2011 76er Tournament Info/Thread

[Sooner95]

Information about our upcoming trip to Anehiem!

2011 Tournament Bracket (http://www.76classic.com/home/images/stories/pdfs/2011_76_bracket_est.pdf)

Official website (http://www.76classic.com/home/)

Twitter Feed (http://twitter.com/intent/user?screen_name=ESPN_76Classic)



2011 Field


BOSTON COLLEGE
Nickname: Eagles
Conference: Atlantic Coast
Location: Chestnut Hill, Mass.
2010-11 Record: 21-13 (10-5)

Steve Donahue will be starting his second season as coach at Boston College after leading the Eagles to a fourth-place finish in his ACC debut season. He will have his work cut to repeat that success, as the Eagles will have to replace their top five scorers from last season. Sophomore guard Danny Rubin is the top returning scorer. In 29 games (23 starts) Rubin shot a team-best 43.4 percent from behind the arc for the Eagles, who made the most three-pointers in the ACC (306, 9.0 per game) and shot the second-best percentage (38.2) in the conference.




NEW MEXICO
Nickname: Lobos
Conference: Mountain West
Location: Albuquerque, N.M.
2010-11 Record: 22-12

The Lobos are proving they can win away from The Pit. Steve Alford’s team earned a fourth-straight 20-win season in 2010-11 despite seeing their string of back-to-back Mountain West Conference championships come to an end. In 2009-10, Alford's Lobos set school records for wins (30), road wins (10) and wins away from home (13) on their way to peaking at No. 8 in both polls, their highest finish since 1967-68. UNM, which had one senior in each of the previous two seasons, will feature four in 2011-12, including guard Phillip McDonald, and forwards A.J. Hardeman and Drew Gordon, a UCLA transfer, named Second-Team All-Mountain West and 2010-11 Newcomer of the Year. Kendall Williams was honorable mention All-Mountain West and Freshman of the Year.




OKLAHOMA
Nickname: Sooners
Conference: Big 12
Location: Norman, Okla.
2010-11 Record: 14-18 (5-11)

Jeff Capel’s reign at Oklahoma ended after three lackluster seasons, but don’t sleep on the Sooners in your Big 12 water cooler conversations. Rebuilding project? Don’t tell that to new coach Lon Kruger, who won last year’s 76 Classic with UNLV. “This program has got great tradition, so we're not rebuilding,” said Kruger. “There are some very, very good teams in the conference and we're going to be right there and hopefully set the bar for everyone else in the league," continued Kruger, whose Sooners will use the 76 Classic as a catalyst to the Dance in 2012.



SAINT LOUIS
Nickname: Billikens
Conference: Atlantic 10
Location: St. Louis
2010-11 Record: 12-19

The Billikens struggled, finishing 11th in the Atlantic 10 in 2010-11, but should rebound as they’ll likely return the majority of their starting five. Rick Majerus’ squad features a pair of international big bodies in junior forward Cody Ellis and sophomore Rob Loe. Ellis, a 6-8, 240-pound native of Perth, Australia, was an A-10 preseason third-teamer as a sophomore following a freshman season that saw him earn a place on the conference’s All-Rookie Team. The 6-11, 240-pound Loe, a native of Auckland, New Zealand, was named A-10 Preseason Newcomer of the Year in '09-10. Dwayne Evans, the team’s leading rebounder and an All-A-10 Rookie Team performer, adds muscle inside




SANTA CLARA
Nickname: Broncos
Conference: West Coast
Location: Santa Clara, Calif.
2010-11 Record: 23-14

The Broncos are looking to buck their way to the top of the West Coast Conference after reaching the CIT Championship Game. They are led by their top two returning scorers from 2010-11, senior forward Marc Trasolini, the team’s leading rebounder and second-leading scorer, and junior guard Kevin Foster, the WCC Newcomer of the Year in '08-09, who broke Kurt Rambis’ freshman scoring record (486 points to Rambis’ 414) and the school’s single-season three-point field goal mark held by Steve Nash (85 to 84). He received a medical redshirt for his sophomore season following a foot injury that limited him to six games.




