Texas vs Baylor Jinx, Tournament Seeding and the Bank of Antigua
by Barking Carnival Staff on Mar 14, 2009 11:28 AM CDT
in Texas Longhorns and Other Basketball
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PrintLet me start by thanking the General, srr50, and Mr. Africanus for the great hoops write ups. I'm pulling for the General to catch something down in Port Aransas this weekend. Preferably something that swims and doesn't require penicillin. Srr50, I hope Bill Little waxes rhapsodic in your back swing. For Scipio, I'll thank you by not mocking you for calling a charge in our pick up game.
Here are the General's tourney previews and post mortems:
Baylor Preview
Dexter Pittman is not a Scipio
Srr50's Tourney Hoops takes:
Srr50's gives the Aggies a Mike Singletary sized bird
Srr50's has a man crush on Dex Pittman
Scipio's takes:
I was able to watch all of 9 minutes of Texas' Big 12 tournament run. Not coincidentally, for that 9 minutes, Baylor outscored Texas by double digits, Dexter Pittman was shut out, and Curtis Jerrels outrebounded Dexter Pittman, Connor Atchley, and Damion James on a free throw that would have given the Horns a possession to tie or take the lead with less than 30 seconds to play. In gambling parlance, I am what they call a cooler, examples of which are legion. I predict a final four of UCONN, Wake, Duke, and Marquette and all four promptly lose in the same week. To add injury and insult to the thoroughness of my jinxing capabilities, Thabeet gets suplexed by Blair, Jeff Teague channels AJ Abrams, Nolan Smith gets benched, and Dominic James breaks his foot. Adding to the litany of examples, I text Scipio from the tarmac in New Orleans that Pittman will be a lottery pick, and Sexy Dexy gets neutralized by Josh Lomers and concussed by Tweety Carter. Texas' loss to the Bears for the first time this century is the cherry on top.
My powers are far reaching. Every Pittman should be worried.
So, my apologies for my death defying Richard Petty-esque dash home from Bush International Airport after stepping off of a flight that should have arrived two hours earlier. If I missed the remaining two tournament games, there's no doubt in my mind that Texas runs the table on its way to a 5 and possibly a 4 seed in the dance. As it stands now, it looks like the Horns will grab a 7 or 8 seed and get bounced in the first round by a team like Siena, Dayton, or Utah State. Unlike Texas, these teams aren't shackled by the labyrinthine oddities that are half court offense and shooting the basketball. Case in point was Barnes' desperate attempt to get more offense on the floor by inserting Harrison Smith to run the point with two minutes to go in the ballgame.
Is that what we've been reduced to as a basketball team?
Really?
Instead of having to watch Dogus Balbay pound the basketball into the floor for 30 seconds of each clutch-time shot clock hoping Abrams came free for a 3, we had to watch Harrison Smith do same. Seriously? But at least Harrison adds entertainment on the other end via the interpretive dance that is his understanding of traditional ball-you-man defensive principles. I can seriously picture Smith wearing a giant hat and a feathered boa when he's playing defense. But at least he could be competitive in a game of HORSE with anyone currently playing for Austin High .
It's been said ad infinitum, but manufacturing points, especially down the stretch, has confounded this team in most of its 11 losses. Sort of like pie in the sky investment opportunities and Ponzi schemes have confounded the American financial system for the last decade plus. Which brings me to my next point...
Common sense is good.
If someone is touting a financial instrument that sounds too good to be true in comparison to a financial instrument of a similar class or just compared to simple f'ng arithmetic, dot them in the eye without uttering a word. You'll be doing every person that believes in capitalism a favor. To that point, CD's paying 7%, purportedly FDIC insured, and issued by the Bank of Antigua should be viewed as shady at best. Sort of like negative amortization loans, bail outs, bank nationalization, and Sailer Ripley's bearer bonds. I'd like to take this opportunity to go double rods on the asshats that sold these CD's on steroids, and the morons that bought them. Thanks for costing me the ability to watch most of the Big 12 tournament. Pikers.
