SB Nation User Blog: rockchalk

Anyone Going to the Game Tomorrow?

rockchalk — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 01:55:12 -0000

Anyone Going to the Game Tomorrow?

Hello, RCT community. I was just curious if anybody is going to Armageddon at Arrowhead tomorrow? I am, and it might be cool to meet up if we can. I don't know how all of this will be set up, but if anybody has a system they can try and set up, take it here. I think it'd be really cool to attach faces to monikers. Or whatever. Just talk about it here.

Open Game Thread :: Game #2 :: Memphis Tigers 1-0 (0-0) vs. #1 Kansas Jayhawks 1-0 (0-0)

rockchalk — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:40:52 -0000

via media.lawrence.com

As fun as Friday night was, the season basically starts tonight. A challenging opponent, on national television, capping off 24 consecutive hours of college basketball. A rematch of one of the best games of the decade, albeit with two entirely different squads facing each other.

Here is your Open Game Thread for the "Real Season Opener". It should be a dandy, and considering the game's in Saint Louis, should draw plenty of comments and stuff. Hopefully.

Even I'll be here, at least by tipoff, once Xavier is done depositing Bowling Green and I'm back home after yelling my lungs out in the student section. So you should be here too, and we can all yell our lungs out through keyboards and computer screens and the English language. It'll be a grand ol' time. I promise.

But seriously. This is going to be exciting as hell. I can't wait to see all of the new players. I can't wait to see the Morris twins, who will probably get too good by January to still be my favorite players (yeah, I'm kind of sad like that...Thomas Robinson?). I'm giddy with excitement at finally being able to watch the Kansas Jayhawks play some basketball. Even though they've already played 3 games, I haven't watched them. So this is basically like Christmas morning for me.

OMG.

A KenPom Preview: Memphis Tigers

rockchalk — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:21:06 -0000

More photos » by Mark Humphrey - AP

This picture is ALWAYS a good thing. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)

Browse more photos »

So, I basically lied. No other content came out over the weekend. My b. But I couldn't see the Hofstra game anyways, so any thoughts I had would have been limited to the box score. Fortunately, pending some ridiculous multiple-overtime Xavier game tonight, I should be able to watch the Kansas-Memphis clash tonight. Meaning I'll be itching to let the world hear my thoughts about the game. Which means I'll make time for a game recap. And that's a promise.

Opening Thoughts

You know, in name, this game seems like a gigantic deal. Kansas-Memphis. 2008 National Championship rematch. Two of the best teams from a season prior. But neither of these teams resemble the teams who showed up in San Antonio. Especially Memphis, considering they've lost their entire team, more-or-less, plus their coach since then.

So, while Kansas-Memphis sounds exciting and all, there's one team that, at least on paper, is definitely better. So yeah. This is a game that could trip us up, but it isn't likely. And don't even start talking about 2008. Besides Sherron Collins, no one else really remains that played. Cole and the Big Boy on Memphis, yeah, I guess, but come on.

However, if nothing else, I guarantee they show Mario's shot at least once or twice. And no matter the circumstance, it's always a glorious occasion to watch that. That'll probably be the highlight of the night.

The Background

The Memphis of your older brother who is like 3 years older is not the same anymore. All of those players your older brother grew up watching are gone, and so is the greased hair of the coach who recruited them all there. Now, they are still filled with talent, and their new coach is already shaping up to be reminiscent of his predecessor, but still. Not the same team that was the second-best team in all the land in 2008. Not one bit.

It remains to be seen what will happen with this Memphis Tigers team. Will they continue to be a National Title contender every year-or-two, being capable of beating anybody anywhere at anytime? Or will they sink down a level, to where they continue to dominate the crappy Conference-USA conference they're in, but not really scare the living daylights out of national powers. My money's on some mix of the two, because I like riding fences, but if I had to pick one, give me the second one. They'll still be capable of making intense runs in the NCAA Tournament, because Josh Pastner is going to make sure they always have talent, but I don't think they'll win make a Final Four any time soon. Which isn't a knock, when you think about it, really.

The Offense

Even though it's only one game, I'm going to use the statistics from that one game. This team has changed enough to where I think that's fair.