UC RIVERSIDE
Nickname: Highlanders
Conference: Big West
Location: Riverside, Calif.
2010-11 Record: 12-19

The Highlanders are looking to reach higher ground in 2011-12 and have an experienced team in place to do so. They’ll return five of their top six scorers from 2010-11, led by senior Phil Martin, the conference’s ninth-leading scorer (15.0 ppg) and leading free-throw shooter (93.5 percent). Riverside was second in the Big West in shot-blocking, led by seniors B.J. Shearry and Tyquan Brown, and has one of the top assist men in the conference in senior Kareem Nitoto.




VILLANOVA
Nickname: Wildcats
Conference: Big East
Location: Villanova, Pa.
2010-11 Record: 21-12

With Jay Wright at the helm, Villanova has become synonymous with 20-win seasons, NCAA Tournament berths and top-10 rankings. Since 2004-05, Wright’s teams have never won fewer than 21 games and have gone dancing every year. The youthful Wildcats will count on the experience of junior point guard Maalik Wayns and versatile junior wingman Dominic Cheek. Sophomore guard James Bell and fellow sophomore forward JayVaughn Pinkston should be battle-tested and ready to help out.



WASHINGTON STATE
Nickname: Cougars
Conference: Pac-10
Location: Pullman, Wash.
2010-11 Record: 22-13

Washington State continues to come together under wunderkind coach Ken Bone. The Cougars return a strong core -- after reaching the NIT Semifinal (thanks to guard Klay Thompson and forward DeAngelo Casto, both of whom are playing professionally). Junior guard Reggie Moore, who set a school freshman-assists record (4.2 apg) in 2008-09, and led the conference in assists and assists-to-turnover ratio; look to him to be a leader of this bunch.

[Ton Loc]

I predict we go straight to the losers bracket and hopefully beat Santa Clara and mop the floor with whoever the other crap team that ends up in the loser's bracket final.

[Vegas Sooner]

We have a pretty good shot at winning a few. Its not as if we go head to head with Kentucky right off the bat.

[kbsooner21]

Thanks for posting this.

[Soonerjeepman]

wow...pretty decent field...surprised...yeah no really big dogs but decent competition...

after 2 blowouts in prep ball and a real struggle with NDS or whoever that was...not sure where we'll be...hopefully .500 or better.

[oumartin]

We're gonna win that B!tch!

[Blue]

Anybody remember that disaster in Alaska a few years ago? What about the Maui Invitational? Chaminade? No gimmies on the slate.

[Sooner95]

Yea Blue..I do. Last years Maui was nothing shirt of a disaster. If we somehow win our first round game against Wa St, I will be thrilled.

[C&CDean]

11:30pm tip-off? WTF?

[soonervegas]

No sleep thanksgiving it appears.....

[Soonerjeepman]

11:30pm tip-off? WTF?

thought is was 10:30 CT..which would be 8:30 pac time..

[Sooner95]

Yea 11:30EST Last game of the night..ah well..lol

[C&CDean]

DVR for sure.

[Sooner95]

haha, well I can use it as an excuse not to get up at 5am to go shopping..LMAO

[badger]

Our across-the-pond Sooner flak just posted a vBookie event for our game against Wazzu. :)

[kbsooner21]

I think Wazzu is going to eat us up pretty good. They have some nice talent. Would be nice to see us win out after that game though.

[ouflak]

I've got the spread at only -4.5 though.

[kbsooner21]

I put a little VCash on Wazzu that I'll be happy to lose :D:

[Sooner95]

I'm hoping for a Double/double Sooner that scores 20. yea! Do that and we win this game.

[IronHorseSooner]

That is a really wide-open tourney. I really like this team, and I think that they will surprise. I'm not saying that they will do as well as my other alma mater (Syracuse), but they could make some noise. It looks like these guys actually like being on the same court together. IMHO, it all comes down to PG play. Fitz, Osby, Pledger, and C2 are as good as you will find in the Big XII at their respective positions. This team will go as far as Blair, Newell, and Grooms take them. One good thing, is that we have a guy on our staff, Henson, who was a tough-as-nails Big 8/XII PG who could develop those guys. Also, my KU buddy, who follows the conference much closer than I, believes that we will be the surprise of the conference, and that Kruger is the best X's and O's coach in the conference.

