Sunday, November 29, 2009

Week Three Bloodbath

When most of the games are tournaments, you can assume that there are going to be a lot of losses. After all, only one team can go undefeated in an 8 team tournament. But the points were piled on this week, shaking up the leader board and leading some people to wonder just what the hell they were thinking when they drafted _____ .

A recap of the "point worthy" tournaments and who took home the booty:

a. Coaches Vs Cancer = 2 pts Syracuse (Akaoni) won this last week.
b. NIT Preseason = 4 Duke (Gunz) knocks out UCONN to take the big one.
c. College Ball Experience Classic = 2 Texas (Akaoni) beat Pitt (Akaoni) to take this yawner.
d. Maui Invitational = 3 Gonzaga (NotaTurtle) rose up to win this over Cincinnati (The CEO), Wisconsin and Colorado in a fantastic 3 game tourney. Zags are back in the game!
e. 76 / Anaheim Classic = 3 West Virginia (Jutdog) knocked off the great looking Portland Pilots.
f. Old Spice Classic = 3 Florida St (Jaybird) took out Alabama and Marquette to take the Old Spice.
g. Puerto Rico Tipoff = 3 Villanova (Phumnunki) beat George Mason, Dayton and Ole Miss to take Puerto Rico
h. Paradise Jam = 3 Purdue (NotaTurtle) knocked off Tennessee (Jutdog) in a thriller to take the VI.
i. Hawaiian Diamond Head = 2 (not til December)
j. Charleston Classic = 2 Miami beat South Carolina to win Charleston, no points for anyone!
k. Cancun Challenge = 2 Kentucky (Jaybird) faced little threat in Cleveland St and Stanford to win Cancun
l. Chicago Invitational = 2 Northwestern (Jaybird) beat down Notre Dame and Iowa State to take Chicago.

And a SHOUT OUT to the Richmond Spiders (Babblemur) who knocked off Miss St and Missouri to win the South Padre Invitational, worth no points!

While Akaoni managed to hold onto the number one spot for another week, Gunz won week three by picking up 30 points due to Duke's NIT win, Wisconsin's 2-1 run in Maui, UNLV's big win over Louisville Saturday and Illinois State's four wins. NotaTurtle brought home 27 points, and Boaris and Jaybird banged in 26 a piece. Some Guy in Illinois was the Big Loser this week, picking up only 13 points and falling from 2nd to 9th place.

Standings after Week Three:

# 1. AKaoni - 57 (39-6)
# 2. Gunz - 56 (36-9)
# 3. Jaybird - 53 (32-11)
# 4. Boaris - 52 (34-6)
# 5. Babblemur - 49 (31-13)
# 6. NotaTurtle - 47 (31-11)
# 7. Jutdog - 47 (32-12)
# 8. Phunmunki - 47 (30-14)
# 9. Some Guy in Illinois - 43 (33-12)
# 10. The CEO - 41 (29-16)

Monday, November 23, 2009

Feast Week

This week looks to be one of the best weeks of college basketball in a season that has shown signs of greater parity than usual. Top 10 teams are squeaking past spunky opponents, teams are playing scrappy and tenacious ball, and its looking like anything can happen.

Highlights for Week three:

Paradise Jam Final (3 point tourney) - #6 Purdue (NotaTurtle) vs. #9 Tennessee (Jutdog) This game is HOT. Winner will get 5 pts for beating a top 10 team, 3 for the tourney, plus bragging rights given the intense rivalry between Jutdog and NotaTurtle. The hate seethes between these two, and this game decides it.

Maui Invitational (3 point tourney) Kicks off Tonight, Monday, runs through Wednesday. Great field features six player teams: Gonzaga (Turtle) seeking redemption, Vanderbilt (Babblemur) and Cincinnati (The CEO) face off in the first round, Arizona (Turtle) faces Wisconsin (Gunz) in the first round, with Babblemur's Maryland (Babblemur) the favorite to win this bitch. Lets go.