Four Factors

eFG% (123rd) -- The Memphis we're all used to. They are as athletic as can be, but they can't always get the ball in the bucket. Which is kind of an important part of basketball. Coincidentally they were 123rd last year as well, so that's just creepy. They really like counting with their offensive eFG% numbers I guess.
TO% (100th) -- This is what happens when you have a bunch of athletes who are learning a new coach and taking on substantially increased roles. They'll make plenty of stupid mistakes Tuesday night in St. Louis. But they'll be a better team in the end for it. And by the end of the year, they'll be dangerous.
Off. Reb% (18th) -- Damn. Impressive. That's what you get, I suppose, for having a 485-pound man. Just kidding, Pierre, just kidding. I know you lost weight and added a name last season, they only mentioned it like 18 million times. So yeah, he can offensively rebound, though. We have enough size and talent down low as to where this shouldn't be a problem, but it might be.
FTA/FGA (3rd) -- They took nearly as many free throws as field goals in their fast game of the season against Jacksonville State. Wow. Damn. That's just incredible. So, I guess John Calipari's dribble-drive, Princeton offense on steroids type of deal is still in action in Memphis. So, just give 'em some space on the perimeter to shoot, and shuffle those puppies. And hands straight up, just like you are pointing to Jesus.

The Defense

eFG% (49th) -- Last year, they were first. I know, I know, different team, but I guarantee their ranking at the end of the year is better than 49th. Like seriously, I'd bet you a ridiculous amount of money. Right now. They play good defense. Again, because it's early, it won't be as sharp. By the end of the year, oh boy.
TO% (24th) -- This is getting there. They're going to force some turnovers. Poke some balls out. Break up passing lanes. Reject the crap out of the ball and recover. So, please, take care of the ball. Over/under on stupid freshman turnovers? 7.5.
Off. Reb% (197th) -- So, yeah, while Henderson-Niles has learned how to offensively rebound, he needs to pick up some extra time on the defensive boards. Otherwise, Cole Aldrich should have a fun game. And I'm excited to finally see Thomas Robinson, the greatest high school rebounder of all timez!!1!1!
FTA/FGA (34th) -- Memphis gets fouled, silly. They don't foul.

The Players

Willie Kemp (G Sr.) -- He can't really shoot. He turns the ball over at a decent rate. He's a non-factor on the boards. And he can't shoot one bit. Not really worried about this fellow. At least on offense. He can play defense.

Doneal Mack (G Sr.) -- He can shoot slightly better, but not really. Doneal never really turns over the ball, though, and he never gets called for a foul. Another defense-first player, which was one thing with CDR, Rose and Tyreke. Now, they need to step up their offensive game.

Pierre Henderson-Niles (F Sr.) -- Not really that good of a player. I mean he wouldn't be bad as a role player off the bench, just picking up some rebounds and using his 5 fouls. But as the primary big guy down low, you can do a helluva lot better. He's basically a non-factor on offense, and he isn't nearly as good of a rebounder as he should be at his size. He's a good rebounder -- he could easily be an amazing one.

Wesley Witherspoon (F Soph.) -- Witherspoon is an excellent athlete, albeit one who can't shoot much at all. However, he can still get to the hoop and get fouled a bunch, which is certainly valuable. Plus, he's a pretty good rebounder. I think he's going to explode at some point this season and take off for awhile. If he could just consistently hit a jumpshot...

Elliot Williams (G Soph.) -- Wanna hear a funny story? Based off of the boxscore from their first game, their best player this season is going to be Elliot Williams. But last year, as a freshman, he didn't play enough to show up on KenPom. Wow. He can't really shoot either, however he can really get to the basket consistently. I don't really know anything else about him. So yeah, just watch and learn on Tuesday night I suppose.

Roburt Sallie (G Jr.) -- I'll never forget it. For the first time, I stayed home from school to watch the first day of the NCAA Tournament. The first game I watched was Cal State Northridge-Memphis. And I watched as the Matadors outplayed the Tigers for forever, and they would have probably pulled off the upset except for...a career shooting day by Roburt. He more than doubled his previous career high, and was like 8-11 from three-point range or something ludicrous like that. It was insane. And that's all he's good for, basically. Shooting the three. He can light you up from long range, but that's about it. Which is a good mix, considering everyone else on Memphis pretty much sucks at the long ball.

Closing Thoughts

This is a good, early season test. It shouldn't be some epic game that we could just as easily lose as win, but they at least have the talent to pull off the upset. We're going to have to play good defense, and more importantly have good ball movement on offense. As Bill Self said in the ESPN Inside Access special from yesterday, he wants his players to think and play unselfishly. This will be a good test of that. Because if we move the ball well, and get it to the open guy, and we actually hit the open shot, absolutely no way we lose tomorrow.

We're winning. I think winning big, too.

