College Hoops........

[ozark trout fisher]

Didn't realize they had football fans.

Yeah, both of them.

[joeD]

Mizzou will be OK. SLU will be OK. Not great, but not bad either. Not too fired up about either team for some reason. Let's see how SLU does with the weight of a senior class and expectation on their shoulders.

Regardless, I'm still fired up for college hoops.

[ozark trout fisher]

I think a lot of people aren't fired up for Mizzou hoops because people are still focused on football with us being good this year, and lower expectations with the loss of some players. But yeah, it'll still be fun most likely, if a little up and down.

Also, I think a lot of people get bored with the early schedule in basketball being what it is, and it's hard to blame them. It'll kick into gear once they head to Las Vegas to play some major conference (and Mountain West) competition. Nevada and Northwestern aren't likely to be world beaters but they will challenge this team.

Also, West Virginia and UCLA could be a pretty fun one two punch over a couple of days coming into Mizzou Arena. I hope to make it to the West Virginia game, which seems markedly more likely to be a Mizzou win. These are two real, high quality home games out of conference for Mizzou, something that has been a bit lacking of late. It's good to see power programs coming here a couple times a season outside of SEC play.

[ruthead]

Didn't realize they had football fans.

Didn't realize they still had a football team.

[stlfisher]

football is pretty bleak at KU right now they are awful...not sure weis is the right guy...but the basketball team looks outstanding. Probably a title contender...

[ozark trout fisher]

Mizzou 3-0. Defense still pretty shaky, but the frontcourt (now with Criswell) looks 1000% better. Hawaii isn't a bad team, and overall a 12 point win is probably not the worst result. This team won't blow you away right now, but they are not messing anything up yet. That's important. Bad Novembers can hurt teams in March. They have IUPUI and Gardner-Webb (not cakewalks, but winnable) before a big stretch of games against major conference opponents, including Northwestern, Nevada (Mountain West is basically a major) WVU, UCLA, NC State, and Illinois. None of those teams seem unbeatable, but they may all be challenges.

Mizzou doesn't have to win out in the non-conference, but they probably could do with beating NW, Nevada, and WVU (along with the games against smaller schools.) Then get at least 1-2 wins from UCLA, Illinois, and NC State. Overall 10-3 or 11-2 would probably be okay heading into SEC play if there are no bad losses. Anything better and we may set our sights higher than just making the tournament. The UCLA game may be our big chance for a win that could look really good. Lower than 10 wins before conference, and we may be in a rebuilding season. My prediction is 9-4. I think we're solid and will get a nice win or two, but I also think we trip up in a game we're favored to win. Watch out for Long Beach State.

And yes, I insulted KU football earlier, so I'm probably obligated to point out that they won today. The streak was broken against the team that replaced Mizzou in the Big 12. Which is......ironic.

[ozark trout fisher]

In terms of quality opponents, Mizzou's season gets started tonight against Northwestern. It will be interesting to see how they handle the step up in difficulty, but the Wildcats have struggled more than Mizzou in the early going. Tomorrow they play Nevada. Same story there-dangerous opponent but we should be the better team.

[Quillback]

Watched a little of the Maui tourney, Gonzaga, even though they lost their first game, is looking like a solid team. Great guards and a big man at center. The big center is a tad slow, commits fouls at too rapid a pace, but has a nice touch around the rim. They handled Arkansas pretty easily. Arkansas, however looks a bit better looking this year. They have a freshman by the name of Bobby Portis who has potential, tall and athletic, but needs a little more muscle. Arkansas needs some big guys, they're athletic with a few shooters, but lack that inside presence.

[ozark trout fisher]

Yeah, Gonzaga will likely be fine this season as always. A possible top 4-5 seed in the NCAA tournament based on how they look early. They are one of the most consistent programs in the country-you can set your clock in March based on hearing their name on Selection Sunday.

Arkansas should be improved. They are such a crapshoot with the Mike Anderson system but they will likely pick up some big wins in conference play at home. It was a good tournament for them overall-getting a nice win away from home always outweighs a loss to a quality opponent.

[moguy1973]

In terms of quality opponents, Mizzou's season gets started tonight against Northwestern. It will be interesting to see how they handle the step up in difficulty, but the Wildcats have struggled more than Mizzou in the early going. Tomorrow they play Nevada. Same story there-dangerous opponent but we should be the better team.

NW leading Mizzou at the half...