This Ain’t Your Ordinary Basketball Game…

Army’s “Black Knight” is in town to take on the Fighting DeChellises in an honor du-el to the death.  Apparently, he’s pissed at the fact that somebody on the team was flirting with his “trophy wench.”  Unfortunately, our best jouster on the team is Stanley Pringle and he happens to be doubtful for tonight after an ankle injury against Temple.

As a result, the line on this duel has gone from (-10) in favor of PSU to (+5).  Let’s hope that Talor Battle is honing his jousting/swordplay skills as I type this because we’re gonna need it.

Tipoff is at 7 PM ET tonight on ESPNU for the 100 or so people in the country that actually receive the channel.

Talk About “S**tting The Bed”

How best to describe the Fighting DeChellises’ inexplicable letdown against Temple? As Dr. Cosby himself would put it, it was a bunch of filth, flarn, flarn, filth.

I should’ve known better than to have faith in this team being able to turn the corner coming off of a big road win. This one falls on ED as well as the players for coming into this game unprepared and out of sync in front of a crowd expecting big things. If you think these type of craptastic performances are going to go away when the Big Ten slate hits us, then I’ve got Eskimo villages in New York City to sell to you…

There’s barely a semblance of an inside game, particularly on the defensive end, and the backcourt becomes a hell of a lot weaker without Stanley Pringle in there.  Danny Morrissey is a streaky shooter whose performance depends on how many wide open looks he get, and tonight he got zero because Temple’s strategy involved locking down on him and rendering him useless.

This brings me to my next question, why is ED so reluctant to go to his bench when the situation is dire?  Could Woodyard and Babb done any worse out there?  If he’s actually relying on a 7-man rotation to carry him through the season then we’re in deeper shit than initially thought.

Garbage like this has become an all-too-familiar sight under ED and today’s game was yet another painful, glaring, piece of evidence as to why he’s not the man to take PSU basketball to the next level.

“Bill Cosby U” Invades the Jordan Center

Today’s Formidable Opponent: Temple University (3-3)

Location, Location, Location: The Bryce Jordan Center

Time: 6 PM ET

Television: The Big Ten Network.

Weather: Indoors

Brief Synopsis: Temple’s been off to a rough start, losing to two MAC teams (including a 16-point loss at home to Miami of Ohio) and certainly does not look like the team that ran the table in the Atlantic 10 tournament last year to clinch an automatic NCAA Tournament bid.

Dionte Christmas leads the charge with his 21.8 ppg and 7.5 rpg.  He’s Temple’s “do-everything” type of player and perhaps part of Temple’s problem is they rely on him a little too much, despite the fact two other players Ryan Brooks and Sergio Olmos are currently averaging 12 ppg.  Olmos is 7 feet tall but somehow only pulls down 3.5 rebounds a game, sounds a lot like the many 7-footers that have graced the PSU starting lineup in the past, look for him to get abused by Cornley and DJ down low.

Looking at tempo-free stats provided by Crispin and Cream, We’re a better rebounding team, hang onto the ball much better, and are more efficient offensively and defensively given the average number of possessions each team has had in a game this season.  Did I also mention that Temple can’t shoot free throws either?  That’s right, they’re currently putting up a paltry 68% as a team. Combine all this with the fact that the game is at home in the BJC and PSU is coming off a critical, momentum-boosting win at Georgia Tech and you would have to consider a Temple victory to be an “upset.”

Oddsmakers seem to feel the same way, as PSU appears to be about a 6.5 point favorite. Crispin and Cream is predicting a thorough whooping by the Fighting DeChellises of the double-digit variety (16 points). Yours Truly also likes the good guys to cover the spread.  As for my buddy John, we’re still awaiting word from him but will have it up soon. John texted his prediction to me a while back and is following suit with C&C and I in picking PSU to cover the spread.

As far as “Contest” results go: Yours Truly is once again the sole possessor of first place, thanks to predicting PSU to beat the spread against Georgia Tech.  John has also vaulted into a tie with C&C due to following my lead.

HHV 4-1

C&C 3-2

John 3-2

Ramblin’ Wrecked!

Despite the Fighting DeChellises’ best effort to choke away yet another game due to craptastic free-throw shooting in the clutch, Georgia Tech was unable to capitalize and fell victim to a solid 38 minutes of basketball courtesy of Penn State…Don’t get me wrong here, I’m psyched that we once again held up our end of the Big Ten-ACC bargain (even though for the 10th straight year the Big Ten as a whole failed to do so) but can we for once close out an opponent in seamless fashion?

