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So, I was watching the Baylor game on Saturday against TCU. A little scouting for my Pre Game report that will be out sometime on Monday.
I've probably said this before but I really appreciate how Geno lets the air of the ball when he has a big lead. He puts the brakes on the fastbrakes, and he doesn't pressure the ball. I like that he doesn't rub it into the opponents face.
I also mentioned how Baylor tends to be the polar opposite in this regard. They have absolutely destroy two teams and both times they had their highest scoring quarter in the 4th. They actually scored 40 points in the 4th quarter of a 90 point win. Really Kim??
Well, the players certainly learn from their coach. Baylor was up 22 points with around 34 seconds left. It looked like they were going to run the clock down and then maybe take a shot. I was happy they weren't real aggressive at that time. They lost the ball out of bounds with 1 second left on the shot clock.
I watched as Moon Ursin signaled to Didi Richards something. Ursin set up at the far left corner, 25 feet from the basket and when the ref gave the ball to Richard to inbound, Ursin ran hard along the baseline to get the pass near the basket and made the layup. I'm sure they practiced this play often and wanted to use it.
It just rubs me the wrong way.
Rant over.
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No. 1 Stanford held off a game Arizona State team, winning 68-60. The Cardinal ran out to a 19-4 lead after one quarter and it was Arizona State that was able to outscore Stanford 56-49 the rest of the way. While it was a very impressive performance by Fran Belibi with 23 points and 12 rebounds, it was not an impressive performance by Stanford. They had a very un-Stanford-like 17 turnovers and only 15 assists.
No. 3 North Carolina State continued it's easy run through the ACC with a 76-57 win over Boston College. They are now 10-0 and 5-0 in the ACC. That win over South Carolina is going to loom large in the seedings. Looking forward to the game against Louisville on 1/17. That should be for the ACC title. The Wolfpack should run through the rest of their conference schedule with the final challenge against Syracuse in the last game of the regular season.
No. 6 Arizona put a world of hurting in their 66-33 win over California. I didn't think that the Golden Bears would even break 30. You can find out more about California's fultility below in the UGGY section.
In one of two great Top 25 games, No. 11 UCLA upset No. 8 Oregon on the road 73-71, The Bruins tried to give this game away by turning the ball over twice in the last 20 seconds. Oregon was kind enough to give it back with a turnover with 9 seconds left, losing their chance to tie it up. UCLA's Onyenwere was terrific in this game with 33 points and 10 rebounds.
No. 9 Texas A&M beat Florida 91-67 behind 6 players in double figures. I think the Aggies are overachieving and a better team than I thought they would be this season. Florida gave South Carolina a much tougher game than they did in this one.
No. 10 Arkansas squeaked by unranked Missouri 91-88 in a game that should not have been that close. Arkansas sure can score, but they struggle to defend.
In the second great Top 25 game No. 13 Kentucky defeated No. 12 Mississippi State 92-86 in overtime. The Wildcats were led by Rhyne Howard with 33 points. She is just a fantastic player and most likely National POY. MSU's Richea Jackson was having a sophomore slump with all her shooting percentages down from her spectacular freshman season but she was great in this game with 23 points.
If you remember from my last blog, I said "I think Northwestern was a little overrated. Look for more losses and a trip out of the Top 25 in the next few weeks". Well, it didn't take long. No. 15 Northwestern lost to No. 16 Michigan 84-63 in a game that really wasn't even that close. They might hang on to a Top 25 spot, but maybe not!
No. 19 Texas ended Iowa State's four game winning streak with a 74-59 win over the Cyclones. All five starters were in double digit scoring for the Longhorns. They are the only threat to Baylor in the Big 12 Conference.
In last Top 25 game of the night, No. 25 Michigan State defeated Purdue 71-64. I got nothing here. They played.
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As I mentioned in my game blurb California did it's best to win this UGGY award. Scoring 33 points in a game certainly puts you in contention. You know I have to break it down statistically.
They shot 30% from the field.
1-6 on threes. Probably smart they didn't take more.
6-15 from the foul line. Yes, a sparkling 40%.
And they had a whopping 31 turnovers. Ungodly.
So, congrats to the Golden Bears. Better to have Golden Slumbers.
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