College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon Live Blog!!! Pt. 2

4:09: This game had a really weird vibe, as St. Mary's built a big lead early on and cruised around 15 points ahead the rest of the way. It kind of seemed like both teams packed it in early. Anyway, I'm going to watch some of the Hawaii-Idaho State game, but I'm calling it a night for the live-blog. I'll see you tomorrow at 10am, right here.

3:58: I am so sick of hearing people talk about how the new three point line is going to effect the game. Right now, everyone's answer is that it won't effect the best shooters but it will effect big man that only shoot 3's from right on the line. How many more times am I going to have to hear about this? Probably for at least the rest of the month during the pre-season tournament coverage.

3:46: Steven Bardo did his Final Four picks, and it was Louisville, UConn, Michigan State, and Oklahoma. All legitimate picks, but where is UNC? He keeps saying their defense is a question mark, but that same defense got them to a Final Four last year. And now everyone is a year older and a year better. I mean, UConn is pretty much the consensus #2 team, and they brought back everyone from a team that was a four seed and lost in the first round. And UNC was in the top 5 all year, made a Final Four, brings everyone back, and won't make a Final Four this year because of defense? I'm not sure how that makes sense. Defense is a determining factor for a team like St. Mary's, not a team as talented as UNC. I think the bigger issue will be dealing with Danny Green, Wayne Ellington, Ty Lawson, and Tyler Hansbrough, who are all headed for the league and, at least is the case with the first three, may feel like they have something to prove. More clearly, can Roy Williams handle the egos?

3:37: How good is the WCC this year? Are they better than C-USA? Gonzaga and Memphis - call it a wash. UAB and St. Mary's - I gotta go with St. Mary's. San Diego beat UConn and brought everyone back. Santa Clara is good. Portland beat Washington. This is as good as the WCC has ever been, and there are really going to be some battles. Another question. Who is the best PG in the WCC? Mills? Jeremy Pargo? Brandon Johnson at San Diego?

3:22: St. Mary's has a lot of talent, but their defense worries me. I mean, they are going to give up 80 to Fresno St. It seems like mostly a lack of focus - losing sight of your man, not locating in transition, letting people get into the lane. There's a couple things I think any team needs come tournament time - a good point guard, a go-to scorer, size, and a good defense. St. Mary's has all but one of those.

3:15: St. Mary's really does run a pretty fast break. But it isn't really a fast break. Their system is similar to UNC's in that they push the ball, but they don't necessarily look to score immediately and instead utilize a secondary break where they look for shooters spotting up or an easy dump down to Simpson or Samhan.

3:11: Fastest guys in college basketball - Ty Lawson, Darren Collison, Patty Mills.

2:48: St. Mary's is playing out of their minds right now. They are 7-12 from deep. They have 53 points with over two minutes left in the first half. One thing that has really impressed me with this team is how well they play together. Mills might be the best point guard in the country, but he doesn't need to run the point, especially on the break. The Gaels have 2 or 3 other guys that can lead the break or bring the ball up and get St. Mary's into their offense. They are also an unselfish team that makes the smart pass. The only issue that I have seen with them thus far is their defense - Fresno is getting was too many easy looks, especially in the paint. It seems like the Gaels have a tendency to lose track of their man, especially when there is penetration.

2:38: Mills has taken over. He's scored 9 of the last 12 Gaels points, he has 16 on the game, and he is doing it in a variety of ways. This kid is going to be a pro.

2:34: This St. Mary's team has looked pretty good in this first half. Obviously, they have Patty Mills, who is a helluva player. But they are really big, and not just big for the WCC. Diamon Simpson is a very good power forward and the all-time leading shotblocker at St. Mary's. Samhan and Ben Allen provide two big bodies on the block, and both are more-than-capable of playing at the big-time D1 level. With some shooters and solid role players surrounding those guys, St. Mary's has the look of a dangerous team come March.

