SB Nation User Blog: johnnycougar

Poll time about Sonic Video

johnnycougar — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 17:09:21 -0000

Hi everybody!

I have been vocal before about the automatically playing Sonic Video Highlights widget on the sidebar. Am I the only person who's seen a significant increase in loading time since we got that thing? Anyways, people seemed to like it during the season, so that's fine.

But now... All it does is show football "highlights" of our 1-11 season. I can't take it. If it showed basketball highlights I could live with it, and in fact if it showed highlights that were difficult to find otherwise I'd even enjoy it. But for now I see no redeeming value in the video player.

I want to know if the rest of CougCenter really likes having this thing around? Do anyone else's eyes get drawn to the only moving object on the screen, continuous replays of the Apple Cup stomping? Do people just not notice it? One aspect of good site design is not having unnecessary clutter, but if other people don't think of it as clutter I'll shut up about it forever (maybe).

Please vote!

Poll

The Sonic Video player... yea or nay? Or meh?

It's okay guys, the rest of the Pac-10 sucks

johnnycougar — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 03:50:52 -0000

Here is my updated look at the Pac-10 non-conference basketball schedule and how excellently the conference has performed. I've sorted the key games thus far into Bad Losses, Bubblicious Losses, Bubblicious Wins, and Good Wins (hint, there still aren't any). I was actually pretty generous about considering some teams on the potential bubble this early in the season, so some of these wins & losses will end up looking even worse than they do now. Of course, some may prove to be better, only time will tell.

-------

Bad losses:

Sacramento St. 65, Oregon St. 63

Loyola Marymount 67, Southern Cal 59

Montana 68, Oregon 55

Oral Roberts 83, Stanford 81

Cal State Fullerton 68, UCLA 65

Texas A&,M-Corpus Christi 67, Oregon St. 43

UCLA 68, Long Beach State 79

Bubblicious losses:

Wisconsin 65, Arizona 61

Portland 88, Oregon 81

(24) Syracuse 95, (12) California 73

(18) Ohio State 76, (23) California 70

Texas Tech 64, Oregon St. 60

San Diego 77, Stanford 64

Arizona 62, Oklahoma 79

UCLA 61, (1) Kansas 73

USC 53, (23) Georgia Tech 79

Kansas State 86, WSU 69

Missouri 106, Oregon 69

(2) Texas 69, USC 50

Texas Tech 99, (10) UW 92

ASU 61, Baylor 64

(16) Gonzaga 74, WSU 69

Arizona 72, (21) UNLV 74

New Mexico 86, (25) Cal 78

USC 48, Nebraska 51

UCLA 67, (10) Butler 69

UCLA 47, Portland 74

(5) Kentucky 73, Stanford 65

(7) Duke 64, ASU 53

(24) Vanderbilt 84, Arizona 72

Bubblicious wins:

Stanford 57, Virginia 52

Arizona 91, Colorado 87

Arizona St. 52, TCU 49

(14) Washington 74, Wright State 69

Iowa State 63, (25) Cal 82

OSU 74, Colorado 69

WSU 93, San Diego 56

ASU 71, LSU 52

Good wins:

I’m not seeing any.

Okay guys! Juuuuuuust peachy! I am not seeing even one win that would make anyone think our conference is good. There are even relatively few blowout wins over suspect competition. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the most impressive games that I can think of are WSU beating San Diego handily in Alaska or UW crushing a mediocre Portland State squad in Seattle. Just look at that list of supposedly respectable teams we've beaten: Virginia, Colorado, TCU, Wright State, Iowa State, San Diego and LSU. Except for Wright State, LSU and San Diego, these teams are still considered very outside shots to make the tourney.

Nearly every single game against similarly respected competition has resulted in a Pac-10 loss. I don't think we even have a single win that would be considered a mild upset. I think it's too late to rectify this, now we must focus on damage control. I hate to say this, but it's really all up to UW and Cal now. They have to win against Georgetown, Texas A&M and Kansas respectively to give our conference even a shred of dignity. Below is a list of important games that can help salvage our reputation, but I don't think we'll get more than three teams in the NCAA's even if the rest of the conference wins out.

(14) UW

(19) Georgetown Dec. 12th.

Portland Dec. 19th.

Texas A&M Dec. 22nd.

(23) Cal

@ (1) Kansas Dec 22nd.

ASU

@ BYU Dec. 8th.

UCLA

Miss. State Dec. 12th.

@ Notre Dame Dec 19th.

Arizona

NC State Dec. 23rd.

BYU Dec. 28th.

WSU

LSU Dec. 22nd.

Oregon

St. Mary’s Dec. 12th.

Oregon State

@ Nebraska Dec. 12th.

USC

(11) Tennessee Dec. 19th.

Stanford

Oklahoma St. Dec. 16th.

@ Northwestern Dec. 19th.

@ Texas Tech Dec. 22nd.

Please everyone, win some dang games!

Poll

How many teams will the conference get into the NCAA tourney?

Klay Thompson is ESPN's Player of the Week

johnnycougar — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 18:06:33 -0000

Klay Thompson is ESPN's Player of the Week

Maybe Andy Katz's love affair with us didn't end with the departure of Tony.
"Coaches and administrators have told ESPN.com that this might be the worst Pac-10 in a quarter-century. But the league doesn't lack for stars. Get to know Thompson. He's a wiry scorer who should be putting up big-time numbers all season long for a potential postseason team in Ken Bone's first year in Pullman."

Pac 10 is losing chances to prove the doubters wrong

johnnycougar — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 18:42:00 -0000

Okay okay, we all knew the Pac 10 was going to be "down" this year. It seems like every day I'm hearing or reading about another non-conference loss. I wanted to examine just how bad it was. If you would like to know, read on. It isn't pretty.