[Sooner95]

An article in regards to someone breaking down the teams in the thanksgiving tournament.


Oklahoma – KenPom Ranking: 87th

It wasn’t very long ago that OU found itself in the Associated Press top-25 on a regular basis. The Sooners have taken a bit of a program nosedive lately, but are still a dangerous team to face. They are 2-0 so far in 2011-12 with victories over Idaho State and Coppin State at home, but they are going to be an underdog to advance far this weekend.


Full article here (http://vuhoops.com/2011/11/23/76-classic-preview/)

[Sooner95]

Schedule breakdown for the weekend..

Sooners v WashSt game is on ESPN2


http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6058/6390289071_24f9db67b8_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/58949953@N06/6390289071/)
76schedule (http://www.flickr.com/photos/58949953@N06/6390289071/) by sooner2011 (http://www.flickr.com/people/58949953@N06/), on Flickr

[TopDog8025]

Here I preview Washington State, and give my keys to the game: http://isportsweb.com/2011/11/24/off-disneyland-oklahomawashington-state-preview/ check it out please :).

[Sooner95]

St Lious and villanova both won their games this afternoon.

[Sooner95]

Santa Clara takes down N Mexico in OT..79-76...

[Sooner95]

Taking it to them. Up 33-30

[Sooner95]

Playing ok, but WSU has 20 turnovers and we are taking advantage..

52-48 2nd half 9min to go

[Sooner95]

60-50!! 7 to go!

[OUSKINS]

Up 67-54 with 4:00 left. We look really good; what a pleasant surprise.

[colinreturn]

Team has looked better each game. Exciting to see them work together well.

[Sooner95]

Holycrap, we win! 74-59!!

[Sooner95]

According to my bracket we will play Santa Clara, Noon on Saturday.

[Blue]

Great win! Very fun to watch. Lotta hustle, lotta good D, and good shooting.

[Eielson]

According to my bracket we will play Santa Clara, Noon on Saturday.

I think it's midnight.

[hawaii 5-0]

First time to see the Sooners this year. I was impressed.

I hated Lon Kruger as a player, as did everyone who didn't root for K-State. I always admired him as a coach and was most pleased to see OU get him.

I liked the up tempo style with no selfishness. It looked like a coupla point guards and a bunch of small forwards. I liked that no one was afraid to take it inside if the opportunity arose. Lots of threes that went down.

I liked the quickness displayed on defense. Quick hands, probing for an opportunity for a steal. I swear it kinda looked like a bunch of Mookies out there tonight.

Nice.

5-0

[LiveLaughLove]

My first time to see them too. Very happy with the hustle, aggression and decent shooting.

Much better than what I saw in Capel's first season.

Offense is a little vanilla, and rebounding will be a big problem but real good quick defensive play, great feet and hands work.

Liked it a lot. Not ready to say tourney bound but look like strong nit contenders anyway. Find some rebounding and who knows.

[TopDog8025]

Recap of the game from myself in case you missed it, or would just enjoy reading after this refreshing victory. http://isportsweb.com/2011/11/25/sooners-push-past-washington-state-7459-up-next-santa-clara/

[OU_Sooners75]

20 wins this year?

[IronHorseSooner]

Do you think that there is a possibility that we could be ranked if we win this tourney? I think that we beat Santa Clara, and who knows what would happen against the SLU and 'Nova winner.

[OUSKINS]

20 wins this year?

Probably premature to say at this point, but this was an extremely encouraging game for the Sooners. We knew going in we could beat the scrubs on the schedule and I think we know we can't run with the big dogs like KU; the question I had was where we'd fall in between. Wasnt sure what to expect against teams like WSU, Houston, middle of the pack B12 teams, etc...

I was thinking 15-16 wins in pre-season, but last night's performance raises my hopes a bit...

[Vegas Sooner]

Win the thing!!!

[Eielson]

Do you think that there is a possibility that we could be ranked if we win this tourney? I think that we beat Santa Clara, and who knows what would happen against the SLU and 'Nova winner.