2:29: Steven Bardo just said that Omar Samhan ran an 8:30 mile as a freshman, but now (as a junior) has cut that to a 5:30 mile. He mentioned that Samhan's work ethic and size is going to get him some looks from the league. Not sure about that, but the kid has turned himself into a solid college baller.

2:27: So the ESPN cameras just showed the crowd at St. Mary's, and there are maybe 2,000 people there, tops. And WOW, did those 2,000 people get lucky to see that dunk. Jesus. That was Paul George, a freshman on Fresno. That's definitely going to be on youtube tomorrow.

2:13: Jimmy Dykes is a much better color guy than I thought he was. He really knows his stuff and knows his x's-and-o's. And I am glad this game is finally over. I'm pretty excited to watch Patty Mills, Diamon Simpson, and St. Mary's.

2:11: Gaffney had 16, 19, and 4 blocks. Helluva game he played.

2:08: OK, so Memphis is up 25. Can they switch to St. Mary's now?

2:07: Memphis just pushed it to 20. This game looks like it is over. For better or for worse, Memphis was pretty much what I expected. Athletic, tough defense and an attacking offense that is always looking to go 1-on-1 without many jump shooters. UMass, however, I was pretty disappointed with. I was expecting a lot from them. Chris Lowe looked, well, bad. Ricky Harris did not play well. The only guy who I would say had a good game was Tony Gaffney, and he pretty much had the best game of his life (he averaged 3.2 ppg and 4.8 rpg). Regardless, Gaffney could play for me any time, any where. He bring so much energy and athleticism to the table.

1:55: Interesting fact: UMass and Memphis will be 1-1 against each other (assuming the score stays this way). Calipari was the winning coach in both games. How many guys can say that?

1:45: Memphis has opened up a 15 point lead (59-44) and the Minutemen look absolutely exhausted. Anderson just drove from the wing while three UMass players stood in the paint and watched him dunk.

1:42: This Memphis team has fielded some HUGE line-ups tonight. How about being a point guard and trying to break a press with this in front of you: Anderson (6'6"), Evans (6'6" with a 7'3" wingspan), Witherspoon (6'8"), Dozier (6'9"), and Taggart (6'9"). That's a lot of length.

1:38: I have really not been impressed by Tyreke Evans tonight. Yea, he does have 17 points, but remember that six of those came on 1-on-0 fast break dunks. He has a bunch of turnovers (I can remember at least five), and they've been travels, carries, and horrendous passes. He doesn't have good shot selection (although, to be fair, I think a lot of that is Coach Cal pushing Evans to become a go-to scorer). I have been impressed with Dozier and Anderson. They both look like they are going to become 15 ppg scorers.

1:26: Jimmy Dykes just said UMass is getting out-talented right now by Memphis. I don't think that is the case. UMass is playing really well, hustling everywhere, and playing good defense almost to a man, but their problem is that they are making terrible decisions on offense. Going 1-on-3 on a break. Driving into two big men and getting your shot blocked. Missing open three's. The problem isn't that UMass is getting out talented, it is that UMass is trying to do much. It seems like everyone on UMass is out the get theirs instead of making the extra pass or waiting on a break for the rest of the team to catch up. UMass needs to make better decisions if they want to make a comeback.

1:24: Tony Gaffney is everywhere right now. He is keeping balls alive on the offensive end, getting tough defensive rebounds, helping break the press, and he had one very loud block on Evans. He is long and athletic, and plays the Robert Dozier role for this UMass team.

1:13: A very uninspiring first half of action and, to be honest, I'm pretty disappointed with this game. I was expecting a battle of uptempo teams that pushed the ball and put up a bunch of points. Instead, we got a sloppy game full of turnovers (UMass had 15 turnovers and 25 points) and poor shooting. Maybe we should have seen this coming. The three most knowledgeable people when it comes to the dribble-drive motion offense are probably John Calipari, Derek Kellogg, and Vance Walberg (the founder of the offense and an assistant on UMass), and if anyone knows how to stop it, it is those three gentlemen. Another thing that I am surprised about is the lack of effective fast breaks. Both teams look like they are running just to run, instead of with a purpose and a structure.