I've sorted the key games thus far into Bad Losses, Bubblicious Losses, Bubblicious Wins, and Good Wins (hint, there aren't any). I was actually pretty generous about considering some teams on the potential bubble this early in the season, so some of these wins & losses will end up looking even worse than they do now. Of course, some may prove to be better, only time will tell.

-------

Bad losses:

Sacramento St. 65, Oregon St. 63 (@OSU)

Loyola Marymount 67, Southern Cal 59 (@USC)

Montana 68, Oregon 55 (@Oregon)

Oral Roberts 83, Stanford 81 (@Stanford)

Cal State Fullerton 68, UCLA 65 (@UCLA)

Texas A&,M-Corpus Christi 67, Oregon St. 43 (@Lubbock)

Bubblicious losses:

Wisconsin 65, Arizona 61 (@Maui)

Portland 88, Oregon 81 (@Portland)

(24) Syracuse 95, (12) California 73 (@MSG)

(18) Ohio State 76, (23) California 70 (@MSG)

Texas Tech 64, Oregon St. 60 (@Lubbock)

San Diego 77, Stanford 64 (@San Diego)

Bubblicious wins:

Stanford 57, Virginia 52 (@Cancun)

Arizona 91, Colorado 87 (@Maui)

Arizona St. 52, TCU 49 (@ASU)

(14) Washington 74, Wright State (@UW)

Good wins:

I’m not seeing any.

GAH!!! Half our conference already has a bad loss at home! Nobody, I repeat, nobody has a good road win, not even a road win that will likely matter on the bubble. Nobody has a great win period. At this point, it's looking like our best conference win is UW beating a solid Wright State team in Seattle. However, we will have plenty of chances to rectify this during the next month before conference play begins. We really need the conference to step up it’s game!

Here are some key matchups in the next month:

(14) UW

@ Texas Tech Dec. 3rd.

(19) Georgetown Dec. 12th.

Portland Dec. 19th.

Texas A&M Dec. 22nd.

(23) Cal

@ New Mexico Dec. 2nd. (no, seriously. I live here. UNM is actually pretty good)

@ (1) Kansas Dec 22nd.

ASU

@ (7) Duke tonight!

Baylor Dec. 3rd.

@ BYU Dec. 8th.

UCLA

Portland Nov. 26th.

(1) Kansas Dec. 6th.

Miss. State Dec. 12th.

@ Notre Dame Dec 19th.

Arizona

(24) Vanderbilt tonight!

UNLV Dec. 2nd.

@ Oklahoma Dec. 6th.

NC State Dec. 23rd.

BYU Dec. 28th.

WSU

vs. Oklahoma or San Diego or Houston Nov. 28th (we better get to the championship game at the Great Alaskan Shootout)

@ Gonzaga Dec. 2nd

@ Kansas St. Dec. 5th.

LSU Dec. 22nd.

Oregon

@ Missouri Dec. 5th.

St. Mary’s Dec. 12th.

Oregon State

Colorado Dec. 4th.

@ Nebraska Dec. 12th.

USC

Nebraska Nov. 29th.

@ (3) Texas Dec. 3rd.

@ (25) Georgia Tech Dec. 5th.

(11) Tennessee Dec. 19th.

Stanford

(5) Kentucky tonight!

Oklahoma St. Dec. 16th.

@ Northwestern Dec. 19th.

@ Texas Tech Dec. 22nd.

UW, Cal, ASU, and USC have the best chances to make some strong statements about the Pac 10 this year. Arizona, WSU and Stanford all have opportunities to beat multiple potential tournament teams. We need to start winning a lot of these games or the Pac 10 may not send more than 3 teams to the NCAA tournament come March.

Chewbacca assualts women in Pullman

johnnycougar — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 07:04:13 -0000

Chewbacca assualts women in Pullman

Batman gets in on the action as well. Must have been one crazy Halloween weekend!

Pac 10 Mega-Preview of ASU and UA, Blue Ribbon Style

johnnycougar — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:01:43 -0000

Here is the last part of my mega-preview, inspecting the basketball teams in the great big state of Arizona.

ARIZONA

Head Coach: Sean Miller (1st year, career 120-47)

Wow, what an offseason for Arizona! They landed a great coach in Sean Miller, and for a bonus they also landed all of Xavier's recruits (almost true!). Will Miller replicate his golden-boy successes in the big bad Pac 10? From a neutral point of view, this could be the most interesting team in the conference.

Major Departures:

Chase Budinger, Jordan Hill,

Key Players:

Nic Wise (SR, 15.7 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 4.6 apg, 1.5 spg, .452 FG, .415 3PT, .848 FT)

Wise was named to the All-Pac-10 2nd Team last year, and for good reason. He is a big time scorer and distributor and I think he's even better than he gets credit for. He's the second highest returning scorer in the league (Randle is 1st). He's quick, strong, durable, and tenacious. He should help Coach Miller have a successful 1st year and be a bridge to the next generation of Wildcat stars.

Jamelle Horne (JR, 6.8 ppg, 5.1 rpg)

Horne has been a solid role player for Arizona the last couple years but he is going to be a big factor for them this year, whether he's ready or not. He had an excellent game against Kansas last year (19 points, 13 rebounds) but often disappeared the rest of the year.Miller has high hopes for him, saying "I think he can be much better than he has been in the past." In a conference devoid of dominant low post players, Horne could have an excellent season if he improves as much as Miller thinks he will.

Rising Stars:

Solomon Hill (FR, 16.2 ppg, 11.7 rpg, 5.1 apg, Fairfax HS/Los Angeles) looks likely to force his way into a starting position. He's a typical Xavier recruit, the athletic wing with a variety of talents. I don't know if he's a good shooter yet but he can play solid defense and break defenders down off the dribble.