Some positives:

• Talor Battle didn’t shoot particularly well most of the game, but still found other ways to contribute by distributing 7 assists to go along with his eventual 18 points.  That’s great thing about Talor, he always finds ways to make himself relevant to the cause no matter how much of an off-night he may be having
• The real star of the game though has to be Stanley Pringle, with his 22 points along with his 4 steals, but most importantly he seemed to come up with a clutch basket whenever we needed it most.  It seemed like Tech underestimated his quickness, as several times he drove past everybody for an easy bucket.  Heck, it seemed like one of the plays Ed DeChellis drew up out of the timeout involved everyone else getting the hell out of Stanley’s way and letting him create something.  Additionally, Pringle hit our only made free throws in the final minute, which made all the difference in the end.
• Danny Morrissey seemed to be a big momentum-killer for Tech as every time Tech would cut the defecit down to a couple points, Danny would knock down a trey to silence the crowd.  His 13 points on 3-for-5 shooting from downtown tell the story.

On the negative side:

• The interior defense was absolutely nowhere to be found.  Georgia Tech’s Gani Lawal pretty much did whatever he wanted to down low, garnering 34 points and 11 rebounds.  I lost count of how many easy dunks/layups Tech was able to get on us, particularly in the transition game.
• Free throw shooting was actually pretty decent before the disastrous final couple of minutes.  I don’t know what it is that creeps into the players’ heads when they’re shooting critical free throws but they need to reach a mental state where free throws are just a routine thing.
• What the HELL was DJ thinking not going for the easy layup late in the game and pulling the ball out instead?  Even if he hadn’t missed the front end of the one-in-one free throw that followed, I still would be harping on him for it.  If a basket is there for the taking, by all means TAKE IT!
• The seven-man rotation worked this time, but I sure hope Ed is still not relying on it come Big Ten season.

Again, while the ending was way more nerve-racking than it should’ve been, this is nonetheless a huge win for the team.  A victory on Saturday against Temple at the BJC followed by beating the remaining cupcakes on the non-conference schedule will have us going into the Big Ten slate with a 12-1 record.  Seriously, when’s the last time that happened?  If we can go at least 9-9 in the Big Ten from there, it will lead to serious talk about a possible NCAA Tournament bid for the first time since the Crispin brothers were ripping the nets.

In the meantime however, plenty of work needs to be done defensively and at the charity stripe in order to make such a dream a reality…

PSU v. Ga Tech = Big 10-ACC Challenge/Rudolph Extravaganza

This is the time of year where I wish my TV had Picture-In-Picture capability.  You see, PSU’s hoops squad will tip off against Georgia Tech tonight @ 7:30 PM ET on ESPN2, which will be shortly followed by CBS’s annual airing of Rudolph at 8 PM ET…At least there’s a guarantee that one of those viewings will be a pleasant one.  And in case any of you were about to ask: No, there will not be another running diary on Rudolph.  Trust me, doing it once was good enough.

As you all know, the Fighting DeChellises are taking part in the 10th annual “ACC/Big Ten Challenge” which has been anything but a challenge for the ACC, being that they’ve won this fake Land Grant Trophy-quality contest every year since its inception.  Even though this year’s series is tied at 3 games apiece, Indiana and Michigan State have to go up against Wake Forest and UNC respectively so yeah, go ahead and mark those in the “loss” column for the Big Ten.  This means that barring any shockers by IU or MSU, it’s up to PSU, Northwestern (home against Florida State), and Michigan (@ Maryland) to pick up the slack and carry the Big Ten out on top for the first time ever…Seriously, this thing should be banished to the “Island of Misfit Tournaments.”

Action shot from a previous Big Ten/ACC Challenge

Taking a quick look at Georgia Tech, it appears as if they do the bulk of their scoring in the frontcourt as three of their four double-digit scorers are forwards.  Gani Lawal leads the way for the aforementioned frontcourt, averaging a double-double thus far (19.3 ppg, 11.5 rpg).  The backcourt, while depleted by the losses of D’Andre Bell (spinal stenosis) and Lewis Clinch (academic struggles) still features quality players such as Iman Shumpert (the other double-digit scorer) and Maurice Miller (team leader in assists, 6.7 apg).     For once in my life though, I have the dubious distinction of favoring PSU’s backcourt over an ACC team’s backcourt…strange indeed.