But like I've said, the poor offense is also a result of some great defense being played and defensive schemes being put in place. Let's hope the second half is better.

12:48: More on Evans. Memphis really needs him to be a penetrator and creator this year. Look at the line-up now - Dozier, Anderson, Niles, Evans, and Wesley Witherspoon. Who else out there can slash to the basket? Dozier at times. Anderson, but he is most effective when he catches and makes a move as a defender is closing out as opposed to attacking off the dribble or off of a square up. Willie Kemp can't really attack. Neither can Doneal Mack, he's their shooter. Evans needs to be able to be a slasher a la Terrence Williams at Louisville. If he is, Memphis could be really good this year.

12:44: After a very shaky start, Tyreke Evans just scored 7 straight points, all in different ways - a steal and a dunk on a breakaway, a three pointer, and a tough drive through three guys for a lay-up. I wonder if the inconsistent play will be a trend, or if it will be just an early season thing.

12:35: The offense is starting to pick up a bit, but the defenses have both played great. UMass has been good because of their scouting report - Kellogg knows better than anyone how to fluster this Memphis team. But Memphis has looked great - the UMass guards are getting dogged on the perimeter. When they do drive, the Memphis help isn't coming from the same side, it is coming from the weak side in the form of Dozier and Taggart. They have a couple blocks at this point, but have changed many more shots. In general, defense clicks much earlier in the season than offense does. A team's offensive system is more of a constantly changing and evolving element, based on opponent's, who is playing well, etc. But defense is what a team like Memphis will hang their hat on.

12:33: Wow. They just said that Xavier Henry (top 5 recruit) will announce where he is going to school tomorrow during the games. Kansas or Memphis. His brother goes to Memphis, and I bet Xavier ends up there too.

12:28: Just popped beer #3, switched it up to the King of Beers. The Great American Lager. Yup, an ice, cold Bud. I could use some food too, getting pretty hungry.

12:24: Tyreke Evans has made a couple nice defensive plays, but he has mow missed two lay-ups he has to finish. And he just threw away a lob to Niles. Not a good showing thus far from the rookie.

12:22: UMass is really packing in their defense. No one on the court is a pure shooter for the Tigers, and no one is going to be able to penetrate unless UMass comes out and defends. The Minutemen are really blowing a great opportunity to build up a lead with Memphis playing so poorly. Tied up after a Niles free throw, 9-9.

12:18: Great point made by a friend of mine - Kellogg looks like a younger, taller Calipari. The best thing he learned from Cal was how to slick the hair back like that.

12:15: Neither team is looking too impressive right now. A lot of settling for jump shots, especially for Memphis. Sloppy play too. A bunch of turnovers (two carries already), missing open shots. At least UMass is attacking the rim a little bit. Still, nothing too impressive from either team. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and say that it is the late start time messing with them. 1st TV timeout and UMass is up 9-4.

12:09: Memphis has some sick jerseys on. White on the front, grey on the back.

12:07: Jimmy Dykes and Brad Nessler. Good announcing combination. But how do they make Chris Lowe the "star watch" player. Don't they know he had 10 turnovers the last time out?

12:05: One of the things I'm looking forward to the most this year is seeing Pierre Niles of Memphis in shape. The guy is a Big Baby clone - 6'8", built like a tank, but nimble and athletic. He lost a lot of weight this off-season, and should be ready to contribute.

11:55: Andy Katz just said that Jon Brockman is the best player in the Pac-10. I love Brockman, but how can you not pick James Harden? Whoever his partner is (Adrian something?) picked Harden, so I am hoping that the producers wanted them to pick different players. But Harden is a stud. Brockman is a tough guy that works his butt off and averages 17 and 11, but Harden averaged 18, 5, 3 asts, and 2 stls as a freshman in a Pac-10 that was as good as it has ever been, while playing in a system that slows the tempo. And it is more than just stats, Harden is simply a better all-around player. He can do more offensively, he plays multiple positions. Poor form Andy.