Kevin Parrom (FR, 13.0 ppg, 7.2 rpg, South Kent HS/South Kent, Conn.) could be the gem of ~~Xavier's~~ Arizona's recruiting class. Another versatile wing, Parrom can get out and run in transition and pass well out of the low post. Expect to see this guy dunking on you regularly. Hopefully (for us) he won't be comfortable when forced into a halfcourt game.

Blue Ribbon Outlook:

Miller is more familiar with his freshmen than he is with UA's returning players. "The challenge in the summer is just that you're relegated by NCAA rules to how much contact you can have," Miller said. "And when they're here in summer school, you're out in the whole month of July recruiting. How familiar we get and how much they trust what we're doing will be a very important factor."

BACKCOURT: B+

BENCH/DEPTH: C

FRONTCOURT: C

INTANGIBLES: B+

It's not unfathomable to believe the Wildcats could finish as high as third in the league in Miller's first season. Now, you can be sure that's not something he's going to say. He's doing his level best to temper expectations. "We want to let the players become part of this program. Nic Wise is on his fourth coach in four years. They don't know what it's like to be part of a program where from one month to the next, it's the same. I'm hoping more than anything you see us coming closer together. To what level that gets us, I can't answer.

via a.espncdn.com

ARIZONA STATE

Head Coach: Herb Sendek (4th year, 54-45 at ASU)

Sendek will be returning to the type of ASU squad he first had when he moved from NC State. Harden and Pendergraph are gone, and Sendek admits replacing his stars will be a challenge. Harden often made everyone else on the team look like role players, but Sendek's excellent zone defense and methodical offense will keep ASU close when they shouldn't be and win some games they shouldn't win.

Major Departures:

James Harden, Jeff Pendergraph

Key Players:

Derek Glasser (SR, 8.8 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 4.8 apg, .413 3PT, .832 FT)

Glasser absolutely caught fire at the end of last year, largely overshadowing the mysteriously languid Harden in the Pac 10 and NCAA tournament. He finished the year 2nd in assists, putting in a 3:1 assist to turnover ratio in the Pac 10 tournament. Oh, he also can shoot. Slowing him down is probably the key to beating the Sun Devils, but don't forget that their zone helps hide defensive deficiencies. This kid can flat out light you up on offense, so I say we stick Casto on him like we did to Harden last year!

Rihards Kuksiks (JR, 10.3 ppg, 3.8 rpg, .443 3PT)

Kuksiks is another dangerous shooter, though perhaps less able than Glasser to create shots either for himself or others. He'll have to mature for the Sun Devils to not lose a step on offense. Adding some post moves or a pull-up jumper would go a long way towards making himself a vital part of the offense. He'll also need to prove he can make the smart passes in order to prevent opposing defenses from keying in on Glasser.

Rising Stars:

Victor Rudd (FR, 16.6 ppg, 8.6 rpg, Findlay Prep/Henderson, Nev.) is a 6-7, 200-pound power forward. He's extremely athletic, apparently comparable to Ike Diogu (how scary is that?). Word out of Tempe is that he is as athletic as anyone to come through the program in recent years. He'll go through the normal freshman adjustments but could become a starter early in the season. I don't know if he can actually shoot or if he racked up those points off of outrunning / outjumping the other players in high school.

Jamelle McMillan (JR, 4.8 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 1.8 apg, 19.2 mpg, .386 3PT). Okay, we know about McMillan. I guess he's not quite a "rising star" but he could see a huge upswing in minutes for games where Sendek favors a three-guard lineup. He passes decently, shoots decently, rebounds decently... A strong season from him could be the difference between NIT and NCAA.

Blue Ribbon Outlook:

BACKCOURT: B

BENCH/DEPTH: C

FRONTCOURT: D

INTANGIBLES: B

To mask athletic deficiencies on his roster upon his arrival at ASU, Sendek installed a zone. Three years later and he's still using it, honing it, and the players have responded to it and grown more comfortable. It's primarily a 3-2, and last year it allowed the Sun Devils to rank second in the conference in scoring defense and third in field-goal percentage defense. If solid defense can keep them in games and the freshmen come along, the Sun Devils have a chance for an upper-division finish in the Pac-10.

via graphics8.nytimes.com

Both these teams have realistic shots at making the tournament. Arizona probably would be favored because they brought in a great coach in Sean Miller, and he brought in all his Xavier recruits. They should be a fun team to watch, though not to play against. They don't have the continuity to really challenge for the Pac 10 title but it would not be surprising to see them extend their bogus (oh snap, I went there) streak of NCAA tourney appearances. Nic Wise is a great player and if he steps solidly into the leadership role this will be a team that can play with anyone. In some ways it is a shame for him that he's graduating, because if next year was his Senior season they'd probably be challenging for the Pac 10 title.

ASU always has a punchers chance, and we won't have to wait long to see how well they've coped with losing Harden and Pendergraph. They'll be favored to reach the Preseason NIT semifinal against Duke on November 25th, a tough early season test to be sure. They have a pretty decent team of role players returning, but will they up their games enough to finish in the top half of the Pac 10? I see them as being a consistently solid team, finishing somewhere from 4th to 6th and right in the middle of that tournament bubble.

Pac 10 Mega-Preview of USC & UCLA, Blue Ribbon Style

johnnycougar — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 06:57:32 -0000

Here is Part IV of the mega-preview, featuring the LA schools.

UCLA

Head Coach: Ben Howland (7th year, 152-54 at UCLA)

You know what you're getting with a Ben Howland team - tough defense and patient offense. Howland must be burning that his team failed to reach the Final Four last year. He doesn't appear to have the players to go that deep into the tournament this year, but you can never count UCLA out.