Harrison Barnes Announcement Open Game Thread

rockchalk — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:57:42 -0000

Harrison Barnes Announcement Open Game Thread

Harrison Barnes, All-American basketball player and typical good guy, makes his decision today on which school he will be attending after college. Kansas is one of his options. I really, really want him. So if you have any Harrison Barnes-related thoughts or something, put them here.

His other options are Iowa State, Oklahoma, UCLA, North Carolina or Duke.

Choose Kansas, Harrison. Please?

A KenPom Preview: Hofstra Pride

rockchalk — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:59:25 -0000

I'm not sure yet if this means I'm full-fledged back or not. At some point, I'm going to post some form of season preview, and being that the season starts on Friday night, it should be soon. It won't be by tipoff, but it should come on pretty soon. College basketball is so effing exciting though, and I had to post something. And I miss writing these pieces, so I figured why not.

Those of you with us last year remember the drill. To all of the newcomers, it's pretty simple. I preview our upcoming opponent simply by looking at their KenPom page (you can find Hofstra's here). Now, since the season just started, I'll be using last year's numbers. As we move on, I'll do some mix of the two, until we get enough data for this season's numbers to be relevant. They are fun pieces, and usually end up being fairly accurate, which is a testament to just how much genius is inside Ken Pomeroy's brain. Too much, man. Too much.

So, with that said, here commences the preview.

Opening Thoughts

So, here it begins. The Season of Expectations. This team is good. There's no denying that. This team is the best in the country. There's some denying that, but not enough to supplant the overwhelming national opinion that it is. This team is going to win the National Championship. Serious denial going on here, but still, we're the favorite. The favorite. If someone held a gun to your head, and told you to pick a team to win the NCAA title this year, with a correct pick saving your life and an incorrect one ending it, the majority of people would pick Kansas. That's some powerful stuff.

Hell, Kansas is good enough to incite some Undefeated talk. I've done it with my friends here at Xavier, mostly just to say it. But sometimes, when I really look closely at this team, I start to really believe. This team really could go undefeated. It has the talent. It has the depth. It has the coach. It's basically a mirror image of last year's North Carolina team. That was a team that was clearly #1, that was coming off of a disappointing loss the year before in the NCAA Tournament, and a team that received some serious Undefeated discussion. They didn't go Undefeated, but they did win it all.

I'll take that trade. So, yeah, this game basically means nothing. Obviously, a loss would send some fans off the ledge, and even a narrow win would change the nation's perspective. But in college basketball, as in every other sport, all that really matters is you win the National Championship. At least in terms of achieving Expectation or not. The fun comes from the ride, but the long-lasting feeling of success comes from actually succeeding more than anybody else.

This has gotten way too long. So now, we're just going to move on to Hofstra now. After the jump, of course.

The Background

Hofstra was actually a pretty good team last season. They won 21 games, were ranked 175 by KenPom and had a really good defense. I mean, they didn't make postseason play, and they aren't going to match up well, but they aren't a pushover either. As far as returning talent goes, there are two ways you can look at it. You could look and see that all 5 starters from a year ago are returning, and you would think that they should get better. But then you look at their bench, and you would be think that this year is entirely a rebuilding effort. 12 players played enough minutes last year to get their name on Hofstra's KenPom page, 5 of them being the starters. Of the other 7, only 1 of them is returning. The other six have run out of eligibility. So, yeah, 6 of Hofstra's players have some experience to draw on. The rest of the players are entirely unknowns.

The Offense

The Pride shouldn't be proud of their offense (I feel like an anchor on SportsCenter right now, and that isn't a good thing). Let's just put it that way.

Four Factors

eFG% (325th) -- There's only like 344 schools in KP's database, so 325 pretty much is awful. A team with a 44% eFG%, which gives extra points for 3-pointers and is thus higher than regular FG%, is embarrassingly bad. Relatively, they are actually better behind the arc, but I really should just say that they are worse inside of it. It's just ugly all over.
Turnover% (250th) -- Not as atrocious, but still not good. If you can't shoot, the least you could do is maximize the opportunities. Or not. So, hopefully we see some nice open floor dunks. I'm not expecting anything to replicate Marcus Morris or anything, but who knows.
Off. Reb% (23rd) -- OMG! Something they are actually good at. So this is how they score at all, they just keep on picking the bricks off the glass and kicking them out again, setting up another clank. But seriously, at least they are good at something. It should be a good test of how people not named Cole can box out and pull down boards. If Thomas Robinson ends up playing, it'll be interesting to see just how good of a rebounder he is. And how much muscle has been added to the frames of the Morris twins.
FTA/FGA(127th) -- This basically means nothing unless it's incredibly high or incredibly low. They get fouled some, but not a ridiculous amount.