I'm thinking we would get a low ranking if we won it.

[oumartin]

I told you all we gonna win this bitch

[Sooner95]

I think it's midnight.

Yep, my mistake. Midnight tonight.

[ouflak]

Thanks for the tip about the starting time! I had the bets closing at noon. I've adjusted the bet in The Sports Book forum to now close at the actual tip-off time.

[Blue]

Liked it a lot. Not ready to say tourney bound but look like strong nit contenders anyway. Find some rebounding and who knows.

Well before last nights game we were leading the country in rebounding. I know its only after 2 games, but...

[Boomer.....]

Great opening win!

[Sooner95]

And with S Clara taking out NM for us, I think we have a pretty good chance at advancing to the finals.

[Sooner95]

St. Louis is leading Nova by 10 with 5 min to go..

[Sooner95]

Quick hit on Santa Clara out of the WCC. They are 3-1 with wins over DivII team, San Jose St and NM. Their loss was to UC Santa Barbara by 33.

[Ton Loc]

Awesome win last night. The games are on ESPN3 if you forget to record it.

[Sooner95]

St. Louis knocks off Nova 80-68

[badger]

I love both of our teams this year. I am not sure if i will be able to stay up for tonite's game but i might try.

I could only do the first half of yesterday's (yes my last impression was wazzu's buzzer shot) after laughing at our mediocre conference rivals' football crap.

Go Lon et al!

[Sooner95]

well, I'll be up for sure, as the Holiday partying continues...let it roll!

[birddog]

the deucer. midnight.

[oulucas]

Pretty sure it's midnight Eastern time (I know, doesn't make sense because it's being played on the west coast, but it's ESPN, which is on the east coast.) My U-Verse Guide has it starting at 11 p.m. for us in Oklahoma.

Pretty happy with the way the guys played last night. You know how you get a "feeling" when a team is playing, like that they don't have a shot or the other way around? With Capel's bunch I was always nervous like they were going to screw up. With Kruger's guys I sense a sort of confidence. I don't want to get too excited yet, but I sure have been impressed with them so far.

[birddog]

sorry, i'm eastern.

[Eielson]

St. Louis knocks off Nova 80-68

Majerus has them playing some pretty good ball. They'd definitely be rated right now if the polls were updated.

[oulucas]

Pretty nice to hear the announcers comment on the great defense the Sooners are playing!

[soonervegas]

Looking pretty impressive right now...

[Blue]

How bout dem Sooners!

[Eielson]

With the exception of Cade vs. Clark, this team is literally better at every single position than it was last year, and I'm including the entire bench when I say that. The front court is so much better it's not even funny. The awesome part is, we'll probably see similar improvements next year. Nobody of significance will graduate.

[LiveLaughLove]

With the exception of Cade vs. Clark, this team is literally better at every single position than it was last year, and I'm including the entire bench when I say that. The front court is so much better it's not even funny.

Include the coaches in that.

Very happy with the hustling D, the up tempo O and the apparent good attitudes.

I also like that our head coach isn't sitting there with his chin in his hand showing no emotion.

[LiveLaughLove]

dbl post, sorry

[booomer]

Lovin' what I'm seeing! Boomer!

[Eielson]

Include the coaches in that.

Very happy with the hustling D, the up tempo O and the apparent good attitudes.

I also like that our head coach isn't sitting there with his chin in his hand showing no emotion.

I'll wait to make a judgement on the coach. Players make a big difference.

[Eielson]

As pleasant as the first half was, this second half has pretty well nullified it. We shouldn't be getting outplayed by a team like Santa Clara. We haven't put two good halves together all year, and we'll need to if we're gonna win on Sunday.

[Blue]

As pleasant as the first half was, this second half has pretty well nullified it. We shouldn't be getting outplayed by a team like Santa Clara. We haven't put two good halves together all year, and we'll need to if we're gonna win on Sunday.

I disagree. We played great ball all 4 halves of this tourney. Santa Clara was just hitting their 3's and the fouling at the end plus us slowing down to run clock is why it was as close as it was.

Great game Sooners!