Major Departures:

Darren Collison, Josh Shipp, Alfred Aboya, Jrue Holiday

Key Players:

Nikola Dragovic (SR, 9.4 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.4 apg, .451 FG, .382 3PT)

Nikola Dragovic is the leading returning scorer, and we all remember how much he torched us last year. He nailed 60 three pointers and could absolutely catch fire at times. Don't leave him open guys! Howland says "he's good defensively for a guy who didn't know much about defense coming from Serbia." That's not necessarily a high standard, and it is very possible that UCLA won't have the lockdown post defense that has been a hallmark for them in years past.

Malcolm Lee (SO, 3.2 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 0.6 apg, .500 FG)

Lee shot 50% last season, but didn't really shoot that often. He will likely be a starter this year so he'll need to stay consistent while playing hugely increased minutes. However, this guy is already excellent on the defensive end. Howland says he's "right up there with [Arron] Afflalo, [Russell] Westbrook and [Luc Richard] Mbah a Moute." Well, that's scary.

Rising Stars:

Jerime Anderson (SO, 2.3 ppg, 1.2 apg) figures to be the starting point guard with the thankless job of replacing Darren Collison. He played well in his limited (about 8 per game) minutes last season, and showed flashes of potential. He's already a pretty good defender, though we'll see how he steps up to the full time job of guarding the other team's point guard. Look for him to be more of a distributor and a reluctant shooter this year, but if UCLA is going to go far he'll need to become an offensive catalyst.

Mike Moser (FR, 26.0 ppg, 14.0 rpg, 4.0 bpg, Grant HS/Portland, Ore.) was Mr. Basketball in Oregon. He's got a crazy body, 6-8 and less than 200 pounds. I don't expect to see too much of him in conference play but he will contribute valuable minutes and points off the bench. He will be a good post player once he bulks up a bit, but I think he'll put up some good numbers against the patsies in the schedule.

Blue Ribbon Outlook:

BACKCOURT: C

BENCH/DEPTH: B

FRONTCOURT: B

INTANGIBLES: B

"It's still going to be a very tough league," Howland said. "People said it would be down last year and we still had six teams in the NCAA tournament. We've lost a bunch of players early to the NBA draft, and that has hurt us as much as anything. But I still think you'll see some very good teams coming out of this league."

via cache2.asset-cache.net

USC

Head Coach: Kevin O'Neill (1st year, career 171-180)

How's this for an opening statement: "Contrary to popular belief, I'm not Darth Vader," O'Neill said on June 22nd when he was introduced as USC's new coach. This might be the most intriguing coaching situation to watch this year. We all thought he got a bum rap for not getting to keep the job at Arizona despite doing well in a difficult situation. Now we should find out if he really is a good coach or if it was all the players. Looking at that career record does cause me to be a bit skeptical.

Major Departures:

Taj Gibson, DeMar DeRozan, Daniel Hackett

Key Players:

Dwight Lewis (SR, 14.4 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.1 spg, .379 3PT)

Lewis is an athletic scorer who can hurt you in many ways. He led the team in scoring last year, hitting fairly well on three pointers but was very good at pulling up and hitting jumpers off the dribble. Like most of Floyd's recruits, he's a good defender. He will be expected to become the leader of the team as the season progresses as there are only three seniors in the lineup (one transfer).

Leonard Washington (SO, 6.1 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 17.9 mpg, .500 FG)

Who does this sound like: A promising lefty freshman who was a catalyst off the bench before succumbing to an injury. After returning from the injury, he never quite regained his form and may never be the same again! Only he's not Serbian. He'll be out the first semester due to academic problems, but he should use the time to fully recover and get his studies back on track. I think he will get better and could be a dangerous threat in the low post.

Rising Stars:

Alex Stepheson (SR, 4.3 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 0.9 bpg, 14.5 mpg, .539 FG, .447 FT at North Carolina in 2007-08) is a transfer from North Carolina, meaning he unfortunately missed out on being a bench player for the title winning squad. He does have the body of an NBA player (6-9, 235), but it is unknown if those decent numbers (for 15 mpg) are a result of the outstanding offenses typical of UNC. He'll get a lot of minutes this year, and how well he uses them may largely determine if USC can stay out of the Pac 10 cellar.

Marcus Simmons (JR, 1.9 ppg, 1.2 rpg, 0.4 apg, 11.7 mpg) was slowed down by nagging leg injuries most of the year but could be primed for a breakout season. After he got healthy for the stretch run last year, he put in excellent defensive performances on Jerome Randle and Darren Collison en route to the Pac 10 tournament title. He'll look to improve his offensive game this year while also defending the opponent's best guard.

Blue Ribbon Outlook:

BACKCOURT: B-

BENCH/DEPTH: D

FRONTCOURT: C

INTANGIBLES: C

None of that [program disarray] is O'Neill's fault, but it is the situation in which he finds himself. The Trojans may need to crawl before they can walk again. "I think our players will enjoy playing for me and I'm going to enjoy coaching them. And I'm not taking over a rebuilding situation here. We have good players, guys that I'm looking forward to teaching and coaching as we move forward.

The Trojans face a difficult transition from Floyd's tenure. The talent level isn't close to that of the Trojans of recent years, and there is a dearth of quality depth.

via cache3.asset-cache.net

Another rivalry at opposite ends of the Pac 10 this year. USC looks stuck in a quagmire with recruiting collapsing in the wake of Tim Floyd's resignation. They have a few good players returning but the proverbial cupboard is bare, and the existing young depth hasn't had the chance to prove itself yet. Kevin O'Neill faces a monumental challenge, perhaps made more difficult by the fact that this USC team is built dramatically differently than Arizona was. Will O'Neill attempt to push the tempo with the players he has or will he redefine his coaching strategy to fit the tough defensive team USC figures to be this year. It doesn't look like a great fit from afar, and I wouldn't be too surprised if USC's athletic department casts long and lustful googly-eyes at this year's hot young coaches.