The Defense

As awful as the Pride were on offense, their defense was pretty good. They didn't win 21 games entirely on accident. They were mostly successful when possession numbers stayed low and games became defensive struggles, because that's their strength. Especially guarding the shots.

Four Factors

eFG% (27th) -- So. This is strength of their team. They are especially good at the 2-pointers, meaning they probably pack it in tight and contest anything within 15 feet. They aren't bad with the perimeter shots, but it's still where they are vulnerable -- if you can't hit shots from outside, then you're in trouble.
Turnover% (211th) -- Hey! We actually might win the turnover battle! Last year, our downfall was the fact that we didn't force turnovers and we gave away possessions. It's exactly why we lost to Michigan State in the Sweet 16. But hey, we're actually better than Hofstra at it. So, it's not really a weakness anymore. If you think about it.
Off. Reb% (88th) -- I'm not trying to be mean. I'm not trying to be a big, bad bully or something. But let's just say, this doesn't really concern me. You try and keep Cole Aldrich off of the offensive glass. Pfft.
FTA/FGA (320th) -- They foul. A bunch. So, this should be good practice for our free throws. Last year we were pretty good, so hopefully that can stay the same.

The Players

Charles Jenkins (G Jr.) -- The star of the Pride, he's the guy who likes to shoot the most. He will take shots from the outside, but he wasn't terribly accurate with them last year, and he much prefers to drive to the basket and take contact, getting himself to the free throw line. That's his game, which makes sense considering he's an 83% free throw shooter. He's a good assist man too, which I would imagine comes from being double-teamed a bunch, leading to open players who then make shots giving him an assist. Yay! He uses a bunch of possessions, and is definitely the key to the Hofstra Pride.

Cornelius Vines (G Sr.) -- He's the best three-point shooter on Hofstra, but even he can't hit a shot every 3 times he shoots one. Of course, he can't do anything else too, so that's not really that impressive. Or good. Or anything like that. So yeah. Unless he's hot from the outside, he's a subpar player.

Tony Dennison (G Sr.) -- He can't shoot. He doesn't draw fouls. He doesn't make the free throws when he gets there anyways. He's a marginal rebounder. Essentially, he's basically useless on the offensive end. Oh, and he turns the ball over quite a bit without a whole lot of defense. Put simply -- dude isn't very good.

Nathaniel Lester (F Jr.) -- He's a pretty good offensive rebounder, but he's entirely useless on the offensive end.

Greg Washington (F Jr.) -- Maybe the Pride's best player, really. Washington is a stud rebounder, especially on the defensive glass, and isn't entirely hopeless down in the post. Best of all, he's practically the Hasheem Thabeet of the CAA, blocking more than 12% of opponents' 2-point attempts last season. That's good enough for 5th in the entire country. So, yeah, he probably won't be stuffing Cole, but everyone else needs to go at him strong and draw fouls. And I guarantee he'll deposit at least a ball or two into the stands.

Miklos Szabo (F Jr.) -- I'm assuming Szabo is on the team for two reasons -- to have an awesome name on the team, and because he can rebound the heck out of the basketball. His numbers are better than Washington's, albeit in much less playing time, which is quite impressive. Of course, he's substantially worse on offense, and isn't a shot-blocking presence. But still, dude can rebound. At least he's good at something.

The Keys

1) Really? -- We already basically won. If you were nervous at all, check out their KenPom page. Blech. Yes, I realize, upsets happen. Bam. I don't really care. We could take our starting lineup (Sherron, Cole, Morris Twins, Xavier) and sit them down on the bench for the entire game and still probably win. It'd be pretty close, at least for a long while, and we could lose, but I wouldn't bet against us. Add in those players, and there is no reason why this game should be close in the second half.

2) Three-Pointer -- I'm really interested to see how well we shoot the three this year. I didn't get to see the two exhibition games, so I don't really know how we'll shoot. We all know that Relly Ice can hit the three, and Sherron is money. And Xavier is a better shooter than I think he is, I have a feeling. However, who the hell knows how the rest of the team is going to shoot. Can Tyshawn be more consistent? Can the Morris twins consistently hit? How good is Elijah? It'll be interesting to watch. We won't need a barrage to win this game, but we will need one at some point. I'm interested to see just how potent said barrage can be.

