preview #5- Miami
ACC Preview #4- Florida State
ACC Preview #3- NC State
ACC Preview #2- Clemson
ACC Preview #1- Georgia Tech

2007-2008 SEC Basketball Schedule Overview

A few interesting facts about the 2007-2008 SEC Basketball Schedule:

Most Common Opponent: Clemson (4 Times)
Most Conference Against: Tie- ACC, Big East, Southland (13 Times each)
Games Against Power Conferences: 46 (ACC, Big East, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac 10)
Best Opponent: North Carolina (vs. Kentucky)
Worst Opponent: Arkansas-Monticello(vs. Tennessee)

Opponents in Each Conference:
America East (2): Stony Brook, Vermont
ACC (13): Clemson (4), Florida State, Georgia Tech (2), Miami (2), North Carolina, NC State, Wake Forest (2)
Atlantic 10 (8): George Washington (2), LaSalle, UMass, Temple (2), Xavier (2)
Atlantic Sun (11): Belmont, Campbell, East Tennessee State, Gardner-Webb, Jacksonville, Kennesaw, Lipscomb, Mercer (2), North Florida, Stetson
Big 12 (9): Baylor (2), Missouri (2), Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas A&M (2)
Big East (13): UConn, DePaul (2), Georgetown, Louisville, Providence (2), Rutgers, St. John's, Villanova (2), West Virginia (2)
Big Sky (0):
Big South (8): Charleston Southern (2), High Point, Liberty, UNC Asheville (2), Radford, Winthrop
Big Ten (7): Indiana, Iowa, Ohio State (2), Penn State, Purdue, Wisconsin
Big West (2): UC-Irvine (2)
Colonial (1): Towson
Conference USA (10): UAB, Central Florida, Houston, Memphis, Rice, Southern Miss (2), Tulane (3)
Division II (3): Arkansas-Monticello, Augusta State, Chaminade
Independents (6): Chicago State, UNC-Central, Presbyterian (3), UT Pan American
Horizon League (1): Valparaiso
Ivy (0):
MAAC (1): Iona
MAC (2): Miami, Toledo
MEAC (5): Delaware State (2), Florida A&M, North Carolina A&T, South Carolina State
Missouri Valley (4): Missouri State (2), Southern Illinois, Wichita State
Mountain West (1): New Mexico
Northeast (0):
Ohio Valley (8): Austin Peay, Jacksonville State, Murray State, Tennessee Martin (2), Tennessee State, Tennessee Tech (2)
Pac 10 (4): Arizona State, Oregon State, Southern Cal, Washington
Patriot (1): Lafayette
Southern (8): Appalachian State, Chattanooga, The Citadel, College of Charleston, Elon, Georgia Southern, Wofford (2)
Southland (13): Central Arkansas, Lamar, McNeese State, Nicholls State (2), Northwestern State (2), Southeast Louisiana (3), Texas A&M Corpus Christi (2), UT San Antonio
SWAC (9): Alabama A&M (2), Alabama State, Grambling, Mississippi Valley State, Prairie View A&M, Southern, Texas Southern (2)
Summit (2): North Dakota State, Oral Roberts
Sun Belt (11): Florida International, Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana-Monroe (2), Middle Tennessee State, South Alabama (3), Troy (2), Western Kentucky
West Coast (4): Gonzaga (2), Loyola Marymount, San Diego
WAC (2): Louisiana Tech, Utah State

Using the RPI numbers from last year, I determined the strength of each team's schdule. Some notes: "Expected" opponents in tournaments were used; Any team not in Division I last season was given an RPI rating of 330; Of course some teams from last year will be better, others worse, for the ranking.

Most of the conference has pretty impressive schedules. Vanderbilt and Arkansas both play very competitive, balanced schedules. Each school plays a good variety of high majors and competitive mid-majors.

Kentucky and Alabama play the most teams in the top 50 of the RPI from last year, with Kentucky taking on UNC, Indiana, Louisville, and Memphis. Alabama will play Georgetown, Texas A&M, and Clemson. Kentucky also has many schools on the lower end of the RPI in their schedule, thus lowering their overall ranking.

Georgia and Ole Miss do not necessarily challenge themselves, though the Dogs do have Georgia Tech, Gonzaga, and Wisconsin, and the Rebels play Clemson.

The most surprising fact was Florida. The defending national champions have the second weakest schedule in the league, with the only challenges coming from Florida State and Ohio State, with the remainder of the schedule exceptionally weak.

And then there is Auburn. The average of their opponents is over 200 on the RPI, which is inexcusable. The Tigers were looking toward a breakthrough season with experienced players returning, but if they even go 8-8 in the league, they will be hard pressed to make the tournament. The best out of conference opponents are Xavier and West Virginia, not exactly world beaters.