UCLA looks to have its weakest team in several years, but we've all learned not to count out a Howland squad. They have great potential but still too many questions. I think they were picked 3rd by the media as a sort of default selection, since it's common wisdom that UCLA always manages to be good. How will the loss of Darren Collison affect the flow of the offense, and does UCLA have anyone to step up in crunch time? The NCAA tournament is the minimum expectation in Westwood these days, and UCLA should get there again, even if the Pac 10 only ends up sending 4 teams this year.

Pac 10 Mega-Preview of Cal & Stanford, Blue Ribbon Style

johnnycougar — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:00:53 -0000

Here is Part III of the mega-preview, focusing on the most opposite rivals this year, Cal and Stanford.

CALIFORNIA

Head Coach: Mike Montgomery (2nd year, career 569-255)

We all know the story: Montgomery took Stanford to the NCAA tournament 12 times in 18 years (including one Final Four), failed in the NBA at Golden State, then took over Cal after a couple years off from coaching. His return to the Pac 10 is great for conference prestige, and it doesn't hurt his reputation any that he walked into a perfect situation at Cal. Cal has had very talented teams for a few years now, but were able to put it all together last year and look to be even better this year.

Major Departures:

NONE (!!!)

Key Players:

Jerome Randle (SR, 18.3 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 5.0 apg, 35.3 mpg, .501 FG, .463 3PT, .863 FT).

Both Randle and Christopher made the All-Pac-10 1st team last season, and they're favorites to do so again this year. Montgomery describes Randle as as "shooting point guard" but points out that he led the league in assists while also having a great jumper and the quickness to defend or drive by anyone. He's pretty much impossible to stop, and is probably the best player on the best team in the conference this year.

Patrick Christopher (SR,14.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.1 apg, 33.3 mpg, .441 FG, .358 3PT, .830 FT).

Last year, as Christopher went, so went the Bears. Cal won 12 of the 13 games in which Christopher shot at least 50%, while he shot only 32% in the 11 losses. Despite this, Montgomery challenged Christopher to step up his defensive game last season, often putting him on the other team's best player. Christopher is a complete-package player who, like Randle, could jump into All-American status with a great Senior year on an Elite Eight contender.

Theo Robertson (SR, 13.1 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.5 apg, 33.5 mpg, .488 FG, .487 3PT, .792 FT).

Robertson is a speedy wing who can shoot and rarely makes mistakes.

Robertson had a breakthrough season for the Bears after missing the 2007-08 season after hip surgery in April 2007. "Theo is a primary guy," Montgomery said. "He's probably our most complete player in that he does not make many mistakes. He's very smart, and he's a really good shooter. He was able to play the four when we moved him there and went small. With him there we can spread the floor, and he can drive it by people. He's also a good defender."

Rising Stars:

Jorge Gutierrez (SO, 4.7 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.8 apg, 18.7 mpg, .452 FG, .308 3PT, .642 FT)

Gutierrez is a typical "glue guy" who provides energy off the bench and never stops hustling. Montgomery calls him "...our toughest kid. He changed our whole mentality when he went in games, " Montgomery said. Jorge was known for his defense last year but did put up 14 points and 5 assists in the Pac 10 tournament loss to USC. If he can put up offensive statistics like that while providing his usual excellent defense, he will emerge as a key player for this year's team.

Omondi Amoke (SO, 2.6 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 0.3 apg, 8.2 mpg, .483 FG, .571 FT)

Amoke put up decent numbers last year in only eight minutes per game. He's a decent defender and rebounder who hopes to improve his offensive game. Cal doesn't need a lot of help off the bench, but the frontcourt is a little thin and Amoke could contribute there despite being undersized for a 4 or 5.

Blue Ribbon Outlook:

The Golden Bears enter the season as the league favorite. They haven't won a Pac-10 title since 1960. Offensively this team is vastly different from Montgomery's most successful Stanford teams. He'd prefer to have a physical presence in the post, someone he could dump it in to for high-percentage shots a la Adam Keefe. But what he has in the Golden Bears is a bevy of wildly talented guards and wings who are in range from just about the time they cross halfcourt.

BACKCOURT: A+

BENCH/DEPTH: C+

FRONTCOURT: B

INTANGIBLES: A-

"If we improve in the preseason schedule … you have a veteran team that should understand what it takes to win. I don't know where it gets us. Hopefully a shot at the NCAA tournament, and if it does we need to go into that with a different attitude. I think last year once we made it, we relaxed. This year we need to go in with hunger and the idea that we'll advance."

via assets.sbnation.com

STANFORD

Head Coach: Johnny Dawkins (2nd year, career 20-14)

Johnny Dawkins coached Stanford to 20 wins and the CBI semifinals last year, ending the season in an overtime loss to eventual CBI champions Oregon State. He will have a lot more to do this year with three key players graduating to pursue high-powered jobs in science, law, and politics. What, isn't that what everyone with a Stanford degree does?

Major Departures:

Anthony Goods, Lawrence Hill, Mitch Johnson

Key Players:

Landry Fields (SR, 12.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.3 spg, .498 FG)

Fields is the leader of this team, and the only senior returning starter. He scored over 13 points per game in conference play while amassing five double-doubles. He could lead the team in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals, and is probably the team's only threat to make an All-Pac-10 team. Unfortunately for him, he'll probably ultimately be remembered as the last good player of the Trent Johnson era, rather than as a great player in his own right.

Josh Owens (JR, 6.9 ppg, 3.6 rpg, .561 FG)

Forward Josh Owens is Stanford's other returning starter. He doesn't shoot often but he does take high-percentage shots, good for the 5th best FG% in the Pac 10 last year. He's starting to become a shot-blocking presence as well. He'll get a lot more minutes this year; we'll see if he improves under the greater responsibility.