[Soonerjeepman]

thought we played exceptional the first half...2nd half...did what we needed...played well...Santa Clara was on fire...that dude can shoot. They changed their D and backed off of Grooms..daring him to shoot outside..they couldnt stop his penetration.

I like our rotation...Kruger using the bench well...Osby and Grooms are huge additions...CJ has gotten bigger...and Arent..? is decent in the post.

[hawaii 5-0]

I love it when the color announcer tells the audience what the coach will do next. It's like he's not just an ex player but a coach.

Dick Tomey (ex Hawaii, Arizona and San Jose) used to add color to Hawaii football games and he'd call plays for both teams up in the announcer's booth.

5-0

[ouflak]

Won some vCash on this one!

[TopDog8025]

Recap can be found here: http://isportsweb.com/2011/11/26/sooners-escape-late-run-defeat-broncos-8573/

[Sooner95]

That was fun to see them play well. I admit, i didn't see this team making the finals. well done, now let's win the damn thing.

[Boomer.....]

I just got done watching the second half on DVR. We played great again. The second half wasnt as pretty as the first, but we got it done. I am pretty impressed with this team.

[OhU1]

I'm getting excited about OU Basketball again. 5-0. Good start for Kruger. The last few years have felt like Snelly, Blake years.

[Eielson]

I disagree. We played great ball all 4 halves of this tourney. Santa Clara was just hitting their 3's and the fouling at the end plus us slowing down to run clock is why it was as close as it was.

Great game Sooners!

You must not have some really low expectations for this team. 23 point halftime leads against teams like Santa Clara should not be cut to 6 with about a minute to play. I don't know how you can praise getting outscored by Santa Clara by 17 points over a 19 minute stretch. That's just not good basketball.

As for the first half against Washington State, we finished well, but we started awful. Seeing them slice through our defense for the first ten minutes made me start to think we were headed for another embarrassing season. It's nice that we won both games, but better teams (like St. Louis) will make us pay.

[hawaii 5-0]

I'm getting excited about OU Basketball again. 5-0. Good start for Kruger. The last few years have felt like Snelly, Blake years.


Thanks for the props.

Oops!

You were referring to OU's record. Carry on.


5-0

[Blue]

You must not have some really low expectations for this team. 23 point halftime leads against teams like Santa Clara should not be cut to 6 with about a minute to play. I don't know how you can praise getting outscored by Santa Clara by 17 points over a 19 minute stretch. That's just not good basketball.

As for the first half against Washington State, we finished well, but we started awful. Seeing them slice through our defense for the first ten minutes made me start to think we were headed for another embarrassing season. It's nice that we won both games, but better teams (like St. Louis) will make us pay.

I absolutely had low expectations going in to the season. They've been raised by the solid play of our team. Santa Clara is a good team. I think it's a quality win. Again, they were shooting lights out in the second half and capitalized on us slowing down with a big lead and some missed free throws. It was a 17 point lead until the last few minutes. Did you watch the game?

Same ol BS with fans not happy no matter what happens. I guess you think we should be shooting 80% instead of 45%, and getting 100 rebounds a game instead of leading the country at around 45, and blowing people out by 40 every time out.

[Eielson]

Santa Clara is a good team. I think it's a quality win. Again, they were shooting lights out in the second half and capitalized on us slowing down with a big lead and some missed free throws. It was a 17 point lead until the last few minutes. Did you watch the game?

Santa Clara is not a very good team. They got beat by 33 against Santa Barbara. Losing a half to them while playing starters the entire time is bad. Losing a 19 minute stretch by 17 to them is awful. I don't care if they were shooting well. They shouldn't be scoring 54 points in a half.


Same ol BS with fans not happy no matter what happens. I guess you think we should be shooting 80% instead of 45%, and getting 100 rebounds a game instead of leading the country at around 45, and blowing people out by 40 every time out.

I said I don't want to lose halves to teams like Santa Clara by double digits when we're playing all of our starters. I never said anything like shooting 80%, getting 100 rebounds, or winning every game by 40 points. Are you in middle school?

[Blue]

UC Santa Barbara is a tourney team.

And no.

[Sooner95]

4-0 fellas... but 5-0 after we win the 76er classic title.

