College Basketball Forum

Official Final Four Predictions

netsnets — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:59:39 GMT

Alright, lets hear your Final Four predictions.. post 'em here for all to see and mock or praise when the season's done.

How about:

Kansas
Michigan St
West Virginia
Tennessee

Your All-Americans

netsnets — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:48:14 GMT

Just wondering, what do you guys predict as your end of season All-Americans?

I'll go

Kalin Lucas
Sherron Collins
Cole Aldrich
Luke Harangody
Kyle Singler

College Basketball Lines & Predictions: Friday

CHN Content — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:30:38 GMT

Betting odds are a great guide to college basketball entertainment. Unlike fans, who often ride the wave of media predictions, betting lines tend to be a bit more focused and can give you an objective picture of how teams matchup (though lines too can get caught up in the wave of human emotion).

I'll discuss my daily predictions after the lines.. these are posted solely for fun, as I do not bet on games myself, nor do I suggest anybody else does either (it's not easy). If you agree or disagree with my picks, have thoughts on the day's lines, or have upsets or picks to announce, post them below.

November 20th: College Basketball Lines & Predictions

1:00

George Mason
vs Georgia Tech

Favorite Georgia Tech by 5 Over/Under -- 3:00

Dayton
vs Villanova

Favorite Villanova by 6 Over/Under -- 3:30

East Carolina
at Tennessee

Favorite Tennessee by 26.5 Over/Under -- 5:00

Ohio St.
vs California

Favorite Ohio St by 2.5 Over/Under -- 6:00

St. Joseph's
vs Boston College

Favorite Boston College by 8 Over/Under -- 6:00

Boston U
vs Indiana

Favorite Indiana by 4 Over/Under -- 9:00

North Carolina
vs Syracuse .

Favorite Syracuse by 1 Over/Under -- 10:00

Seton Hall
at Cornell

Favorite Cornell by 3.5 Over/Under -- 8:30

Kansas St.
at Mississippi

Favorite Ole Miss by 1 Over/Under -- - Lines as of 11:00 am (from BETUS) - Check out all the other game odds as the day progresses, including odds from other betting sites.

- While we don't bet on game ourselves, we suggest bodog.com if you're craving some sports betting action right now..

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Poll: What was Thursday's Most Surprising Score (Margin of Victory)?

CHN Content — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:22:37 GMT

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Cheerleader of the Day: Pitt

CHN Content — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:22:37 GMT

Each day (just about), CollegeHoops.net features aCheerleader (or Dancer) of the Day.Today's picture is courtesy of Icon Sports Media. Check out the archive for more

-- Pittsburgh

More Cheerleaders! >> >> >>

- Check out past Cheerleaders of the Day!

- Also check out the Picture of the Day!

- Watch all of CHN's favorite College Basketball Videos!

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Good Day of Hoops

thelifeofdude — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:02:05 GMT

UNC/Syracuse, Cal/OSU, Dayton/Villanova, plus im looking forward to seton hall/cornell, usf/south carolina, and then later on vandy & saint mary's. do you guys like unc or syracuse tonight?

Tennessee Signs Top 5 Forward Tobias Harris

CHN Content — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:11:20 GMT

Tennessee added its third basketball signee of the early signing period recently when Tobias Harris signed a National Letter of Intent to attend UT and play for the Volunteers starting with the 2010-11 season. The 6-8, 220-pound forward from New York made his decision public Thursday during a live announcement at the ESPN Zone in Manhattan's Times Square that was televised live on ESPNU.

Harris is rated by Rivals.com as the nation's best forward in the class of 2010 and the country's No. 5 overall prospect. And on the ESPNU Top-100 list, Harris is ranked as the nation's third-best power forward nationally.

"I really had a great relationship with (UT head coach Bruce) Pearl and (associate head coach Tony) Jones," Harris said during his nationally televised announcement. "It's just a family atmosphere down there. I got along with the players real well, and it's just a great opportunity and fit for me."

