Potential Matchups

[MeanGreenTexan]

Looking at most bracket projections, Kansas/Syracuse/Kentucky are all pretty much a done deal for 1 seeds. As pointed out by TTG, we will not be a 16 seed, so no need in worrying about facing any of them. The other 1 seed is up for debate and I included teams that are generally considered in the 2-4 seed range as potential opponents:

Team (rank)(record)

Duke(4)(26-5)

Ohio State(5)(24-7)

Purdue(6)(26-4)

West Virginia(7)(24-6)

New Mexico(8)(28-3)

Kansas State(9)(24-6)

Villanova(10)(24-6)

Michigan State(11)(24-7)

Wisconsin(13)(23-7)

BYU(14)(28-4)

Tennessee(15)(23-7)

Pittsburgh(16)(24-7)

Temple(17)(25-5)

Maryland(19)(23-7)

Vanderbilt(20)(23-7)

Baylor(21)(24-6)

Texas A&M(23)(22-8)

Out of these teams, which one would you rather see as the #2 or #3 seed that UNT opens with?

I think I'd like to see BYU. They have not beat a ranked team all year and have some losses to UNLV and Utah St.

I also wouldn't mind seeing a rematch with A&M. Our guys are a little more confident now. The first time we played them, we had JUST lost DJ and were still trying to find out how to replace his minutes...

[NT03]

This would be a great year to play some powerhouses like : UCLA,Indy,UNC,OU

Give me Temple , a team that is not very deep at all. Here's how we would D up

G : Luis Guzman 6'3 4.9 ppg vs Josh White. Size wouldn't be a factor as Guzman is not a scorer. Think a lesser Ben Bell

G: Juan Fernadez 6'4 12.2 ppg vs TT. Very similar players , both lean bodies who shoot the trey. I'd take my chances with TT

G : Ryan Brooks 6'4 senior avgs14.5 ppg vs Shannon Shorter. Brooks would have to be stopped , but he can get streaky and I think Shorter would do a good job on him

F : Lavoy Allen 6'8 11.7ppg/10.8 rpg vs ET. Would be a great matchup

F : Michael Eric 6'11 5.8 ppg. Anyone with 2 first names is gay anyways. Big yes , but has had 18 games this season with 5 or less points , nothing Big George couldn't handle. Allen vs ET could be a wash , but George vs Eric would give us the edge in the paint. Plus he missed a few games this season w/ an injury

Bench is very untested :

G Ramone Moore : good 6th man , avg 7.6 ppg in only 17 min of action

G DiLeo : freshman guard who only gets about 6 min a game

F Jefferson : a true freshman playing about 16 min a game

G Randall : 14 minutes last 4 games

G Wyatt : doesn't play. Most minutes in a game , 4 vs KU

G Godino : does not play

F Williams Big boy has only gotten 9 min in last 8 games

F DeLeon : only 13 min all season

F Clark : Does not play

We get to the line better than anyone. We matchup well and if we force their hand to go to the bench early I'd say we could knock them off and I wouldn't even consider it a major upset

Edited March 11, 2010 by NT03

[Green P1]

West Virginia or Ohio St.

[MeanGreen61]

Green Gang possible matchups

http://www.meangreensports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?&ATCLID=204905717&DB_OEM_ID=1800

[NT03]

If Cuse happens to fall to a 2 seed , I'd glady take them on as a 15 seed. They are down to about 6 players. Looks like Onuako has an ACL injury

[MEANGREENMAN!]

If Cuse happens to fall to a 2 seed , I'd glady take them on as a 15 seed. They are down to about 6 players. Looks like Onuako has an ACL injury

I could not agree more. Syracuse and Purdue both have very short benches and given our ability to get players into foul trouble I think we could pull it off against those teams.

[Censored by Laurie]

Ummm...sorry, but I want no part of a Jim Boeheim post-season team...and I especially want no part of a Jim Boeheim 2-3 zone.

Bring on anyone from the Big 10.

[TheTastyGreek]

Ummm...sorry, but I want no part of a Jim Boeheim post-season team...and I especially want no part of a Jim Boeheim 2-3 zone.

Agreed.

In fact, I'll go one further and say I'd hate to have to play any team from the Big East.

[Censored by Laurie]

Agreed.

In fact, I'll go one further and say I'd hate to have to play any team from the Big East.

Agreed...but if we do have to play a Big East squad, bring on Villanova. Not a very big team and I'll take our chances in a shootout. Very similar to our match-up with Memphis in '07.

[NT03]

LeMoyne says the MeanGreen would have a shot at knocking off the Orange

Also Mr Boeheim has been knocked out of the 1st round in 2 of his last 3 visits

Edited March 11, 2010 by NT03

[MeanGreenTexan]

Agreed.

In fact, I'll go one further and say I'd hate to have to play any team from the Big East.

I agree with avoiding any big east team... but I wouldn't be excited about a big10 team either.

What about the New Mexico team: Are they really that strong?

And NT03 pointed out our matchups with Temple, which could be favorable.

[MEANGREENMAN!]

For a full strength team, yes I would want to avoid 'Cuse like the plague. The biggest advantage we had in the Belt was our ability to dominate the glass with George and Eric. That advantage is completely neutralized when we play big, strong highly ranked teams. Yes the starting 5 for Syracuse is really very good and Rautins can catch fire from three at any time but our biggest weapon in this tournament is going to be the ability to get to the line and have the other team's best players on the bench. If I was asked if I would rather play a fully staffed KSU team or a fully staffed Syracuse team I would take Kansas State every time but this injury situation makes the match up MUCH MUCH more appealing to me.

