Category Archives: Week in Review

Week in Review

If you haven’t been paying attention to the basketball season yet, it’s about time to start. Things are getting good.

In college, two undefeated teams fell this week. The first was West Virginia, who lost to Purdue. Purdue really extended its defense, and the Mountaineers were having trouble getting anything going towards the basket. Look out for the Boilermakers. Then Syracuse fell to Pitt. As an Orange fan, that was a tough one to hear about. But some perspective is important: last year there was chatter about North Carolina possibly going undefeated. Then the Tar Heels lost to Boston College, but wound up winning the whole thing. Plus, this Syracuse team was not highly touted before the season, and probably needs time to reach its potential anyway. And Pitt is now 12-2.

Bottom line is that teams don’t go undefeated in college hoops, and a loss to a conference rival is nothing to panic about. What’s important is that you peak in March. (This year, if you aren’t Kansas, Texas, Kentucky, or Purdue, there might not be much you can do that matters anyway, because those teams are very strong.)

For those interested in the teams on the other end of the college basketball hierarchy, the Quakers are now 0-10.

Rankings here.

In the NBA, the Spurs continue to climb in the standings, going 8-2 in their last 10. They have been aided by plays like this one, one of the most amazing plays you’ll ever see. Portland continues to stay afloat despite a rash of injuries, and Houston continues to stay afloat despite a roster that, on paper, is not very good. I still expect the Hornets to make a run because, well, they have Chris Paul, and he can do stuff like this. Don’t forget about the Clippers, either, who have stayed within striking distance without Blake Griffin.

The East is simply a mess after the top 5 teams. Let’s just say that the Knicks might make the playoffs. The Wizards are falling apart and might just be ready to start killing each other. (Sorry, I had to.)

Power rankings: ESPN here, Sportsline here.

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Week In Review

We’re approaching a great time of year for hoops. The NBA is approaching the halfway mark, and conference play is going to start to make college hoops quite exciting.

The major storylines, for those who haven’t been paying attention:

NBA

The Lakers and Celtics are scary good. The Nuggets, Mavs, Suns, Magic, Hawks, and Cavs, are very good.

The Nets might be the worst team ever. Yes, ever. Those dudes are 2-26.

The Spurs started badly, but, if the playoffs started today, they’d be in as the #7 seed. That’s one hell of a #7 seed.

Though the East sometimes seems to be catching up with the West, if the playoffs started today, three teams would make the playoffs in the East (Milwaukee, Toronto, Charlotte) with records below .500. Think about that. Three playoff teams with records below .500. An even stranger fact is that the Knicks are only a half-game out of the last playoff spot.

NCAA

John Wall is a star.

Kansas and Texas are on a collision course. I’ve seen both of them play, and am psyched for that matchup.

The top of the standings has not seen much change, except for a slight drop from Villanova. The top 6 teams seem to be establishing themselves as the top teams, and the bulk of the movement seems to be lower in the polls. I guess that’s how it often goes.

Speaking of the top 6 teams, Syracuse somehow lost Jonny Flynn, Paul Harris, and Eric Devendorf, and got much better.

And speaking of Big East teams, there are 5 in the top 15.

I’m psyched for some hoopserving during the holiday season. Please note, though, that I’ll be hoopserving while on vacation, and won’t be blogging for a few days. I hope you’ll check back next week. In the meantime, if you have hoopservations you want to share, please post them in the comments. Happy Holidays!

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