Rising Stars:

Jeremy Green (SO, 6.4 ppg, 2.1 rpg, .456 3PT). Green is a 6-4 sophomore who can stroke the long ball and grab a few rebounds a game. He's still mostly a catch-and-shoot player on offense, and will be looking to develop an ability to create his own shots. He reminds me of Harthun in that he's appeared to be a little nervous breaking onto the big stage, but has the ability to become a pretty decent player by the end of his college career.

Andrew Zimmerman (SO, 6-8, 215, Foothill College/Los Altos Hills, Calif.) Zimmerman is a lanky big who can grab boards and play well in the post. He still gets pushed around by the stronger players but will surely have been hitting the gym all summer. He could get valuable minutes if he develops a penchant for offensive rebounding and tough defense.

Blue Ribbon Outlook:

BACKCOURT: B-

BENCH/DEPTH: D

FRONTCOURT: C+

INTANGIBLES: B

"I thought I was prepared well after being an assistant for 11 seasons," Dawkins said. "I've been around the game all my life. I felt comfortable. But as an assistant you're making suggestions, and as a head coach you're making decisions. It all stops with you and your decision. I have to get used to that responsibility. It's a natural progression in our game. I really enjoyed it, and I'm trying to get better, learn more, and make sure I know there's more to learn."

via www1.pictures.gi.zimbio.com

I think these two teams have to be considered as the extremes of the Pac 10 spectrum this year. Cal lost no one of note and should really be an improved version of last year's team, which is pretty scary for the rest of us. I think the only things that could slow them down are injury (duh), a cold shooting streak (not sure they're diverse enough at scoring), or running up against a powerful frontcourt team in the tournament. They should have legitimate expectations to reach the Elite Eight, especially considering that they should get a great seed for dominating the Pac 10. If they don't lose focus and become complacent this should be be a 25 win team come tournament time.

Stanford on the other hand... well... they have reason to hope for the future. A Coug is probably going to be the last person to kick someone when they're down (unless that someone goes 0-12). Fields is legit, and if he has one of those good-player-on-bad-team type seasons he should be 1st Team All-Pac-10. If he uses his talent to make everyone else better like Coach Dawkins hopes, then Stanford may have a better record than we all think. NIT is a good goal for them but CBI is more likely if they don't finish last in the Pac 10.

Pac 10 Mega-Preview of OSU & UO, Blue Ribbon Style

johnnycougar — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:08:48 -0000

Here is Part II of the mega preview! Featured here are Oregon and Oregon State. Enjoy!

OREGON STATE

Head Coach: Craig Robinson (2nd year, career 48-46)

Change we can believe in, amirite? With more or less the same players who lost 21 straight games to finish the 07-08 season, Robinson and the Beavers won the CBI in 08-09. So Robinson can coach, or at least wins fans over by "not being the last guy," something his brother-in-law can relate to. Can he recruit? Will his offensive system continue to work as the rest of the Pac 10 has had an offseason to analyze it? Answering these questions positively would go a long way towards establishing "Craig Robinson, famous relative" as "Craig Robinson, darn good coach."

Major Departures:

Rickey Claitt

Key Players:

Roeland Schaftenaar (SR, 10.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 3.3 apg, 30 blocked shots)

This guy is the living embodiment of the term "point-forward." The Netherlandian (hmm, Dutchman?) doubled his scoring output from his sophomore year under Robinson, and looks to make a similar step forward this year. He also led the Beavers in assists and has been a constant pain in the you-know-what for less mobile bigs (like Baynes). If he can increase his defensive presence beyond help-defense-shot-blocking, he could make a play for an All-Pac-10 team in his final collegiate season.

Seth Tarver (SR, 8.0 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.7 spg)

Tarver is a great athlete and excellent defender. He'll need to increase his scoring to help turn "close losses" into "clutch wins."He's a good all-around player and senior leader for the Beavers.

Rising Stars:

Calvin Haynes (SO,13.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 1.5 apg) led the Beavers in scoring last season despite missing the first several games due to academic issues. I guess you could say the impact of the suspension was... academic? Sorry. He scores in bunches and will look to develop his all-around game this season. He could be the most dangerous player on the team.

Roberto Nelson (Santa Barbara HS/Santa Barbara, Calif.) is probably Robinson's first solid recruit. He can play either the 1 or the 2, but at this point he likes to shoot more than he should. Definitely a spark-off-the-bench type of guy who can catch fire from deep, but could also hurt the flow of the offense like Tajuan Porter often did for the Ducks last season. He's apparently fairly adept at driving to the hoop and creating scoring chances for others, which may be what the Beavers need more this year.

Blue Ribbon Outlook:

BACKCOURT: B

BENCH/DEPTH: C

FRONTCOURT: B-

INTANGIBLES: B+

Robinson never doubted he could win in Corvallis. The Beavers are ahead of schedule, and Robinson hopes to build on last year's success. With the exception of Claitt, all the key pieces are back from last season. Add what is considered a strong recruiting class to the equation and the ingredients are there for OSU to make some noise in the Pac-10. "It's certainly possible," Robinson said. "It's really gonna depend on how deep we are."

via blog.oregonlive.com

OREGON

Head Coach: Ernie Kent (13th year, 219-157 at Oregon)

Many in the media call Ernie the latest victim of heightened expectations. Sure, you took the team to the Elite Eight just a few years ago, but what have you done for me lately? Oh, you lost 23 games last year? tsk tsk, you are on the hot seat my friend.