3) Turnovers -- I get it. We're going to turn the ball over a bunch. That's okay. But we still need to cut down that number some, and more importantly force more turnovers. It's easier to swallow turning the ball over 18 times if you forced 23 turnovers, y'know? So yeah. We have the athletes. And Bill Self, if he knows how to do one thing, knows how to coach defense. But we should absolutely dominate the Pride, as turnover prone as they already are. Let's see if we can.

Conclusion

We're going to win. But in close games, with more this-season data, these things can get really sweet. I'll try and post some essay-style season preview piece tomorrow before the game. Then do more hardcore season preview stuff over the weekend or something. I'll do my best.

I can't believe college basketball is already back. It's the best time of the frickin' year, y'all. Enjoy it.

Open Game Thread :: College Football :: Saturday October 31st

rockchalk — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:02:08 -0000

Open Game Thread :: College Football :: Saturday October 31st

This is your Open Game Thread for all of the day's College Football. On Halloween! Sorry for being a deadbeat blog manager, but luckily Denver is the greatest co-manager in the history of the world. So yes. In any case, there are some good games on, most notably two absolute monsters tonight in USC-Oregon and Texas-Oklahoma State. Hopefully I can show up for awhile. And don't forget to show up to the Kansas-specific OGT, which will go up at 1:30 CST.

Open Game Thread :: Game #6 :: Kansas 5-0 (1-0) @ Colorado 1-4 (0-1)

rockchalk — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 21:40:53 -0000

The classic Trap Game. Oklahoma is next week, and even though they have a losing record, they are still Oklahoma. And it's still going to be a huge game. So, no doubt, we're looking ahead at that.

Plus, Colorado isn't very good. They probably aren't as bad as they showed that one Friday night at the Glass Bowl, but even if they are better, they could still royally suck. They don't suck, and have enough talent/ability to score some points on us and maybe, just maybe, even pull off an upset.

The only thing in our favor, in a sense, was that we played absolutely dreadful last week. I mean, we played just as poorly on defense as we did last year against Texas Tech, it's just that Iowa State didn't have Harrell and Crabtree. And yet, they still put up 36 points, and would have likely won the game had Austen Arnaud not overthrown a wide open receiver in the endzone. That shit sucks, man. That's just really bad.

So, we need to play a lot better. Odds are we do. In any case, this is your Open Game Thread for the game. If need be, we'll put up a new one at halftime. It is away from the friendly confines of Memorial Stadium, so hopefully a bunch of people show up.

I should be here, pending extenuating circumstances. I'd imagine we'll have all of the regulars. Stupid FSOhio is being stupid and not showing the game here, so I'm resorted to the computer, yet again. But it should be okay.

We better win. I want to win so bad, and play Oklahoma in a big game next week. A 2-3 Boomer Sooner team still wears the Crimson and Cream and still has plenty of mystique. But if we are 5-1, it won't feel nearly the same. Just don't blow it. Please.

Open Game Thread :: College Football :: Saturday October 17

rockchalk — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 14:53:42 -0000

Open Game Thread :: College Football :: Saturday October 17

This is your Open Game Thread for all things College Football until the Kansas game. A specific Kansas-Colorado thread will pop up an hour prior to kickoff, so be on the lookout for that.

But for now, this is your place to talk football. I will be here for part of the day, so I hope you join me. It'll be fun for sure.

Kansas Wins Ugly, 41-36

rockchalk — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 21:09:15 -0000

More photos » by Orlin Wagner - AP

2 months ago: Kansas quarterback Todd Reesing (5) congratulates teammate Dezmon Briscoe (80) following their NCAA college football game against Iowa State, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009, in Lawrence, Kan. Kansas beat Iowa State 41-36. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)

Browse more photos »

That was ugly. As Bill Simmons calls it, that was a Moral Defeat to be sure. Yikes.

That's all the commentary necessary for right now. Use this as your Open Game Thread for the rest of the day's action.

Open Game Thread :: Iowa State Cyclones 3-2 (0-1) @ Kansas Jayhawks 4-0 (0-0)

rockchalk — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 06:32:03 -0000

You know the drill. Kansas football. Open Game Thread. Let's put up some ridiculous number. I'll actually be here, yes, for most of the game. If not all of it. I will be resorted to the computer because no Versus, but whatever.

We should win. We will win. We will win big. I'm pumped.

Not to look ahead or anything, but yeah. I'm not worried at all.

This is almost like the Duke game. Basically. It's an early afternoon game, morning even in the central time zone. It's on Versus. It's against some awful BCS conference team. Let's just have the same result.

Oh, and let's hit 1,000 comments or something. That would be pretty sweet.