NIT Final(ly) - 4 point tourney (the mother load). Wednesday Duke (Gunz) faces Arizona St (Some Guy in Illinois), the winner faces UCONN (NotaTurtle) or LSU on Friday. Damn, Turtle sure seems to have a lot of tournament teams... could we be looking at a comeback...

Anaheim Versus Orlando - the Battle of Two Awesome Tournaments

14 teams facing off in these two rival tournaments, both kick off Thanksgiving Day and run through Sunday. Both worth three points each. Both located near Disney Theme Parks. Its ON!

76 Classic (Anaheim) - Long Beach St (Turtle) faces the mighty West Virginia (Jutdog), Clemson (The CEO) takes on the Aggies of Texas A&M (Phunmunki). UCLA (oh my god did someone pick them?) faces Babblemur's giant killers the Portland Pilots, but the game to watch in the first round is the highly anticipated matchup between Jutdog's Golden Gophers and Babblemur's Butler Bulldogs. This should be a GREAT Tourney.

Old Spice Classic (Orlando) - Phunmunki has the deck stacked in her favor in this tournament, starting with Michigan vs. Creighton (Some Guy in Illinois), Xavier vs. Marquette (no one), and Alabama vs Baylor (Akaoni). The last matchup is Florida St (Jaybird) vs Iona, who must have blown Goofy to get into the tournament. I think this one will turn into Michigan vs. Baylor in the finals.

Should be a great week - a LOT of points out there!

Week Two Recap

Winners:

Akaoni - who has managed to go (almost) undefeated! With an amazing 25-1 record, Syracuse's surprising win of the Coaches Versus Cancer Tourney over powerhouses California and North Carolina, he deserves the first place position.

Phunmunki - went 15-2, led by Villanova stomping through the Puerto Rico Tip-off over Dayton and Mississippi, bouncing back from a lackluster 5-4 start.

Some Guy in Illinois - sure, Mississippi lost the Puerto Rico, and North Carolina lost the CVC, but a 16-2 record this week shot him up into second place. Nice job!

Losers:

The CEO - five losses, three against other players, dropped The CEO into last place. Oklahoma's loss to VCU is a bad sign, UNI, Oakland, San Diego St, and Arkansas are showing signs of dragging The CEO down. Can Michigan State carry him through...

NotaTurtle - okay some of his six losses were underdog fights that he wasn't likely to win anyway, but still, pretty sucky.

Jutdog - no excuses here - six losses are medals of "crap" around the neck of this squad. Utah State dropped two games, Kansas State fell to Mississippi, and Boston College's loss to St. Joes is inexcusable (unlike Cornell and Radford's losses, which are natural.)

Standings:

# 1. AKaoni - 35 (25-1)
# 2. Some Guy in Illinois - 30 (24-4)
# 3. Boaris - 28 (20-4)
# 4. Phunmunki - 27 (20-6)
# 5. Jaybird - 27 (19-7)
# 6. Gunz - 26 (20-2)
# 7. Babblemur - 26 (20-4)
# 8. Jutdog - 23 (19-6)
# 9. NotaTurtle - 20 (20-6)
# 10. The CEO - 18 (16-6)

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Week Two - Tournament Time?

Week Two features a handful of early season tournaments, which could lead to some interesting head to head match ups that aren't on the schedule yet.

NIT
Kicked off Monday, with four player teams involved, but no head to head games in the first two rounds. Unlike some of the "cowards" tournaments, every team has to win the first two rounds to make it to the final four next week. So far Duke (Gunz), Western Kentucky (Jaybird), UCONN (Turtle) and Arizona St (Some Guy) have all survived round one, and at least three should sail to the final four next week. The Hilltoppers will have to best LSU to earn that right.

Coaches Versus Cancer - Thursday and Friday
Syracuse (Akaoni) and California (Babblemur)
North Carolina (Some Guy) and Ohio State (Boaris)
Winners play friday, losers play friday, the team that wins will pick up 8 points (3 per win and 2 for the tourney.)