Major Departures:

No major ones, minor: Kamyron Brown (transferred)

Key Players:

Tajuan Porter (SR, 15.4 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.5 apg)

I think the word "enigmatic" fits here. Last year, Porter was thrust into a leadership position and appeared to do poorly with it. Everyone knows he can shoot 3s and go off at any time, but the mature leader the Ducks were hoping for never appeared. Kent calls him "the glue to this team" which must be a scary thought for Duck fans. If he learns from last year's mistakes and picks up his defensive play a little, he can be an impact player and give the Ducks a chance to win on any given night. I don't think Oregon has another Aaron Brooks waiting in the wings to let TP shift over to his preferred 2 position, so how TP responds to his abysmal junior campaign will be critical.

Joevan Catron (SR, 7.2 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 2.3 apg)

Similarly to Porter (and probably the rest of the Ducks too), Catron couldn't replicate his excellent season coming off the bench for the Ducks two years ago. He only shot 37% last year (!!!) but this time has a bit more frontcourt help to alleviate double teams. He's legitimately capable of a triple double as he's a big post player who can also rack up the assists. But the excellent performances were buried amongst the dismal results last year, and Catron needs to become more consistent for the Ducks to make the NCAA (heck, even the NIT).

Rising Stars:

Josh Crittle (SO, 3.6 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 16 blocked shots). Crittle looks like an NBA player but doesn't yet play like one. He's 6-8, 260, and impatient. While only getting 15 minutes a game last year, he still managed to lead the team in fouls. But that's a typical freshman problem - he'll get big minutes for the Ducks if he keeps out of foul trouble, because the rest of his game could become pretty good.

Jamil Wilson (FR, 21.2 ppg, 10.2 rpg, 3.9 apg, 2.8 bpg, Horlich HS/Racine, Wis.). Wilson could be the top recruit for Ernie Kent this year. He's a 6-7 forward, and "he has great athleticism," Kent said. "He's really skilled in his ability to see the floor."

Blue Ribbon Outlook:

BACKCOURT: C+

BENCH/DEPTH: C

FRONTCOURT: C-

INTANGIBLES: C+

If past is prologue, Oregon should rebound this season. In the three previous seasons under Kent that the Ducks failed to finish with a winning record, the 1998-99 squad went 19-13 and reached the NIT Final Four, the 2001-02 team went 26-9, won the Pac-10 championship and advanced to the Elite Eight, and the 2006-07 team was 29-8, won the Pac-10 tournament championship and made another Elite Eight appearance.

"We've had to reload before and here they came," Kent said. "There's a nucleus of eight players in the program that will be with us for the next three years, and that's how you make those runs." The Ducks will be improved, but how much depends on the impact of the incoming recruiting class and last season's freshmen. The NCAA tournament seems like a reach, with the NIT a more realistic destination.

via farm4.static.flickr.com

Well, the schools from Oregon have probably a little lower ceiling overall than the Washington schools. Both Oregon and OSU will hope to outclass the Cougs and fight for that top seed in the NIT.

Oregon has major issues with personnel, primarily focused on the young talent while still having good older players who are not playing as well as they have in the past. They still have no particularly adept point guard, so the offense is likely going to be some mixture of pounding it inside or letting Porter do his thing. If they do the former, along with good ball movement and solid defense, this team could be pretty decent. I fear (for them) that it will be the latter, with Porter either unwilling or unable to take a more distributive role on offense.

OSU could be pretty decent this year, and I think they have just as much reason to hope for the tournament as WSU does. They're more athletic than you think, and with a year of Coach Robinson's system under their belts they could very well have their own version of Bennett Ball. Patient offense will almost always result in good shots, and fundamental rebounding and defense could carry them a long way. We'll see how much they've matured since 2007-08.

Pac 10 Mega-Preview WSU & UW, Blue Ribbon Style

johnnycougar — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 23:34:38 -0000

I think we are all getting pretty excited for the upcoming basketball season. One of the many fun previews put out every year is the Blue Ribbon preview, usually posted on ESPN.com for those with Insider access. I decided to give everyone a synopsis of what Blue Ribbon has to say about our league this year, but nothing is for free! You also have to suffer through my crimson-tinted commentary! Enjoy.

Since this preview is massive, I’m going to do these by rivals / travel partners. Part I is WSU & UW. Most of the preview is going to be sourced from the Blue Ribbon version, but I arranged it so that each team is profiled by Head Coach, Major Departures, Key Players, Rising Stars, and Outlook.

WASHINGTON STATE

Head Coach: Ken Bone (1st year, career 335-167)

Coach Bone arrived in P-town shortly after Bennettdict Arnold departed (See what I did there?). Bone's Portland State squads always ran uptempo offenses and were able to make it to the NCAA tournament twice in a row.

Bone has stated that he would prefer to get out in transition rather than setting up a Bennett-style motion offense. While many of us are hoping for the perfect combination of old and new styles (Pack defense + uptempo offense), that may be difficult for Bone to pull off this year. Bone has said "I'm not sure we can be too up-tempo this year. We probably don't have the depth."

Major Departures:

Taylor Rochestie, Aron Baynes, Caleb Forrest

Key Players:

Klay Thompson (12.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.9 apg, .412 3PT, .903 FT)

Klay is clearly the go-to guy on offense. Bone has high expectations for him after a great freshman campaign and making the U-19 National Team this summer. The US squad won the gold medal (as covered here on CougCenter!) for the first time since 1991. Thompson shot 52% from 3 (16-31 over 9 games), averaging 4 boards and 2 assists to complement his 8 points per game. Obviously he'll be counted on even more this year with the departure of most of last year's scoring. Can he become more aggressive on offense, consistently driving to the hoop and getting to the foul line?

DeAngelo Casto (4.4 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 16.1 mpg)

I'm not sure how much more to say than this: Casto rocks! He brings the energy and the emotion every night. Bone calls him an big, explosive player who can get up and down the court, adding: "He's not the most skilled player, but he has a great work ethic. He brings it most every possession."

Rising Stars:

Xavier Thames (20.1 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 6.0 apg, 2.8 spg, Pleasant Grove HS/Elk Grove, Calif.)

