The OtherArena

[jdw]

Thank god this Duke season is over. Hoback had this nailed back in the 3rd game of the season, on the Aircraft Carrier against Sparty... just HATING this group of Blue Devils. I had marginal hope for improvement, but it never really game. One great moment this year (beating UNC), but even that was after getting hammered for most of the game before the miracle comeback.

Hopefully there's more to like about them next year.

John

[Rian]

I had them losing to X-A-V-I-E-R in the next round so it didn't bother me.

[jdw]

I have them over Xav, then jobbing to Baylor. So it doesn't kill me, but it's -3 points and other points well get dropped here and there.

If my final four teams get there (Baylor, UNC, OSU, Sparty), and then my final four breaks my way (UNC over Sparty), I probably win my big pool or at worst come in the high money. But that's a big if. :)

John

[jdw]

Already have 5 losses in this round, even with only two games in the books. 1-1 in those, but four losses already in the books: Duke, Temple, Beach and Mizzou. Still just 1 team in the Regionals out (Mizzou), so I have a lot of points alive late. But dropping a lot of points here, and Cuse beating KState easily is worrisome since not only did I have Cuse going out, but I was playing that to open things up for Vandy to get to the RF. Heck... Vandy might not even beat WI, so I could be bleeding points all over the place. :)

John

[Rian]

Yep Vandy and Mizzou and K-State killed me. I'm just trying to not finish last. Also I usually try to keep score each day on my brackets, I've already shredded them and haven't been keeping track except for one look through at the end of each day.

[jdw]

5-6 on this round already, counting losses already for Sunday's games (Duke, Mizzou, Beach). None of my Final Four teams are out, 6/8 Regional Finals teams alive. Baylor and OSU winning today give me some hope, but it's not like they were as impressive as UK or Cuse. Not doing well in my pools, but not dead until those Final Four teams start dropping.

John

[jdw]

8-8 in this round with FSU and Georgetown bleeding more point.

Mizzou and Vandy remain the only teams I had winning in the next round that are already out.

All of my Final Four teams are still alive, but:

* pick to win it all UNC just lost their PG

* pick for runner up Sparty hasn't looked good

* FF pick Baylor struggled while UK has looked good

* FF pick OSU has looked okay, but Cuse found themselves in the second game

I might end up with 0 teams in the FF. The UNC injury probably blows up my chances of finishing in the money since I just don't see the Heels getting to the Final Four, let alone winning it now.

John

[Rian]

I'm pretty much dead without FSU (FF team) as well as Vandy/Mizzou.

Oh well, I can claim I was the only person to get points from the XAVIER/Duke game.

[jdw]

It is safe for Hoback to come back home as a Duke Fan:

Austin Rivers leaving Duke to enter NBA draft

John

[Yakuza Rich]

I watched the Louisville vs. Florida game and the SU vs. OSU game. I kept thinking that the refs must have something against Big East teams because the calls were pretty bad against them. I actually think Louisville got a bum deal and I was thinking that the refs simply wouldn't let them win the game, but they did anyway. The SU game was mostly bad calls against Syracuse, but it was littered with inconsistent calls that made no sense.

Anyway, SU doesn't have a point guard who can create for others and I think the tournament really exposed Kris Joseph as being weak off the dribble and really being a shooter and finisher who doesn't really create his own shot.

It appears that Waiters is probably gone. It's a tough decision because he seems like a hot prospect right now and he could very well plateau after next year. When he's on, he's really good because he's incredibly fast, strong and athletic. He also showed flashes of being a great defender. I think he needs to be drafted by the right type of team, like the Spurs, and be taught how to go about his business.

I would assume Fab Melo is gone as well. He needs to stay more than Waiters because he simply doesn't have the maturity or offensive skills to go to the NBA.

That would pretty much mean, Michael Carter-Williams at point, Triche at the 2 (who I finally realized why they like him, excellent zone defender). Probalby Southerland at the 3, with Fair at 4 and then it depends if they get Nerlens Noels. I think he'll wind up at Kentucky, although he's allegedly best friends with Carter-Williams.





YR

[Rian]

Need Louisville to beat Kentucky...then my wife wins a minimum of $300 no matter what happens in the championship game. If Louisville beats tOSU, it's $2300!

[CFTV]

I wish we still had Chad around to give us a breakdown of what is going on locally in the Commonwealth as things have to be absolutely nuclear about now there for this weekends game!

It really sucks that he is not here to experience this weekend so in his spirit I'm pulling for the Cards like a CHAMPION to slay that Kentucky monster.

GO CARDS!!!!!!

[jdw]

Yeah... this run my the Cards has been making me miss Chad a lot. :::::(

John

[Yakuza Rich]

Fab Melo and Dion Waiters are leaving for the pros. I think both would be better off staying, although I don't think Melo had a choice. Waiters is much more ready, but I think he needs 1 more year to learn how to play the point better. He can really do it all, except for dribble penetrate and dish. He never really got that down consistently and it was one of the reasons why they lost to Ohio State.

Melo is too immature to handle the NBA lifestyle. While his physical conditioning improved tremendously, he still had a little ways to go. Against Louisville and Georgetown at The Dome he showed some flashes of brilliance rebounding. But, he needs to do that consistently. He also has no low post game.

Everything depends on whether or not SU signs Nerlen Noels. He said he's down to SU, Kentucky and Georgetown. I suspect that his choice is Kentucky. He has to like what Davis did in his freshman year and well...Kentucky can 'fund' him better (winkwink). Losing Melo helps SU's cause, but I think it comes down to how serious Calipari leaving for the NBA is.

I suspect the backcourt will be Carter-Williams and Triche starting with redshirt frosh Trevor Cooney backing up. I get the feeling that Boeheim will go back to burning out the guards while Cooney rarely plays and we neglect outside shooting again.

I'm guessing James Southerland will replace Joseph at the swing. In a weird way, I think they'll miss Joseph in regular season play, but I think not having to rely on him so much will work out better in tourney play. Joseph simply could not create his own shot and even worse, when he tried he almost always turned the ball over. When other high level teams knew that, they put their best defender on him and rendered him useless. Plus, I think Southerland is a better shooter, rebounder and defender.

After that, I would say right now that CJ Fair will start at power forward and it's either down to Rakeem Christmas, Baye Keita or freshman Dajuan Coleman at center. I think Coleman is more ready, but I think he's too out-of-shape. Of course, if Noel signs I think he's penciled in at starting center or power forward. I think Fair could handle coming off the bench again, although I think he's potentially the most dynamic player SU has had in a while (even moreso than Carmelo or Wes Johnson).

Hopefully next year we won't have to deal with the crap we had between the Fine situation, Melo's suspension and the awful reporting job Pat Forde did.

If anything, it would be nice to actually find out the truth in the Bernie Fine case once and for all. We still only have 2 'legitimate' accusers and we haven't been able to verify their stories. DA Fitzpatrick was pretty much dead on about Tomaselli and the '4th Accuser' from the get-go and I generally trust his expertise after all of this. But, I still think it's unlikely that a child molestor who had access to thousands of kids each year (Fine basically ran Boeheim's junior basketball camp) would only molest 2 children in his entire time.

I think that's what got lost in the entire thing...the unbiased and unabashed search for the truth. Too much finger pointing, speculation and witch hunting and we wound up not know what or whom to believe. That's what I will remember this season for.







YR




YR