As far as the other major concern with any PSU opponent, perimeter shooting: Georgia Tech surprisingly struggles in this category, shooting a combined 14/43 from behind the arc for a whopping 32.9 percent.  Lance Storrs is the team’s most dangerous shooter, going 5/10 from downtown.  Being that Tech’s already played four games, this seems to indicate that Storrs is simply one of those bench players that you bring in for a few minutes if you need to launch a few 3-point torpedos in order to get an offensive spark going.  Then again, how many times have we seen a supposedly lousy 3-point shooting team suddenly catch fire against us?  Let’s just move on…

Georgia Tech also loves to play up-tempo, as evidenced by their being ranked 4th in tempo/pace according to Ken Pomeroy. Being that Ed DeChellis allegedly favors an up-tempo style as well, this should make for an entertaining game that could end up resembling a track meet of sorts.  PSU should be able to hold pace throughout the game and make sure it doesn’t get out of hand.

The line is currently -8.5 in favor of Georgia Tech, which sounds about right.  Tech’s playing at home and most importantly, have a far superior frontcourt which could offset their weaker backcourt, not to mention the fact that PSU also has issues playing in big road games.  If the Fighting DeChellises are going to have any hope of pulling the upset, then Talor Battle needs to put up another near-triple double performance, Pringle and Morrissey need to shoot lights-out and play solid defense, and somebody other than Cornley and DJ has to step up in the frontcourt. Andrew Jones putting on a repeat performance of his 13-rebound game against Towson would certainly be a place to start, Jeff Brooks making a cameo apperance would also be nice.

Crispin and Cream doesn’t see tonight being such a “Holly Jolly” evening, as he’s picking Georgia Tech to cover the spread with a 9-point win.  My advice to him is to just switch over to Rudolph after 8 PM, because while PSU will likely hang around in this one and tickle our fancies by being a couple shots away from taking the lead, I just don’t see them getting over the hump (i.e. making that key defensive stop).  I will however, take PSU to beat the spread and say Tech wins by 7.  John will reluctantly do the same.

Thanksgiving Weekend Bullet-Points

So yeah, the blogging has been rather sporadic as of late.  You can blame it on the turkey, blame it on the fact that I was down in Maryland for the past few days with relatives and thus had no time for relevant blogging, blame it on terrorism being back in the front page of the news, whatever.  Bottom line: I need to make some of it up and what better way to do so than to revive an HHV favorite, the “bullet points?”  Here goes nothing…

• I realize I have yet to put up my own post-game analysis on the football team’s beatdown of Michigan State, I’ll try my damndest to get it up either tomorrow or Monday.  Better late than never…
• Being that I was in Maryland and couldn’t find a link to a PSU radio broadcast, I was forced to read in-game threads on message boards in order to follow the Rhode Island game.  I never realized one could feel as much anticipation clicking on the “refresh” button on the web browser, waiting to read whether Pringle or Battle hit a potential game-tying shot as one could by just listening to it on the radio.
• I can’t say that I was shocked that we lost to URI, they’re a pretty solid team and we usually don’t fare favorably against such teams…particularly in neutral/road environments.  Don’t expect much against Georgia Tech this Wednesday.
• What the hell was ED thinking playing only 7 guys against URI?  Woodyard and Babb need to be thrown into the fire in order t get some quality PT before the Big Ten season.  Unless of course, ED plans on playing a 7-man rotation for the Big Ten slate, in which case we’re royally EFF-YOU-SEE-KAYED.
• On a positive note: I’m glad to see the Fighting DeChellises were able to get off the mat and bounce back with a 78-54 shellacking of Towson in the 3rd place game of the Philly Classic.  Just looking at the box score, it’s very encouraging to see AJ III with 13 rebounds (even if its against Towson) and Battle nearly racking up a triple-double (15 pts, 9 assists, 8 rebs).  If we can get that kind of performance on a few nights in the Big Ten, there could be a few upsets in store for us.
• Speaking of the Towson game: John and I conversed by cell phone before tipoff today, and we both picked PSU to cover the 7-point spread in their favor, along with Crispin and Cream.  So, the standings in our contest after two straight days of hoops action currently stand as such:

HHV 3-1

C&C 3-1

John 2-2

• My fingers are crossed that Oregon hangs on to its 20-point lead over Oregon State (currently in the 3rd quarter as I’m typing this entry) and helps secure an almost certain matchup in the Rose Bowl with USC.
• Speaking of USC, they currently lead 24-0 at the half as I’m typing this entry.  If ND can spring a little bit of offense, Charlie Weis has a very legit shot at beating the spread, and thus saving his job for the time being.

Alright, that’s it…Enjoy whatever’s left of your holiday.

Oh Yeah, There’s A Basketball Game Tonight…

The Rhode Island Rams are next up for the Fighting DeChellises in the semi-finals of the Philly Hoops Classic. Once again, PSU should have the mini-home court advantage with all the Philadelphia-area PSU fans showing up in droves.