[8timechamps]

4-0 fellas... but 5-0 after we win the 76er classic title.

After the opening game with Idaho State, I would not have predicted the championship game of the 76 classic, but I think we have a shot. SLU is (as usual) a good team, and they've already beaten some decent teams (Washington, Villanova). If we can win, that would be a great start to the season. However, a 5-1 (and finishing 2nd in the 76er) wouldn't be too bad either.

[TopDog8025]

After the opening game with Idaho State, I would not have predicted the championship game of the 76 classic, but I think we have a shot. SLU is (as usual) a good team, and they've already beaten some decent teams (Washington, Villanova). If we can win, that would be a great start to the season. However, a 5-1 (and finishing 2nd in the 76er) wouldn't be too bad either.

I had a lot of the same feeling after the Idaho State game, but tried not to put too much stock because we were without one of our best players in Pledger. He seems vastly improved from last season thus far and is one of the main reasons we are in the position we are right now. I think we can beat SLU, we're one of the best if not the best (you could make an argument about Washington), teams they've faced thus far. No doubt, it is also going to be the toughest oppoenent we faced so far as well though. Excited to see how it plays out! Boomer Sooner!

[Sooner95]

well if we lose to STL in the 76er final tomorrow night, we will be 4-1. did I miss a win??

Anyhow, I agree, I was hoping for them to win 2 of 3, but on the consolation bracket side. They fact we beat WSU changed that though. Good stuff!

[ouflak]

Ok guys, the bet (http://www.soonerfans.com/forums/showthread.php?163364-vBookie-11-27-Mens-Basketball-76-Classic-Tournament-Championship) is up in The Sports Book (http://www.soonerfans.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?24-The-Sports-Book).

[Sooner95]

Just a quick breakdown of St Louis. They are 5-0 out of the A-10 Conference with wins over tenn St, southern Ill, Washington, BC and Nova.

They've played a bit better schedule than we have and look to be a team that will challenge for a tourney bid out of the A10. They got 3 players avg double figures and look to play pretty decent defense.

this is a 9pm EST start on ESPN2 tonight.

[Serge Ibaka]

I'm excited for this! Would a good win today be enough to crack the top 25? Probably not.

Go team!

[Eielson]

Would a good win today be enough to crack the top 25?

I'm expecting the winner of this game to enter the top 25.

[8timechamps]

well if we lose to STL in the 76er final tomorrow night, we will be 4-1. did I miss a win??

Anyhow, I agree, I was hoping for them to win 2 of 3, but on the consolation bracket side. They fact we beat WSU changed that though. Good stuff!

No, you didn't miss a win, I added a win and a loss (if we were to lose). I'm crazy like that!

[8timechamps]

I had a lot of the same feeling after the Idaho State game, but tried not to put too much stock because we were without one of our best players in Pledger. He seems vastly improved from last season thus far and is one of the main reasons we are in the position we are right now. I think we can beat SLU, we're one of the best if not the best (you could make an argument about Washington), teams they've faced thus far. No doubt, it is also going to be the toughest oppoenent we faced so far as well though. Excited to see how it plays out! Boomer Sooner!

Good point. I was happy to see Osby step up in that game though. We have definitely started better than I was expecting.

[Sooner95]

Game on. BOOMER!!!

[oumartin]

St. Louis is shooting well. Surely that won't last all game.

[Eielson]

St. Louis is shooting well. Surely that won't last all game.

I'm afraid it might. I don't think it's a fluke.

[oumartin]

they be a hard team to beat then.

[soonervegas]

This game features an NCAA Tourney team and a bubble team....

Tonight we find out which one is which.

[oumartin]

Osby is a playa!

[Eielson]

2 fouls on Osby already. Bad news...

[Sooner95]

Our shot selection needs to improve. Kind of rushing things.

[OU_Sooners75]

No offense at all by either team.

[Eielson]

Now 2 on Grooms! :(

[oumartin]

these announcers aren't hiding their love of the bilikins.

[Eielson]

Before St. Louis knocked down those back to back threes I was going to say I feel good about this only being a 1 point game despite Osby sitting with 2 fouls (and Grooms)...