School	Top 50	51-100	101-200	201-300	300+	Avg.
Arkansas	1	4	5	2	1	142.9
Vanderbilt	1	5	6	1	2	145.7
Alabama	5	1	2	6	0	152.5
Mississippi State	2	2	5	2	1	154.6
Kentucky	4	1	4	5	1	159.7
Tennessee	3	3	2	4	2	162.9
South Carolina	3	2	4	3	2	166.6
LSU	2	3	3	5	1	169.5
Georgia	1	2	5	2	2	178.4
Ole Miss	1	2	5	4	2	178.5
Florida	2	1	5	3	3	196.4
Auburn	1	3	2	3	4	206.8

ACC/SEC Basketball Roundup, 11/5

The season officially began tonight, with Memphis defeating Tennessee-Martin and Richmond beating Maine. Kentucky tips off tomorrow night in the first game for either the ACC or SEC.

All games are exhibitions...

Alabama 99, North Alabama 71
After only being up one at the half, the Tide exploded for 56 in the second half. Richard Hendrix scored 18 to lead four players in double figures. Starting line up: Hendrix, Demetrius Jemison, Mykal Riley, Rico Pickett, Alonzo Gee. Next up: Troy, 11/9.

Tennessee 124, Lincoln Memorial 61
Again playing without Duke Crews, the Vols roll over the Railsplitters. Ryan Childress led 7 players in double figures with 19. Starting line up: Childress, Brian Williams, JaJuan Smith, Chris Lofton, Jordan Howell. Next up: Temple, 11/9.

Florida 101, Lynn 65
The shell of the defending national champions were led by Marreesse Speights' 18 points. Five others reached double digits, including Jai Lucas. Starting line up: Speights, Lucas, Dan Werner, Walter Hodge, Nick Calathes. Next up: North Dakota State, 11/9.

South Carolina 99, Guilford 63
Cincinnati transfer Devan Downey scored 27 for the Gamecocks. True freshman Mike Holmes added a double double with 19 and 10. Everyone's favorite former Yellow Jacket, (Sha)Zam Frederick, scored 10. Hooray. Next up: South Carolina State, 11/9.

Wake Forest 104, Mars Hill 70
High flying L.D. Williams scored 18 for the Deacons, while freshman James Johnson lived up to expectations with 17 and 12. Four other Deacs scored in double figures. Starting line up: Johnson, Williams, Harvey Hale, Ishmael Smith, Jamie Skeen. Next up: Fairfield, 11/9.

Vanderbilt 80, Tusculum 79
A.J. Ogilvy and Alex Gordon scored 17 a piece to lead the Commodores in a close match up. The Tigers, after already losing to Kennesaw State and Lipscomb, out rebounded Vanderbilt 44 to 35. Starting line up: Ogilvy, Gordon, Ross Neltner, Shan Foster, Jermaine Beal. Next up: Austin Peay, 11/10.

2007-2008 ACC Team Preview #10

Boston College Eagles

After losing ACC player of the year and NBA first round pick Jared Dudley, this will be a season of transition in Chestnut Hill. Coach Al Skinner always seems to do more with less, instilling a tough, defensive minded team that is patient running its version of the flex offense. Tyrese Rice returns after finishing sixth in the league in scoring at 17.8 ppg last season.

Key Losses: Losing the do it all forward in Dudley, along with fellow four year starter Sean Marshall, leaves big holes on the perimeter for the Eagles to fill. Additionally, first round pick Sean Williams was dismissed in the middle of last season for smoking the dope. Guard Marquez Haynes decided to transfer after averaging 18 minutes per game last season off the bench (51% of scoring, 44% of rebounding, 47% of assists).

New Additions: The Eagles welcome in a five man recruiting class that will be needed to fill in on the perimeter immediately. Guards Biko Paris and Rakim Sanders, along with wing Corey Raji, will compete for spots on the wing alongside returning point guard Rice. Posts Josh Southern and Cortney Dunn will add depth to an already loaded front court.

Projected Lineup:

• PG- Tyrese Rice (6'1", Jr.)
• SG- Rakim Sanders (6'5", Fr.)
• SF- Shamari Spears (6'6", So.)
• PF- Tyler Roche (6'7", So.)
• C- Tyrelle Blair (6'11", Sr.)

Key Reserves:

• PF/C- John Oates (6'10", Sr.)
• SG- Daye Kaba (6'4", So.)
• SF- Corey Raji (6'5", Fr.)
• PG- Biko Paris (6'1", Fr.)
• C- Josh Southern (6'10", Fr.)

Outlook: The gaping holes on the perimeter may be this team's undoing, but they will certainly be strong in the post and at the point. Rice has the potential to be a top three point guard in the league, along with Lawson and Singletary, but has to hold up during the season. An injury to him would be devastating. If Roche and the freshmen can be reliable shooters to go along with Rice and the strong inside game, BC will be a threat night in and night out in the conference.

