Blog # 50

My Beloved 95 Bloggees:

 

As we start the 50th blog of the season, I checked that 12 of you have endured all 50. I am not sure who is in more need of therapy, you 12 or me....probably all of us. Our passion for college basketball does make us do some crazy things....like writing and reading blogs about the game we love. NEXT

 

 

 

 

If you continue to play games at an antiquated facility, you better win there. Well, after Tuesday night's  60 - 51 home loss to Tennessee http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201102220615 , Vanderbilt might be having some architects visit today. The 'Dores collapsed in the last 13 minutes, outscored 29 - 9 by the Vols who had 15 steals during the game. It reminds me of ESPN Jimmy Dykes who would say "Vanderbilt's players need to protect the ball like it was their kid sister at a fraternity party."

 

Gator fans loved the upset stretching its SEC lead to 3 games in the loss column over three teams, with 4 games remaining. Florida plays two of those teams on the road, Kentucky and Vanderbilt and the other team, Georgia, at home. In between, the Gators host SEC West Champ, Alabama, next Tuesday. These next two weeks will be interesting, no doubt. NEXT

 

 

 

 

 

A few blogs ago I mentioned the recent shooting woes of South Carolina's freshman point guard Bruce Ellington. His massive slump has continued as he shot 1 for 11 (1 for 9 from the arc)  at Kentucky on Saturday and 3 for 11 (0 for 5 from the arc) Tuesday night against Ole Miss. So, in his last 10 games he has shot 37 for 141 or 26.2 % and 14 for 76 or 18.4 % from deep  http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/players/97663 . It is no wonder the Gamecocks have dropped to the SEC East cellar when a player has such a low percentage while still taking a bunch of shots. Devan Downey, they miss you in Columbia. NEXT

 

 

 

 

 

Free Throw Sensations   The Gamecocks and Sam Muldrow's double-double (23 points and 10 rebounds) defeated Ole Miss on Tuesday in spite of Ellington's shooting and  33 points from the Rebels' Chris Warren. The Ole Miss point guard was 7 for 7 from the line giving him a season total of 139 for 147 or 94.6% !  He now leads Division I (men and women) finally surpassing Samford's Emily London. 

 

Since we last reported, Emily went a mortal 7 for 9 from the stripe during Saturday's regionally televised 83 - 80 win at Elon (she scored 33 points)  http://samfordsports.cstv.com/sports/w-baskbl/stats/2010-2011/sam0219.html  and a more London-like 6 for 6 on Monday in the 59 - 52 win at UNC Greensboro http://samfordsports.cstv.com/sports/w-baskbl/stats/2010-2011/sam0221.html . She still leads all Division I women with 93.2 % on 96 for 103 !  Kyle Macy, her free throw mentor, should be proud!   NEXT

 

 

 

 

 

Tuesday night was not a good night for Gator transfers. Jai Lucas, who now attends my grad school alma mater, University of Texas, found himself with more playing time in the Longhorns 76 - 53 rout of Iowa State (coached by the "Mayor", and former Cyclone star Fred Hoiberg) http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201102220585 . In his 12 minutes, he took 7 shots and sank just 1 of them.  Jai, I encourage you to study hard at 40 Acres http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/40_acres_university_of_texas_at_austin/ and get your degree.

 

Jonathan Mitchell and his Rutgers Scarlet Knights did a BB (Barry's Blog) no-no on Tuesday night by scoring less than a point a minute in its home 55 - 37 loss to Louisville http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201102220492 . Mitchell contributed to the low offensive output with 4 points on 2 for 8 shooting in 28 minutes.

 

A few years back, I met the brother of a friend from Atlanta and he had just broken up with Miss Universe. Can you imagine that? Well that is what I think when I hear of someone transferring from the University of Florida....the Miss Universe of colleges. I can see alumni bloggees nodding their heads, especially thinking about springtime in that paradise (almost sounds like a Jimmy Buffet song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBsPZV14I-k ) . NEXT

 

 

 

 

I have decided to change the All-BB team to only include mid-major players to give them the recognition they so richly deserve and to help bloggees when considering upsets in their brackets:

 

 

 

Enjoy....Joakim Noah is finally returning to the Chicago Bulls this evening...basketball Iron Bowl tonight in Tuscaloosa....tomorrow night is the basketball Cocktail Party in Gainesville at 6:00 pm CST on ESPN2,

 

 

 

Barry

 

Kenneth Faried - Morehead State http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/players/73970

 

Tu Holloway - Xavier  http://www.blogger.com/ - On Tuesday night, although he shot 2 for 6 from the field, he was 2 for 4 from three-land, 6 for 6 from the charity stripe for 12 points, dished out 15 assists and just missed a triple-double with 9 rebounds in the 100 - 62 walloping of LaSalle.

 

Frank Hassell - Old Dominion  http://www.blogger.com/

 

Noah Dahlman - Wofford  http://www.blogger.com/

 

Andrew Goudelock - College of Charleston http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/players/73564  THAT'S IT