[Blue]

Lookin kinda bad. Too many turnovers and the shots aren't falling.

[OU_Sooners75]

Terrible terrible shot selection all first half.

[OU_Sooners75]

I guess 4-1 isnt a bad thing....seen a lot worse the last few years.

[Eielson]

This game is starting to look pretty bad for us. I really wish we could have those 12 first half minutes of Osby on the bench in foul trouble back.

[OU_Sooners75]

Would like to see Lon call up something different on defense though...STL is making it look too easy!

[OU_Sooners75]

Seriously how can someone just run a big circle through the defense? Is our depth causing us some issues?

[Soonerjeepman]

yeah...announcers are suckin on Stlues tits...

course we can't defend a pick and roll to save your life...

they are hitting we aren't....I see some selfishness developing real quick when things are not going our way.

St louis changed their offense...pulling the bigs out to set high screens so our guards cannot switch...

[Soonerjeepman]

ugh...15 pt lead...fouls...one and done shots....individuals taking shots after one pass...

[oumartin]

I'm just chalking this one up to a bad night and still learning to do things Lons way.. It'll get better

[Blue]

I'm just chalking this one up to a bad night and still learning to do things Lons way.. It'll get better

Now thats the spirit! 4-1 with some winnable games coming up. Much better than I expected three days ago.

[Eielson]

It's nice to see Clark putting together a solid game, but unfortunately it seems to be Clark and Osby out there by themselves on offense. Just about everybody else has become transparent out there. Very disappointing night for Newell and Grooms. Hopefully it's just a one night thing.

[Soonerjeepman]

Now thats the spirit! 4-1 with some winnable games coming up. Much better than I expected three days ago.

yup

[Eielson]

Well, St. Louis is good, but I would have liked to have been more competitive than this. Our conference games should be watchable, but if we don't get better, we'll most likely lose more than we win.

[OU_Sooners75]

Well, St. Louis is good, but I would have liked to have been more competitive than this. Our conference games should be watchable, but if we don't get better, we'll most likely lose more than we win.

Hopefully we do not regress. Our season is only 5 games old...surely they get better the more and more they learn Lon's way of doing things.

Look at the future...Lon's ex team just beat the #1 team convincingly!

[SoonerMarkVA]

STL offense was run really well--just a constant barrage of pick-and-rolls. That and they ended up extremely hot shooting, no doubt aided by getting lots of uncontested looks. I think it's good to get our feet to the fire early like this. If the improvement from Idaho St. to Coppin is any indication, I expect to see Kruger get a lot of teachable opportunities out of this game before the next.

Also, they seemed to shut down Grooms pretty good. I had already felt he was the key to our success, and tonight's game does nothing to change my mind on that. He's going to have to be able to penetrate effectively against better defenses for us to be successful. We need those assists he's been dishing out.

Hard to believe this is the same team I watched against Idaho St. Really, amazing improvement. I can't wait to see how high Kruger can take them.

[Soonerjeepman]

maybe I am wrong but I saw a lot of selfish play....lots of 1 pass and then a shot. HOPEFULLY Krug can get them to buy in....can still be a successful season.

[hawaii 5-0]

Good hustle and 3 pointers and Caulkin playing lights out + OU poor shot selection = loss.

I see a lot of potential with the Sooners.

5-0

[hawaii 5-0]

Could someone of knowledge please explain the new charge arc under the basket?

Mahalo, 5-0

[Blue]

Could someone of knowledge please explain the new charge arc under the basket?

Mahalo, 5-0

Hopefully that was just exibition/tourney rules

[Serge Ibaka]

Could someone of knowledge please explain the new charge arc under the basket?

Mahalo, 5-0

NCAA adopted the NBA's arc this season.

A player cannot draw a charge unless both feet are completely set outside of that arc (so they cannot be beneath the basket). If there is contact while the defensive player is in the arc, it will either be a blocking-foul or a no-call (depending). I think that it's a good addition.

Is this what you meant? I feel like I might have misunderstood the question.