Thames is probably our most heralded recruit, though that is no guarantee of an outstanding freshman year. He's already got good size for a point guard (6-3, 180) but he'll need to put on more muscle to survive the Pac 10 season. He's reportedly an excellent defender and passer, and had much success in high school at driving and getting to the lane. If he can open things up for our offense in even a remotely similar way to Isaiah Thomas last year for UW, Klay could get a lot of open shots.

Reggie Moore (15.0 ppg, 6.0 apg, Brewster Academy/Wolfeboro, N.H.)

Moore is a little smaller than Thames but, according to recent anonymous reports, may be higher on the depth chart. He's got a decent offensive game, with the ability to drive and dish or pull up and shoot. His defense is the question at this point. He'll definitely see a lot of action for the Cougs this year.

Brock Motum (6-9, 215, Australia Institute of Sport)

Motum is a very promising player from the AIS, following in Aron Baynes' footsteps all the way to Pullman. He's more of a 3 or 4 than a big bruiser like Aron, and Bone thinks he needs to hit the weight room a bit. He has a solid jumper and can drive to the hoop. If he plays at the 4, he'll need to work on defending bigger and stronger players than himself. He's got a lot of potential but I'm not sure how much we'll be able to rely on him this year.

Blue Ribbon Outlook:

BACKCOURT: B-

BENCH/DEPTH: D

FRONTCOURT: C-

INTANGIBLES: B

"We're a very, very young team," Bone said. "We have one senior and no juniors. We're about as young as you can get. As they get older, bigger and stronger, we'll be able to push it more and not worry as much about the possessions. They're a good group of kids, very coachable. They seem disciplined, but they're young. The good part of that is we have the opportunity to mold them. I think in the next few years we'll be competitive."

But in the right now, it could be a rough year for the Cougars.

via media.scout.com

WASHINGTON

Head Coach: Lorenzo Romar (8th year, 146-81 at UW)

Romar had one of his best years as a coach last year with UW, winning the conference and taking home the Pac 10 Coach of the Year award. He'll probably find it a little harder to win the Pac 10 this time around, but UW has to be considered one of the favorites. While losing Brockman does hurt the team, they have all the weapons to be a deadly small ball team.

Major Departures:

Jon Brockman, Justin Dentmon

Key Players:

Isaiah Thomas (SO, 15.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.6 apg, 28.4 mpg, .418 FG, .291 3PT, .686 FT)

Romar says "He doesn't fit the mold of a one or a two. He's just a guard who makes plays." That is certainly true, as IT (as he's affectionately known in Montlake) won the Pac 10 Freshman of the Year award and made the Freshman All-American team. He'll have to step up his game even more this year as two huge senior leaders departed. The MO of every opposing team is going to be "Contain IT" but it seems unlikely many will succeed.

Quincy Pondexter (SR, 12.1 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.5 apg, 28.1 mpg, .511 FG, .214 3PT, .742 FT)

Pondexter (or Poindexter, thanks Bob Knight!) looks to finally have that breakout season. He came on strong at the end of last year and was arguably the best player for the Huskies in the NCAA tournament. Like Thompson and Motum, he got some National Team experience this summer. UW will hope he can replicate his late-season form the whole year this time around. If he does, Brockman might not be missed. Pondexter can hit the jumper, post up, crash the boards, play solid defense, and even make some free throws on occasion. Can he do it all every game, rather than having his typical hot-or-cold nights?

Rising Stars:

Abdul Gaddy (FR, 25.3 ppg, Bellarmine Prep/Tacoma, Wash.). Gaddy was a McDonald's All-American, and looks to step right into the starting lineup. He is a more of a passing point guard than Thomas, but he is very capable of scoring in bunches. Romar says he has a "high basketball IQ" and is "a good leader." Of course, doing it in high school is not the same as doing it in the Pac 10, but Gaddy is a player to watch out for every game.

Darnell Gant (SO, 3.1 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 0.4 apg, 18.3 mpg, .366 FG, .704 FT). Gant probably will continue to be a starter for UW after starting nearly every game last year. He complemented Brockman fairly well but will need to develop his own post presence in order for UW to enjoy the same success. He will also need to score consistently. Adding some solid post moves and upping that free throw percentage would certainly help.

Blue Ribbon Outlook:

"We have players on this team who are capable of leading," Romar said. "When you lose a couple of seniors who handled that role, other players have to pick up the slack. I see a lot of guys on this team who could fit that role. Now they have to step up and embrace it. Matthew and Darnell, those guys need to take the next step, be more featured players," Romar said. "That would be a key for us.""

BACKCOURT: B+

BENCH/DEPTH: B

FRONTCOURT: B-

INTANGIBLES: B+

After a two-year absence from the postseason, Romar got the Huskies back on track last year with a surprising run to the Pac-10 regular-season title. The talent level is there not only for another run to the NCAA tournament, but perhaps a deeper one than last year.

via seattletimes.nwsource.com

So, how is this year going to play out? The Cougs should make a serious run at the middle of the pack! I think our ceiling is around 5th place, but if everyone is on the same page in Bone's system perhaps we can pull off a few upsets and sneak into the tournament. We know this year's team is young, and Bone himself said we won't be quite as suited to his style as he'd like. But with youth comes energy and exuberance, and we should be exciting to watch!

I think we more or less know what UW is going to be all about: slashing to the hoop, tough man-to-man defense, streaky jump shooting and trying to control the boards. If Gaddy is as good as he's supposed to be then this team is a major threat to repeat as Pac 10 champs. You've also got to figure they'll learn from their early exit in the tournament and make it farther this time around. I hope we can pull off a win against them in Pullman but I have little hope for a Seattle victory. I can see a top 3 conference finish, a year-end national ranking and at least a Sweet 16 season from them.