With the signing of Harris, Tennessee's 2010 recruiting class is now ranked fourth nationally by Rivals.com.

"(This is) huge for our program to get not only a quality player like Tobias, but also a quality young man," Pearl said, "He's a great kid from a great family. He's the kind of guy that's going to help your program on and off the court. On the floor not only can he be a dominant player, but he also makes everyone around him better.

"My coaching staff did a tremendous job. Tony Jones was really outstanding with his recruitment of Tobias from start to finish."

Like fellow early-period Tennessee signees Jordan McRae and Trae Golden--both guards from Georgia--Harris plans to enroll at UT next summer.

"(Tobias) was really impressed with the Sports management program," Pearl said. "That was a big factor for him. He loved that major and could really see himself being successful academically at Tennessee."

As a junior last season at Long Island Lutheran High School, Harris averaged 25 points and 12 rebounds per game while leading the Crusaders to the New York state Class A championship.
** *
He is currently a senior at Half Hollow Hills West High School in Dix Hills, N.Y., where he is coached by Bill Mitaritonna.

Already a high-profile prospect, Harris garnered even more national praise this past summer when he turned in outstanding performances at the LeBron James Skills Academy and the NBA Players Association Top 100 camp.

"He liked our style of play, he liked our campus, the things that we do, but I think our kids were a big factor for Tobias," Pearl said. "I think it makes a statement about our players. Tobias wanted to come and play here in large part because of the teammates he was going to have. We have good character kids and that was important to Tobias."

Harris' father, Torrel, played collegiately at Duquesne and Murray State. And Tobias' older sister, Tesia, plays basketball at the University of Delaware. He also is a cousin of Phoenix Suns center Channing Frye.

-- http://www.utsports.com

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Poll: What is the Most Overrated Top 25 Team?

CHN Content — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:11:20 GMT

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College Hoops Friday: Your Commentary

CHN Content — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:55:55 GMT

It's a busier Friday than usual due to a few in-season tournaments taking place this weekend. Tournaments in Puerto Rico and Charleston are into the semifinals while the championship and third-place games will take place in the Coaches vs. Cancer event in New York. Villanova/Dayton kicks things off at 3 PM on ESPNU while both games from Madison Square Garden can be seen on ESPN2 at 5 and 7 PM. But for as good as Syracuse/North Carolina and the opening semi in San Juan look there are also intriguing games not on national television.

Seton Hall travels to Cornell, taking on a team that's already beaten Alabama and UMass this season. There are also a quartet of games each in St. Thomas and Daytona Beach with Tennessee/East Carolina looking to be the lone blowout on paper. And there are a couple of good-looking games late on the West Coast, with Vanderbilt visiting St. Mary's on their way to Maui and BYU visiting Hawaii.*

TV GAMES

#19 Georgia Tech vs. George Mason - 1PM - ESPNU (San Juan)
#21 Dayton vs. #6 Villanova - 3PM - ESPNU (San Juan)
#12 California vs. #15 Ohio State - 5PM - ESPN2 (NYC)
Toledo @ Michigan State - 6:30PM - Big Ten Network
#24 Syracuse vs. #4 North Carolina - 7PM - ESPN2
Ole Miss vs. Kansas State - 8:30PM - ESPNU

OTHER GAMES

Miami vs. UNC Wilmington - 3PM (Charleston)
NC State vs. Akron - 3:30PM (Daytona Beach)
St. Joseph's vs. Boston College - 6PM (St. Thomas)
Seton Hall @ Cornell - 7PM
Miami (OH) vs. Louisiana Tech - 8PM (Albuquerque)
Vanderbilt @ St. Mary's - 11:30PM
BYU @ Hawaii - 12:05AM