Tipoff’s at 6:30 PM and allegedly is being covered on CN8 though that seems to be another bald-faced lie according to everyone who gets CN8. Looks like you’ll have to find a radio feed that does PSU basketball broadcasts and listen to Steve Jones and Dick Jerardi whisper sweet nothings into your ears again.

Sadly enough, I had to wake myself out of my turkey-induced stupor in order to remember all this. Taking a quick skim through Crispin and Cream’s preview though, it sounds like Rhode Island plays a very similar up-tempo style like us and enjoys scoring points in droves. They also don’t play much defense either. Jimmy Baron will likely put on a shooting clinic as well, being that he is 3rd in the NCAA in 3-pointers made thus far and PSU has never been known for playing good perimeter defense.

Remember folks, this is a Rhode Island team that led Duke for practically the entire game until the final minute before Duke (with some referee’s help most likely) put together a furious rally to win the game. They are a 1-point favorite according to the oddsmakers for quite possibly that aforementioned reason.

Crispin and Cream has seen too much heartbreak in the past to pick PSU for the “upset” but my buddy John and I drank too much Kool-Aid to know any better and thus, we’re both picking PSU to win.

Here’s the current standings in our “Contest” once again:

HHV 2-0

C&C 1-1

John 1-1

Happy Thanksgiving!

May you all feast upon your turkey like Jack Ham feasted upon opposing quarterbacks.

Also, thanks to Crispin and Cream for providing a quality recap of the PSU-Penn basketball game, so I don’t have to do it.

Welcome To The Palestra…

That lovely picture above is where the Fighting DeChellises will be spending their Thanksgiving holiday weekend as they take on Rhode Island on Friday and depending on the result of that game, face either Towson or Villanova on Saturday.

But first things, first:  There’s another team PSU is playing at the Palestra tonight and it’s against the ancient gym’s original occupants, the Penn Quakers.  Tipoff is at 7:30 PM ET and unfortunately, there’s no TV for this game which means you’re going to have to pretend it’s the 1940’s and all you have for electronic entertainment is the radio.  No worries though, Steve Jones and Dick Jerardi are a very solid play-by-play tandem.

Come, cozy yourself by the fire and enjoy another pleasant evening with Jones & Jerardi narrating another thrilling episode of "Captain ED and the Pirates of the Aimlessly Wandering Ship"

Don’t let their 1-2 record fool you: The Quakers should pose PSU’s toughest challenge to date, as they’ve held their own against stiff competition, coming up 2 points short against Drexel and losing to this year’s favorite to cut down the nets in April, UNC by merely 15.

According to the stats: It seems Penn’s got a formidable backcourt, led by Tyler Bernardini’s 20 ppg and 3.7 apg and Kevin Egee’s 14.3 ppg.  The aforementioned guards are also shooting above 40% from 3-point land, which certainly bodes well for PSU’s historically shaky perimeter defense. Forward Brennan Votel not only averages double-digits in scoring (12.7 ppg) but is also the second-leading rebounder at 5.7 rpg.

The line on this game is (-2) for PSU.  This might be a tad low, even though the Fighting DeChellises have wolfed down on four straight cupcakes to open the season and will face their first road test tonight.  The fact that there’s a line on this game also means that “The Contest” is back in session.  Here’s a recap of the standings thus far:

HHV 1-0

John  0-1 (aka the blog formerly known as “Rants From the District”)

Crispin and Cream 0-1

John and C&C both like PSU to cover that spread.  I agree with their picks, though I do think it’ll be a tight game tonight.  Give me the good guys over the elitist Ivy League douches by 5 points.

Penn State Basketball: A Happy Action Fun Time!

Alright, I admittedly did not watch the game against Hartford on Thursday because of work.  From what I have read though of other people’s post-game recaps it sounds as if our inside game was notoriously absent for a good portion of the game, while our three-point shooting (15 for 25) was a type of performance best saved for a team like say, Georgia Tech.

New Hampshire is the opponent today for the Fighting DeChellises.  Once again, there’s no line on this game which tells you just how crappy the opposition is.  New Hampshire’s lone game against a Division 1 opponent thus far ended up being a double-digit loss to Harvard so, yeah, I can’t blame Vegas for giving this one the cold shoulder.

Just taking a quick, half-assed look at their roster, their top four scorers are all guards which indicates that perimeter defense will be key to blowing these guys out of the water as expected.  Our athleticism in the backcourt should be the key here.

Tip off is at 2 PM ET and will be played in the friendly confines of the Bryce Jordan Center where an expected crowd of about 2,000 hung over football fans will be in attendance.  For the rest of you who plan to watch on TV, the Big Ten Network will be covering it.

And here’s a quick prediction for you: PSU by 25.