Puerto Rico - Thursday, Friday, and Sunday
All teams will play 3 games, and there are five player teams in the 8 team field.
Dayton (Jaybird) and Georgia Tech (Turtle) face off in round one in a "game to watch", with the winner likely facing Villanova (Phunmunki). On the other side, Mississippi (Some Guy) and Kansas State (Jutdog) could face off in round two if they get past Indiana and Boston U.

Charleston Classic - Thursday, Friday and Sunday
Don't laugh! This tournament has really stepped up in caliber!
Okay, only South Carolina (Akaoni) and Penn St (Turtle) are in the 8 team field, but they could face off in the final if they run it.

Paradise Jam - Friday, Saturday, and next Monday
Four player teams play non-player teams in round one, but will likely face off in round two on Saturday. Northern Iowa (The CEO) could face Tennessee (Jutdog), and Boston College (Jutdog) could face Purdue (Turtle), with the finals next Monday.

The only other good games this week are UNLV (Gunz) and Nevada (Jaybird) on Wednesday, and a handful of great games tonight (Michigan St v. Gonzaga, Kansas v. Memphis,)

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Week 1 Trippings and Standings

It was a good week for several teams to take a hit. And as there were so few, it makes this post possible. But to recap the games that maybe we didn't think would result in a loss:
  • Akron (Jaybird) falls to Austin Peay
  • Oregon State (Phunmunki) drops one to Texas A&M CC (now 1-2)
  • Oregon State (Phunmunki) drops another to Texas Tech
  • Iowa, although no one selected them, trips over perennial powerhouse TX-San Antonio
  • Mississippi State (Gunz) falls to national contender Rider
  • Oakland (CEO) fails to show up against Eastern Michigan
  • Alabama (Phunmunki) losses a close battle to the mighty Cornell (Jutdog)
  • Niagara (Phunmunki) losses a tough game against a decent Auburn squad (this was to be expected)
  • Creighton (SGII) is defeated in a good game against Dayton (Jaybird) (this was to be expected)
  • Wright State (SGII) is also defeated by Washington (Aka) (this was to be expected)

And the final standings on the leaderboard for the opening week:

1. Akaoni with 13 points and a 11-0 record

2. Jutdog with 11 points and a 9-0 record

3. Boaris with 9 points and a 9-0 record


Keep in mind Babblemur's theory - the first and second games of the year are a toss up, good teams don't always play together well, etc. He says its not until the 4th and 5th games that you can start judging a team. However, for teams like California, Cornell, and Tennessee, these squads have the same roster as the past two years, so the gel has already been produced.

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Let the Games Begin!

With preseason games under way and the regular season starting in just 4 days, the BabblemurBBALL challenge is set for another exciting year.

The first head-to-head matchup takes effect on next Friday (Nov 13) when Wright St faces off against Washington. An additional 126 games are scheduled for that day. The following day, Dayton faces off against Creighton while Cornell seeks to establish their presence against a solid Alabama.

Of particular note:
- Syracuse lost a preseason match to D-2 Le Moyne.
- Minnesota recruit suspended and another player not playin yet, while UCONN players missing some playtime due to eligiblity questions.
- Half the UCLA squad is injured.
- Kentucky guard John Wall will miss two games this year

Friday, November 6, 2009

Early Season Tournament Match Ups

Early Season Tournament Matchups

2K Coaches V Cancer (NYC) 2 points
Nov 19
Syracuse (Akaoni) v. California (Babs)
North Carolina (Some Guy) v. Ohio St (Boaris)
Winners and losers play Nov 20

CBE Classic (Kansas City) 2 points
Nov 23
Texas (Akaoni) v. Iowa
Pittsburgh (Akaoni) v. Wichita State
Winners and losers play Nov 24

NIT Season Tip Off (New York) 4 points
Nov 16-17
Duke (Gunz) v. Coastal Carolina
Charlotte v. Elon
Arizona State (Some Guy) v. Texas State
TCU v. Cal Northridge
Western Kentucky (Jaybird) v. Milwaukee
LSU v. Indiana St
UCONN (Notaturtle) v. Colgate
Hofstra v. Yale
Final Four Nov 25 and 27