ONE PREDICTION

Boston College over St. Joseph's: The Eagles were picked to finish in the bottom half of the ACC yet outside of Tyrese Rice they returned all their key players from last season's team. And when you've got one of the more underrated coaches around in Al Skinner you tend to get ignored by the masses. Very good coaching matchup here between Skinner and Phil Martelli but the pick here goes with Rakim Sanders and Joe Trapani.*

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College Hoops Thursday Recap: Syracuse Impresses

CHN Content — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:53:00 GMT

Syracuse went into their game with California as the favorite in the eyes of many for two reasons. One: the school has a large alumni base in the New York metropolitan area and that means a good crowd at the World's Most Famous Arena. Two: the Golden Bears were without Theo Robertson (stress reaction in his foot) and they lack depth in the frontcourt with Hunter Kamp (knee) also out. But to cite these things without giving notice to what happened on the floor would be unfair to the Orange, who outclassed the Bears 95-73.

Their 2-3 zone was active all night long, pestering the Golden Bears into 30% shooting from behind the arc and fifteen turnovers. Offensively the Orange got whatever they wanted, making 57% of their shots on the night. The two-headed monster at the point was effective, with Scoop Jardine coming off the bench for 22 points, six assists, six rebounds and four steals in what may have been the best game of his college career. Twenty-one of their thirty-six field goals were assisted and Syracuse finished with just ten turnovers on the night. Next up is North Carolina, a 77-73 winner over Ohio State, and it's another opportunity for the Orange to make a statement to the nation.*

Three Key Happenings

1. Villanova misses Dante Cunningham. That statement obviously goes without saying but with Mouphtaou Yarou back home due to a viral infection the hole inside was all the more evident against George Mason. But they survived thanks to freshman Isaiah Armwood, whose three pointer not only gave the Wildcats the 69-68 win but was also the first basket of his career. But this wasn't merely a case of survival; the Patriots essentially gave away the game with missed free throws and the failure to even attempt a shot in the final seconds.

Mason led 37-28 at the half thanks to turnovers (Scottie Reynolds had eight) but Villanova took better care of the basketball in the second half. It's early so games like this are a good experience, but if Villanova duplicates this performance on Friday night Dayton's going to send them to the consolation bracket.*

2. It wasn't pretty but Dayton found a way to win. In their 63-59 win over Georgia Tech Thursday morning the Flyers didn't receive much offensive help from their starters, who scored just sixteen points. But Chris Johnson (19 points), Paul Williams (13 points) and Luke Fabrizius (12 points) combined to lead the Dayton reserves to a 47-24 edge over the Yellow Jacket bench and that made the difference in a game that featured forty-eight turnovers.

The taller Yellow Jackets won the battle on the boards but their guards couldn't take care of the ball thanks in large part to Dayton PG London Warren. The "Jacksonville Jet" isn't the greatest offensive player but the senior simply makes winning plays and defends opposing guards as if his life depended upon the result. Dayton/Villanova should be entertaining Friday night and if Chris Wright can bring a bit more to the table Brian Gregory's team could have its second consecutive win over a ranked team. *

3. San Diego State recovers from their poor showing on Tuesday night. The Aztecs looked nothing like the team expected to compete for the Mountain West crown on Tuesday morning, never entertaining realistic thoughts of a win at St. Mary's. But they were able to turn things around against Santa Clara making 53% of their shots in the 86-53 win at Cox Arena. The Broncos aren't going to be a statement opponent but the win offered Steve Fisher's team a look at what they can be when they play efficiently on offense and defend on the other end. Five players scored in double figures with Billy White leading the Aztecs with seventeen points.*

Top Three Games*

1. #6 Villanova 69, George Mason 68

2. Seattle 85, Fresno State 84 This game, which ended up being the first for head coach Cameron Dollar, featured three double-doubles (Paul George and Greg Smith for Fresno State; Charles Garcia for Seattle) and Cervante Burrell won it with a layup with eight seconds remaining.