Hook 'em
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yeah, it seems that every game that’s close, AJ will either turn it over twice in the last 90 seconds or jack a couple of awful shot. Sad thing is the latter is a decent idea compared to our offensive philosophy/coaching.
by WTF on Mar 14, 2009 1:15 PM CDT reply actions
Trips, if it makes you feel better, you didn’t miss much great basketball.
by Bob in Houston on Mar 14, 2009 1:18 PM CDT reply actions
If it makes you feel any better, I forgot my reading glasses.
by Uncle Frank (Home Alone) on Mar 14, 2009 1:41 PM CDT reply actions
From courtside near the Texas bench, I can say:
1. It’s not like these players aren’t being told by the coaches, repeatedly, what to do. But this team has the basketball IQ of a kumquat, especially someone named Damion James. Leave it at that.
2. Dex does not have 3 games in 3 days worth of stamina. He just doesn’t. No matter how it looks.
3. Mason has a hitch in his get-along, as my grandmother would say, that wasn’t there last year.
4. I’m not sure Balbay fully understands English yet. For example, let’s say the coaches tell him over and over to feed the ball to Dex. Or, just hypothetically, let’s say the coaches keep telling him to “turn the corner on the top screen” [whatever that means]. When these directions don’t get followed, one can only conclude that he doesn’t understand the language.
5. Baylor players and their fans have no class or humility. They collectively cuss more than one would expect from a Baptist University.
6. Dex has really long fingernails: why?
There is more but you get the theme.
by RansomStoddard on Mar 14, 2009 3:01 PM CDT reply actions
RS, the collective IQ of this teams is exactly as you say. Their inability to understand the ebbs and flows of a basketball game is pretty poor. Shooting jumpshots after 3 or 4 empty possessions is simply inexcuseable.
On 4, I’ve always contended that a pick and pop ballscreen for Balbay is wasted motion and wasted shot clock, because a hedge need only defend against dribble penetration. It’s the threat of the jump shooter that allows a dribbler to turn the corner or split. Unless we’re talking TJ Ford or Elliot Perry quickness. If we want to ballscreen for Balbay, we’d be better served to set flat ballscreens (think back screen) that allows Dogus to get vertical as quickly as possible in either direction.
6. Played with a guy that had really long finger nails. He claimed it was because he wanted to scrape the basketball when he was shooting, but I think that was bullshit. He got more use out of those nails on the defensive end, because when you’d come off of the floor after playing against this dude, you’d have half a dozen cuts and scratches on your arms and shoulders.
by Trips Right on Mar 14, 2009 3:19 PM CDT reply actions
Do us a favor Trips. After we find out where Texas is playing, why don’t you just perform your own personal audit of the Bank of Antigua?
You can go medieval on their asses, and we can watch in peace.
Win-Win.
by srr50 on Mar 14, 2009 3:43 PM CDT reply actions
srr, I plan on placing a big wager on each and every one of Texas’ tourney opponents. To do my part to help the financial situation, I’ll be shorting Bank of Antigua stock. That’ll be more entertaining and certainly safer from an international kidnapping/extortion standpoint.
by Trips Right on Mar 14, 2009 3:53 PM CDT reply actions
“5. Baylor players and their fans have no class or humility. They collectively cuss more than one would expect from a Baptist University. "
Why don’t you try being a Baylor fan for a few years and see if you don’t become bitter, angry, and more prone to drop four-letter words at sporting events???
by Buck Masters on Mar 14, 2009 7:01 PM CDT reply actions
“6. Dex has really long fingernails: why?”
Weird. I noticed that too.
by Black Scholes on Mar 14, 2009 8:30 PM CDT reply actions
“Case in point was Barnes’ desperate attempt to get more offense on the floor by inserting Harrison Smith to run the point with two minutes to go in the ballgame.”
Barnes either:
1. Figured they had a 7 or better seed sewed up and wanted to get them home for an extra night’s rest in the hope he can sneak them into the Sweet 16 against an unsuspecting 2 or 3 seed.
or:
2. Is as sick of watching them as I am and figured a loss to Baylor would buy an 8 or 9 seed to ensure they’re bounced the first weekend.
Regardless, you own those other Carneys when it comes to B-ball commentary. Don’t leave again during March Madness.
by Blueshorn on Mar 14, 2009 8:51 PM CDT reply actions
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