The out of conference slate is pretty soft, except for games against Kansas and UMass at home, and traveling to Ann Arbor to take on Michigan in the ACC/Big 10 Challenge.

Prediction: 8-8 finish, T-6 in ACC; 19-10 Overall.

ACC Preview #9 - UNC
ACC Preview #8 - Virginia
ACC Preview #7 - Wake Forest
ACC Preview #6 - Virginia Tech
ACC Preview #5- Miami
ACC Preview #4- Florida State
ACC Preview #3- NC State
ACC Preview #2- Clemson
ACC Preview #1- Georgia Tech

New Georgia Tech Basketball Uniforms

For those of you who did not make it to the Carson-Newman exhibition game last Friday here are a few pictures of the new uniforms. The first is freshman Gani Lawal and the second also features Lawal, along with Lewis Clinch and Anthony Morrow. They are courtesy of a poster from Stingtalk (http://www.stingtalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23026). Click pictures to enlarge.

ACC/SEC Basketball Roundup, 11/2-11/4

All games are Exhibitions:

Georgia Tech 126, Carson-Newman 86
Lewis Clinch leads the Jackets with 21, followed by Anthony Morrow and Brad Sheehan with 18 a piece. Freshman Gani Lawal chipped in 12. Starting line up: Clinch, Morrow, Alade Aminu, Jeremis Smith, and freshman Maurice Miller.

Georgia 90, Clayton State 56
Sundiata Gaines, Billy Humphrey, and freshman Troy Brewer scored in double figures to lead the Bulldogs over the Lakers. The big story was the freshmen, including post Jeremy Price, Zac Swansey, Jeremy Jacob, and Chris Barnes. Starting line up: Gaines, Humphrey, Jacob, Terrance Woodbury, and Rashaad Singleton.

North Carolina 114, Shaw 62
Tyler Hansbrough leads five Tar Heels in double digits with 23 points. Also scoring in double figures were Deon Thompson (17), Wayne Ellington (12), Ty Lawson (11), and Alex Stepheson (10). Starting line up: Hansbrough, Thompson, Ellington, Lawson, and Marcus Ginyard.

Ole Miss 110, Delta State 65
Florida transfer David Huertas scored 18 points to lead six Rebels in double figures, including two freshmen from Atlanta, Trevor Gaskins and Zach Graham. Starting line up: Huertas, Eniel Polynice, Chris Warren, Dwayne Curtis, and Jeremy Parnell.

Duke 105, Barton 44
Freshmen Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith lead all scorers with 27 and 18, respectively. Gerald Henderson, Jon Scheyer, and Demarcus Nelson also scored in double figures as the Devils rolled. Starting line up: Singler, Henderson, Nelson, Lance Thomas, and Greg Paulus.

Arkansas 117, West Florida 43
In Coach John Pelphrey's debut in Fayetteville, sophomore Michael Washington had a double-double with 22 points and 1o rebounds to lead the Hogs. Patrick Beverly had 17 points, and three others reached double digits as well. Startling line up: Beverly, Sonny Weems, Gary Ervin, Steven Hill, and Charles Thomas.

Mississippi State 71, University of the Cumberlands 60
The Bulldogs were led by the inside combo of Jarvis Varnado and Charles Rhodes, who combined for 23 points and 17 rebounds in the win. Starting line up: Rhodes, Varnado, Jamont Gordon, Ben Hansbrough, and Barry Stewart.

Tennessee 106, California (Pa.) 46
Missing starters Duke Crews and Wayne Chism, the Vols rolled behind 15 from Iowa transfer Tyler Smith. Six other players also scored in double figures for the preseason SEC pick Vols. Starting line up: T. Smith, Chris Lofton, JaJuan Smith, Ramar Smith, and Brian Williams.

Boston College 70, Carleton 47
The Eagles were able to overcome a horrible night for their star Tyrese Rice, who shot 1 for 8, in their win. Freshmen Biko Paris and Rakim Sanders, along with Shamari Spears and Tyler Roche, were in double figures. Starting line up: Rice, Sanders, Spears, Roche, and Tyrelle Blair.

Kentucky 82, Seattle 63
Heralded freshman/attention-grabber Pat Patterson scored 17 points to lead the Cats. Also in double figures were Joe Crawford, Jodie Meeks, and Mark Coury. Starting line up: Patterson, Meeks, Coury, Ramel Bradley, and Ramon Harris.

Virginia 124, Carson-Newman 65
Carson-Newman takes on its second ACC opponent in three days, and the Hoos destroy them like they should. Forwards Adrian Joseph and Mamadi Diane led six Cavs in double figures with 22 and 19 respectively. Starting line up: Joseph, Diane, Tunji Soroye, Sean Singletary, and Jeff Jones.