3. #21 Dayton 63, #19 Georgia Tech 59

Three Notable Offensive Performances*

1. G Corey Allmond (Sam Houston State) Allmond broke the Rupp Arena record with eleven three pointers, scoring thirty-seven in the Bearkats' 102-92 loss to Kentucky.*

2. G Norris Cole (Cleveland State) Cole scored thirty-eight points (11-16 FG, 13-13 FT) in the Vikings' 78-64 win over Florida A&M.*

3. F Luke Harangody (Notre Dame) The preseason Big East Player of the Year posted another double-double with 29 points and 12 rebounds in the Fighting Irish's 82-62 win over Long Beach State.*

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Why does Matta play Evan Turner at point guard?

Wander — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 04:01:24 GMT

Seriously... why?

Blog: Welcome To New York City

CHN Content — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 04:01:17 GMT

Thursday night sees four ranked teams face off at Madison Square Garden, when Syracuse meets Cal and Ohio State collides with UNC. NCAA.com's Tony Oliva is there.-- 2010 Final Four Site
-- 2011 Final Four Site -- Men's Basketball Blog
-- NCAA Releases 2011 Logo And Site

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Syracuse Pounds No. 13 California, 95-73

CHN Content — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 03:00:41 GMT

-Scoop Jardine scored a career-high 22 points, Wes Johnson had 17 points and 11 rebounds, and Syracuse raced past No. 13 California 95-73 on Thursday night in the semifinals of the 2K Sports Classic. Arinze Onuaku added 12 points for the Orange, who made Madison Square Garden feel like home in the tournament benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer. Syracuse will play No. 6 North Carolina or No. 15 Ohio State for the championship on Friday night. Thousands of orange-clad faithful scattered around the arena had plenty to cheer about.

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St. John's Signs Ronald Roberts

CHN Content — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 01:43:16 GMT

QUEENS, N.Y. - St. John's head men's basketball coach Norm Roberts announced the signing of Jersey City, N.J., forward Ronald Roberts to a National Letter of Intent (NLI) to join the Red Storm basketball program for the 2010-11 season.

"Ronald will be a great addition to our program. He is an outstanding young man who will give us versatility at the power forward and small forward positions," said Norm Roberts, now in his sixth year at the helm of the Red Storm. "Ron has a great upside, and he comes from a terrific basketball family."

"I can't wait to get to St. John's," said Ronald Roberts. "When I visited the campus, I loved the coaches, the players, the atmosphere and the facilities on campus. I also really liked that St. John's is in the best conference in the country, the BIG EAST."

Ronald Roberts is a 6-7, 210-pound forward from Saint Peter's Prep in Jersey City. He led the Marauders in scoring (17.4 points per game), rebounding (11.0) and blocked shots (3.0) as a junior last season. He was selected as a first team all-county and all-league performer in 2008-09 for a Saint Peter's squad that finished 23-3 as county champions and ranked seventh in the state.

Ronald Roberts is a tremendous athlete with a great motor and an already-polished face-up game. The small forward/power forward has also shown the ability to play with his back to the basket as he enters his second year with the Marauders.

Ronald Roberts has an incredible basketball pedigree, as both of his parents played at a high level on the hardwood. His father, Ron Roberts Sr., was a standout in the mid-1980s for Billy Tubbs' Oklahoma Sooners. His mother, Dania Santos Roberts, played for the Dominican Republic national team.
*
"St. John's is getting a guy that just began his journey to becoming a very, very good basketball player," said St. Peter's Prep coach Mike Kelly. "He has played one year of high school basketball, so he is a guy that has been under the radar. This will be a situation that turns out great for all involved."

-- http://www.redstormsports.com

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Blog: Welcome To New York City

CHN Content — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:14:46 GMT

Thursday night will see four ranked teams face off at Madison Square Garden, when Syracuse meets Cal and Ohio State collides with UNC. NCAA.com's Tony Oliva will be there.-- 2010 Final Four Site
-- 2011 Final Four Site -- Men's Basketball Blog
-- NCAA Releases 2011 Logo And Site

More...