Charleston Classic (Charleston SC) 2 points
Nov 19
South Carolina (Akaoni) v. La Salle
Davidson v. South Florida
Penn State (Notaturtle) v. UNC Wilmington
Miami FL v. Tulane
Nov. 20 semis, Nov 22 Champ and consolation game

Puerto Rico Tipoff (Puerto Rico) 3 points
Nov 19
Dayton (Jaybird) v. Georgia Tech (NotaTurtle)
Villanova (Phunmunki) v. George Mason
Ole Miss (Some Guy) v. Indiana
Kansas State (Jutdog) v. Boston U
Nov 20, 22 Champ and consolation games

Paradise Jam (Virgin Isles) 3 points
Nov 20
Northern Iowa (The CEO) v. DePaul
Tennessee (Jutdog) v. East Carolina
Boston College (Jutdog) v. St. Joes
Purdue (Notaturtle) v. South Dakota St
Nov 21, 23, champ and consolation games

Cancun Challenge (Mexico) 2 points
Nov 24
Kentucky (Jaybird) v. Cleveland St
Stanford v. Virginia
Nov 25 champ and consolation (lame!)

Maui Invitational (Hawaii) 3 points
Nov 23
Gonzaga (Notaturtle) v. Colorado
Cincinnati (The CEO) v. Vanderbilt (Babs)
Maryland (Babs) v. Chaminade
Arizona (Notaturtle) v. Wisconsin (Gunz)
Nov 24, 25, Champ and Consolation games

76 Classic (Anaheim) 3 points
Nov 26
West Virginia (Jutdog) v. Long Beach St (Notaturtle)
Clemson (The CEO) v. Texas A&M (Phunmunki)
Butler (Babblemur) v. Minnesota (Jutdog)
UCLA (Gunz) v. Portland (Babblemur)
Nov 27, 29 Champ and consolation games

Old Spice Classic (Orlando) 3 points
Nov 26
Michigan (Phunmunki) v. Creighton (Some Guy in Illinois)
Xavier (Phunmunki) v. Marquette
Alabama (Phunmunki) v. Baylor (Akaoni)
Florida State (Jaybird) v. Iona
Nov 27, 29 Champ and consolation games

Chicago Invitational (Chicago) 2 points
Nov 27
Notre Dame (Babblemur) v. Northwestern (Jaybird)
Iowa State v. Saint Louis
Nov 28 champ and consolation games

Diamond Head Classic (Hawaii) 2 points
Dec 22
Saint Mary's (Boaris) v. Northeastern
USC v. Western Michigan
UNLV (Gunz) v. SMU
Charleston v. Hawaii
Dec 23 and 25 champ and consolation

South Padre Invitational (Texas) 0 points - this turned into a good field! But alas, no points
Nov 27
Missouri (Some Guy in Illinois) v. Old Dominion (Gunz)
Richmond (Babblemur) v. Mississippi State (Gunz)
Nov 28 champ and consolation games

Preseason Low Major Poll Out

This is really the low majors. No Atl 10, no MWC, no WAC, and no CUSA.

1. Butler (28) 0-0 770 - Babs

2. Gonzaga (2) 0-0 699 - Notaturtle

3. Siena (1) 0-0 699 - Boaris

4. Northern Iowa 0-0 612 - CEO

5. Western Kentucky 0-0 585 - Jaybird

6. Old Dominion 0-0 580 - Gunz

7. Creighton 0-0 568 - SGII

8. Akron 0-0 444 - Jaybird

9. Wright State 0-0 377 - SGII

10. Niagara 0-0 366 - Phunmunki

http://www.collegeinsider.com/mmpoll/

No Jutdog or Akaoni

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

2010 Preseason Polls Out

AP top 10:


1. Kansas (55) 0-0 1,612
2. Michigan State (5) 0-0 1,515
3. Texas (1) 0-0 1,397
4. Kentucky (3) 0-0 1,372
5. Villanova 0-0 1,347
6. North Carolina (1) 0-0 1,320
7. Purdue 0-0 1,284
8. West Virginia 0-0 1,115
9. Duke 0-0 1,064
10. Tennessee 0-0 897


For more, visit: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/rankings