[Censored by Laurie]

I agree with avoiding any big east team... but I wouldn't be excited about a big10 team either.

What about the New Mexico team: Are they really that strong?

And NT03 pointed out our matchups with Temple, which could be favorable.

In terms of the teams we may face, I'm not frightened by any Big 10 roster...I don't want to play Michigan State b/c of the intangible known as Tom Izzo.

New Mexico can play...Temple won't be seeded high enough for us to match-up.

[Censored by Laurie]

For a full strength team, yes I would want to avoid 'Cuse like the plague. The biggest advantage we had in the Belt was our ability to dominate the glass with George and Eric. That advantage is completely neutralized when we play big, strong highly ranked teams. Yes the starting 5 for Syracuse is really very good and Rautins can catch fire from three at any time but our biggest weapon in this tournament is going to be the ability to get to the line and have the other team's best players on the bench. If I was asked if I would rather play a fully staffed KSU team or a fully staffed Syracuse team I would take Kansas State every time but this injury situation makes the match up MUCH MUCH more appealing to me.

This. No doubt this is what I want to see

[NT03]

In terms of the teams we may face, I'm not frightened by any Big 10 roster...I don't want to play Michigan State b/c of the intangible known as Tom Izzo.

New Mexico can play...Temple won't be seeded high enough for us to match-up.

Yup , New Mexico beat up the same a&m team that took care of us.

As far as Temple , no way we get them , but I can dream. I see the Owls maybe getting a 5-6 seed.

* This is so much more fun than debating possible CBI bids !!

Edited March 11, 2010 by NT03

[TheTastyGreek]

I agree with avoiding any big east team... but I wouldn't be excited about a big10 team either.

What about the New Mexico team: Are they really that strong?

And NT03 pointed out our matchups with Temple, which could be favorable.

Here's why, as a general rule, a Big 10 team would probably be our best matchup.

We have two big advantages over most of the teams we've played, and they form the core of our strength: 1) Great athleticism and 2) Solid depth.

Against our league and many of our OOC foes, they can't run the floor with us and match our pace. I'm not saying we're Loyola Marymount or D'Antoni's Phoenix Suns or anything... But we do score well and we average a lot of possessions. And our depth allows us (especially earlier in the season) to push our advantage during substitutions, as our backups tend to be better than the reserves of our opponents.

But we're not going to out-athlete a Big East or a Big 12 team. And our reserves, if we get back to relying on them (which I doubt we will in a perpetual elimination situation), aren't going to be an asset against teams like Kansas State. Remember, THEIR bench guys are the George Odufuwas and Keith Woodens that wind up as our frontline stars if/when they decide to transfer for the opportunity to start.

We're not going to out-athlete a Big 10 team, either... But their style of basketball gives us as good a shot at an upset as we can possibly hope for. That conference tends to play a more methodical, less up-tempo style that Quoner likes to call "Trashketball". Think UALR's grinderball style, but more efficient and with better players. Grabby, violent defense. Slow, methodical possessions that try to get high percentage shots. If you remember Wisconsin making a surprise Final Four run in the early 2000's under Dicky Bennett, I think they actually won a game or two in the NCAA tournament with scores in the 40s and 50s. My dad (who got familiar with Bennett during Bennett's time coaching high school basketball in Wisconsin) called it "Bennett Ball", and it was soul crushing to have to watch.

It's not to say that Big 10 teams aren't as good as the other conferences... Just that the general style of play from the Big 10 suits our strengths and weaknesses.

If you watched how Troy plays... Basically, stand and wait for pop-a-shot outside attempts or try to drive to the basket on offense, work the zone on defense... It's similar to what we might see against a Big 10 opponent. If we can start well, we can use that same slow down approach to hold an advantage and work the clock like we did against the Trojans. Playing Denver and Troy back to back, and handling both games quite well, sets us up nicely for a traditional Big 10 style.

Think of it this way: To put it in terms that the football folks will immediately grasp... We're not going to win against a team that gets in a shootout with us. That's what we're in for against a Big 12 or Big East squad. But if we get a Big 10 team, they basically play the Power Conference basketball equivalent of Darrell Dickeyball. They're already slowing the game down for us, and limiting their own opportunities to push the game out of reach. If we play well and repeat the things that allowed us to win against the tournament opponents we just beat (at a higher level, obviously), then we've got a shot.

No matter who we play from a 14 or 15 slot, the odds are slim and we're going to have to catch a team playing at less than their best just to have a shot. They have to make mistakes, we need to execute brilliantly, and we'll have to get a little lucky.

[foutsrouts]

As far as Big 12 is concerned, K. State and Aggies yes, Baylor NO! Their combination of size and athleticism would be hard to deal with.

[foutsrouts]

in terms of the teams we may face, I'm not frightened by any Big 10 roster...I don't want to play Michigan State b/c of the intangible known as Tom Izzo.

New Mexico can play...Temple won't be seeded high enough for us to match-up.

New Mexico can certainly play, buy they had a lot of trouble putting away a 1-15 cellar dweller Air Force team today. They are very much an Albuquerque "homer" team, and played 11 of their 15 non-conference games at home, including their close win over the Aggies. Since they have had trouble blowing away just about anyone on the road, I would definitely choose them as our opponent over the other alternatives. It's not easy to do, but shut down Darien Hobson and you shut down New Mexico.