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Top 25: The Week in Review & The Week Ahead

Gary Russell II — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 17:08:37 +0000

Another amazing week of college basketball is in the books and the season just keeps getting crazier. There were a total of 18 losses among the Top 25 teams. Some teams lost multiple times this week and there were some stunning upsets. The Miami Hurricanes absolutely embarrassed top ranked Duke 90-63, VCU spent a couple of weeks in the rankings only to lose both of their games week, and Syracuse and Louisville both lost to unranked opponents. All of this and we haven’t even talked about Louisville losing three in a row and Minnesota losing 4 consecutive games. Although nothing is certain in college basketball this year, one thing is for certain…….if it’s this crazy now, just wait to see what March Madness brings. Let’s breakdown this past week and look ahead to the future.

Here’s a look at the Top 25 Week Ahead and Week in Review

1. Duke … [Read More]

Top 25: The Week in Review & The Week Ahead

Gary Russell II — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 23:44:28 +0000

When it comes to the rankings this year I am reminded of a famous Beatles song. That song…..”Hello, Goodbye”. Teams that gain a specific ranking or jump into the Top 25 say “hello” to it just as quickly as they say “goodbye” to it. This week was no exception as I am still trying to catch my breath after it was all over. The remaining three undefeateds are no longer undefeated. North Carolina State picked up their signature win in handing Duke their first loss and should move up pretty nicely in the polls. Arizona lost their second……oops……their first game in a close game at Oregon. And, last but not least, the Buckeyes took care of business against Michigan at home. All in all, 9 of the Top 25 teams lost games this week, with a certain Big Ten Team (see below) not winning all week! When it’s all … [Read More]

Top 25: The Week in Review & The Week Ahead

Gary Russell II — Sun, 06 Jan 2013 20:30:35 +0000

Last week when I said we can get this party started, I had no idea the party would be quite like this. Most conferences opened up conference play (the SEC is a week behind) this past week and it was total mayhem! The Top 25 teams were all over the place this week. New Mexico was welcomed back in the rankings after beating Cincinnati only to work their way back out after losing to St. Louis. Two Top 25 teams failed to win a game this week. Arizona lost their first game of the year only to have the refs controversially waive off Colorado’s game winning basket. And we haven’t even spoken of the Big Ten yet. If the first week of the B1G schedule is any indication of what this season will be, all I can say it “we are in for bumpy ride”. I’m done ranting for now so let’s … [Read More]

Top 25: The Week in Review and The Week Ahead

Gary Russell II — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 19:03:34 +0000

Just because there wasn’t a bunch of action this week on the hardwood, doesn’t mean that there wasn’t anything interesting that happened. Two Top 10 teams fell, one undefeated team dropped their first game, and two new teams were welcomed to the party (Sorry New Mexico, your fall from the Top 25 will keep me from giving you any attention for beating someone….finally!). This week will feature the opening of conference schedules which include Top 25 matchups as well. With the conference play starting we can finally get this party started.

Here’s a look at the Top 25 Week Ahead and Week in Review.

1. Duke (12-0) Previous Rank: 1

Past Week: 12/29 Santa Clara, W 90-77

Upcoming: 1/2 @ Davidson & 1/5 Wake Forest

The Blue Devils pulled away from Santa Clara late and will open up ACC play this week against Wake Forest.

2. Michigan (13-0) … [Read More]

Duke Outlasts Ohio State 73-68

Eric — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 04:47:17 +0000

Participating in the ACC/B1G Challenge, the Buckeyes traveled for their first ever game at Cameron Indoor Stadium against the Duke Blue Devils. The result was the ultimate game of runs as Duke put together a long come-back in the second half to pick up the 73-68 win. DeShaun Thomas finished with only 16 points, his lowest scoring output of the season so far. He was joined in double digits by Lenzelle Smith and Aaron Craft with 11 a piece. Duke’s Mason Plumlee lead all scorers with 20 points and a ludicrous 17 rebounds, and was joined in the double digit club by Rasheed Sulaimon with 17, and Ryan Kelly with 15.

The Buckeyes dominated the first half, finishing with a 31-23 lead to go into intermission. That was made primarily possible by the total lack of scoring from Duke, caused at least in part by the excellent Buckeye defense in … [Read More]

BBN Basketball LiveBlog: Duke

Eric — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 22:30:14 +0000

The B1G went 4-2 in the B1G/ACC Challenge last night, and the B1G needs only to go 3-3 tonight for a win. Hopefully one of those wins comes for the Buckeyes as they take on the Duke Blue Devils

Joining us as usual – and special thanks to all of them for making these such a great success – are the other members of the Buckeye Blogger Network. Make sure to stop by their place and say, “hey”: Buckeye Ninja, Our Honor Defend, Men of the Scarlet and Gray, Buckeye Empire, Silver Bullet, The Buckeye Blog, Unscripted Ohio, and Fox Sports Ohio.

The Liveblog will tip around 9:00 PM EST, with the Basketball game starting at 9:30PM on ESPN.

Go Bucks!

Ohio State vs. Duke – Shootyhoops live chat… [Read More]

Pregame Glance: Duke Blue Devils

Eric — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 21:00:04 +0000

That favorite time of the year has returned, the annual duel known as the B1G/ACC challenge is upon us! As one of the top teams from last year’s Big Ten season, the Buckeyes redrew the Duke Blue Devils for their matchup. This time, though, the game will be played in the cozy*, friendly*, confines of Cameron Indoor. The rematch is on!

School:	Duke University
Location:	Durham, North Carolina
Founded:	1838
Student Population:	14,591
School Type:	Private
Division:	NCAA Division 1
Conference:	Atlantic Coast Conference
Stadium:	Cameron Indoor Stadium
Seating:	9,314
Opened:	1940
Head Coach:	Mike Krzyzewski
Experience	33rd Year

*Your actual experience as an opposing team may vary. Drastically.

Some interesting stats about Cameron Indoor stadium, since we’re on the subject, include the winning percentages for the Duke Blue Devils at that arena.

All Time: 771-150 (.837)
Coach Krzyzewski: 413-55 (.882)
Last 300 games: 271-29 (.903)

This is one of … [Read More]

Buckeye Basketball Breakdown: Exhaustion

Eric — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 15:00:34 +0000

After the November 29th game against the Buckeyes, Duke Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski discussed the reasons he believed lead to his team losing the game.

“I thought Ohio State played a great game against us. They were a fresher team; I thought our team played tired. They are very athletic, together and they played with a great verve. Obviously they are deserving of the win, but they were a lot fresher than we were. We could never get into the ballgame.”

So Krzyzewski believes that his team was tired after their three games in as many days against Tennessee, Michigan, and Kansas last week in the Maui Invitational. That’s certainly possible considering the quality of the teams, the rate they played the games, and the chance of jet lag.

But is there any way we could tell for certain if they actually were suffering from exhaustion? You’re probably thinking I … [Read More]