Weekend Recap: 02.11.08

For your listening pleasure:

Al and the Transamericans

No clue, accidentally clicked on it on the SugarMegs site. Seems amusing so far...

O.K. so I have a clue now (had to do the research, at least a google/myspace/wikipedia go round)
Some moe. boys and a bunch of other semi-famous jam bandsters. They are good. I'll get Ali to comment below if you'd care for more information.

Let's get to the recap.

My picks: 2-1-1 (8-6-2)

Shouldn't have taken Penn State, and Michigan still sucks. But taking a crappy team over a crappy team just cause ya don't think the first crappy team is as crappy as the following crappy team is not a wise move. Especially when the crappy team you're picking is playing on the crappy road. Crap.

Texas got me the push, but just barely. I thought the Longhorns were buried. Down by thirteen in the second half? To Iowa State? I thought y'all wanted to play for a Championship? Sure they squeeked out the victory in OT, and matched the spread, and "all conference games are tough on the road." But that game left a taste in my mouth. Not sure what that taste is, but it has an inkling of some pansy-ass fruited water. I'm not sure I'll trust them come March. I may be overreacting, but we'll see how they roll.

As for my pair of winners, Baylor seemed like an easy pick to beat the spread. They play like a quality team: not dominant, but confident. I didn't think they were losing by seventeen, not against the Jayhawks, wearing that target on their back ever-so proudly. Random NCAA tourney prediction: both get bounced in the second round. Screw the Big-12.

Wright State Raiders bitches!! Yeah, they barely beat the spread but "all conference games are tough on the road." Keep an eye on the Horizon. Probably back to a one-bid conference this year (Butler of course), but ya never know. The Bulldogs are already a lock this season, hence a Wright State or a Cleveland State could get a winnable 5-12 match-up in The Tourney with a conference tourney victory. Random NCAA Tourney Prediction: two Horizon teams make it to the Land of 32.

Other observations on a Sunday eve/Monday morn:

The Buckeyes don't suck, but they ain't getting far in the NCAA Basketball after-life. They looked weak hosting Indiana yesterday, and I'm using the adjective literally. Kosta Koufos got out muscled by Indiana's D.J. White, and none of the OSU guards had the buckeyes to attack the Hoosiers 2-3 zone consistently.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not bitching. This is a very young team, and in my opinion does not have as much raw talent as many of the other programs on the Bubble. I 'd actually like to see them get snubbed by the committee and picked for the NIT. Then Thad Matta will have a real chance of ingraining some tourney toughness into his team, instead of the one-and-done (maybe two-and-done, depending on seeding) the Buckeyes are destined for.

***

I love watching You-clu get upset (that's UCLA for you folks not familiar with the blog). In fact, I love watching any Pac-10 team get upset. Mainly personal bias, but there is also my belief this conference is a bit overrated. According the the man Ken Pomeroy, the Pac-10 is ranked second in overall RPI, but is ranked 20th in Avg. Non-Conference Strength of Schedule. That's means as a conference in general they played a bunch of pussy-cats. And I like watching bullies get beaten up, even by other bullies.

Of course there are exceptions, some huge. 'Zona has the No. 1 SOS, and No. 3 non-con. You-clu holds the No. 22 SOS, but non-con SOS drops to triple-digits at 107. And tied-for-first-in-the conference Stanford? non-con SOS of 271! Pathetic. We're talking Loyola-Chicago, Alcorn St., Troy, Vermont pathetic (The two teams ranked above and below in this category). Obviously there is nothing they can do about this now, but next season "Cardinal", grab your buckeyes and play at least some decent teams.

I'm not feeling any of these or the rest of the Pac-10 bunch as legit contenders come Tourney time, save UCLA. You really can't stop "The Love", and he may will his team to another Final Four, if his guards settle down and handle the defensive pressure to which they are subject. Tourney foes should let The Love get his 17.5/11, and try to take Collison out of the game. Though Washington big-man Artem Wallace seemed to hold The Love in check according to the box-scores, Kevin simply didn't get enough love (i.e the rock) from his guards.

Quick Picks for 02.11.08

I don't really like any of the action this evening, but I'll make a couple of unofficial picks for y'all.

Loyola-Marymount @ Gonzaga (-31 Sportsbook)

Too many points, simple as that. It's a 60/40 the 'Zags only win by 28.

Kansas (-5.5 Sportsbook) @ Texas

I'd take the points again if put in a head-lock, but Kansas has the ability to submit the Longhorns.

Gotta run, we'll do some real Purusing of the Lines come Teusday .
late-A.B.