[StoopTroup]

Hate seeing Lon drop that one. St. Louis played really well. I thought Lon was gonna keep it close and try to make a move towards the end. Not in the cards tonight. Hopefully they will go over the mistakes and continue to improve. Losing Early in a Tournament Championship can sometimes get a Team ready for the tough games you will face in Conference Play. I sure hope to see us way above the .500 mark this year.

[yankee]

Bad night of hoops. There will be more of these, but if you told me that OU would go 2-1 in this tournament and reach the Championship game before this tournament, I would be ecstatic. Proud of the guys. Lots of good things happened, and lots of things to work on over the next few weeks before conference play begins.

[Sooner95]

I am coming away from the Holiday tourney very satisfied. We played pretty well out there, and just ran into a better team last night.

No worries. I'll take a 4-1 start with 5 of our next 7 games before the New year being very winnable.

[GrapevineSooner]

I'm tired of my teams losing to Saint Louis in Championship Games/Series.

[Boomer.....]

Tough loss to a good team. Overall this tournament was a huge success and shows that we are moving in the right direction. Keep it up Lon!

[ouflak]

Interesting to see how many open shots our players seem to make for themselves (atleast for the first 2/3 of the game until my recording died). If we had hit just a half of those, the game would have been considerably more competitive throughout.

[hawaii 5-0]

NCAA adopted the NBA's arc this season.

A player cannot draw a charge unless both feet are completely set outside of that arc (so they cannot be beneath the basket). If there is contact while the defensive player is in the arc, it will either be a blocking-foul or a no-call (depending). I think that it's a good addition.

Is this what you meant? I feel like I might have misunderstood the question.


That was the explanation I was looking for.

Mahalo, 5-0

[SoonerMarkVA]

Interesting to see how many open shots our players seem to make for themselves (atleast for the first 2/3 of the game until my recording died). If we had hit just a half of those, the game would have been considerably more competitive throughout.

Yeah, our shooting definitely looked off. Just have to up the defensive effort when the ball isn't going in, and give props to Majerus. His offense was very effective, and run very well. They almost had that "Princeton effect" because of how precisely they were operating on the offensive end.

[S.PadreIsl.Sooner]

I liked what I saw. Big Time!!!

I see lots of room for improvement as well. I think this team can make some real noise!

I'm looking forward to watching.

[TopDog8025]

My recap to the game as always. Sorry for the delay, had to be up early Monday, and did not have time to finish the piece. http://isportsweb.com/2011/11/28/saint-louis-shoots-past-sooners-8363/

[C&CDean]

The Bumpkins shot the ever lovin' **** outta the 3's in the second half. Game, set, match. That's the story.

[soonervegas]

Can we go 2-1 against Arky, Houston, and Cincy?

If we do that and hold court at home against lesser opponents we would end non-conference play at 10-2.

I will be right on target with my preseaon prediction. (see mens full hoop schedule thread)...but I am actually thinking of bumpging them a game in conference. I had them at 7-11, but I think we are going to be a tougher out at home than I gave us credit for. 8-10 sounds more realistic. A 18-12 record for Kruger's 1st year would be very satisfying.....and a probably NIT bid.

[Soonerjeepman]

That was the explanation I was looking for.

Mahalo, 5-0

NCAA adopted the rule but the line is closer to the basket than in the NBA...hence the 2 lines..

[Sooner95]

Can we go 2-1 against Arky, Houston, and Cincy?

If we do that and hold court at home against lesser opponents we would end non-conference play at 10-2.

I will be right on target with my preseaon prediction. (see mens full hoop schedule thread)...but I am actually thinking of bumpging them a game in conference. I had them at 7-11, but I think we are going to be a tougher out at home than I gave us credit for. 8-10 sounds more realistic. A 18-12 record for Kruger's 1st year would be very satisfying.....and a probably NIT bid.



Winning at Cincy will be a tough one. I don't know what Houston has, they probably run and gun a bit. We owe Arkansas one. 2-1 is not out of the realm.

Not sure what to make of the Big12 yet, it would seem KU is down a bit, and Mizzou is pretty good. Those 9 road games will be tough.

[Bourbon St Sooner]

Presbyterian and Marshall have already beaten Cincy. That doesn't mean that we're going to do it, but this doesn't seem to be one of Cincy's better teams.