teams appearing for the first time this season, Pio from corse178's blog
November is out, December is in, and -- if we may paraphrase some of historys greatest philosophers -- its time to find out what happens when college basketball stops being polite and starts getting real. Jerseys NFL China .This may be overstating the case somewhat. November was pretty great, after all, from the Armed Forces Classic openers on Nov. 11 to the wave of fascinating ACC/Big Ten Challenge games in the months final two days. Still, the first Saturday of December feels like the first real college hoops Saturday of the season, an eight-hour afternoon comprising four consecutive, overlapping top-25 tests.No. 11 UCLA at No. 1 Kentucky, Saturday, 12:30 p.m. ET, CBSNowhere does this theme feel more fitting than Lexington, Kentucky, where UCLA, led by point guard Lonzo Ball, will face a downright terrifying No. 1-ranked Kentucky team.Balls pre-Westwood hype felt almost impossibly high entering the season (at least until some ugly shooting in the Bruins August exhibition trip tempered expectations somewhat); the 6-foot-6 guard, ranked fourth in the well-appointed 2016 class, was charged with with nothing less than rescuing UCLA basketball from a chronic case of bad vibes. (Seventeen losses, the Fire Alford-banner flying above Pauley Pavilion, a coach inclined to return a chunk of his contract as a gesture of apology -- these are not exactly signs of a thriving programmatic culture). And you know what? Thus far, he basically has.The Bruins are 8-0 -- five of which, admittedly, came against cupcake opponents at Pauley Pavilion, and all eight of which were played within the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area. Still, by this time last season, the Bruins had already fallen to Monmouth (at home) and Wake Forest (on a neutral floor), and werent, even in their best moments (wins against Kentucky and Gonzaga) playing anywhere near the kind of free-wheeling, uptempo offense Ball has made possible. His offensive rating through eight games is 140.2; hes shooting 69.7 percent from 2 and 47.4 percent from 3; hes recording an assist on 38 percent of his available possessions; hes turning it over on less than 17 percent of the same. (After UCLAs hard-fought win against Texas A&M on Sunday, ESPNs Jay Bilas said Ball was Jason Kidd at the same age, which sounded unreasonable ... right up until the point that we looked at these numbers.In the meantime, Ball has relieved many UCLA fans greatest source of stress, by relieving the constant ballhandling and scoring burdens Bryce Alford faced a season ago. Alford is now free to work off the ball, play off screens, locate space and know -- because he is playing alongside a 6-foot-6 future lottery pick who might already be the best passer in college basketball -- that good, open looks will come. Alfords usage is down; his efficiency is way up. Throw in Isaac Hamiltons improvement and the not-inconsiderable skills of freshman forward TJ Leaf, and UCLA is the nations best all-around shooting team to date -- in the top five in both 2-point and 3-point field goal percentage.Still: With all due respect to (possibly slightly underrated) Texas A&M and even (less possibly slightly underrated) Nebraska, its safe to say Ball and his Bruins havent seen anything like Kentucky yet.True story: On Monday night, Kentucky beat Arizona State 115-69. On a neutral floor. With 83 possessions. In 40 minutes.?DeAaron Fox, whose game looks like a left-handed John Walls, posted the second triple-double in UK basketball history in the win. Malik Monk did this. No, seriously: Kentucky looks terrifying.And still: Depending on where you come down on Michigan State -- talented, young, banged up, well see seems like the appropriate landing place here -- it may be just as safe to say that Kentucky has yet to see a team as good as UCLA. It certainly hasnt seen one playing this well, or one led by a guard like Ball.Whether the Bruins have a sincere chance of winning at Rupp Arena is almost beside the point; in Lexington on Saturday the sheer fact of a win or a loss will matter far less than the kind of performance that preceded it. Just how good are these guys anyway?No. 7 Xavier at No. 9 Baylor, Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2 and ESPN AppAll things considered, few teams in the country offer as much quantitative certainty as Baylor. Thats pretty crazy, considering the lukewarm, fringe top-25-at-best expectations for Scott Drews team heading into the season. Yet here we are, nearly a month into the season, and while most of the nations best teams have grabbed an impressive win or two, Baylor is 7-0 with victories against Oregon, VCU, Michigan State and Louisville. It would take a jarring nosedive to feel suddenly uncomfortable with the notion of Baylor as a top-10 team, in other words. Xavier is the wild card here: Wins against Clemson and Northern Iowa (twice in the same week, no less) dont quite have the same kind of perception-boosting impact that a road win against the surprise of the season to date would bring. Well see.No. 8 Gonzaga vs. No. 16?Arizona, Saturday, 5:30 p.m. ET, ESPN and ESPN AppNo matter how deep into the season we get, until mysteriously absent sophomore guard Allonzo Trier either returns to the lineup or is officially ruled ineligible, an aura of untapped promise will hover just above the Arizona Wildcats. Not that there isnt plenty to like already -- specifically Finnish freshman Lauri Markkanen, a 7-foot forward shooting 59.5 percent from 2, 89.2 percent from the free throw line and 47 percent from 3 thus far (and leading his team in 3-point attempts). Classmate Kobi Simmons has been nearly as impressive filling in for Trier on the wing. With the possible exception of perimeter defense, the Wildcats dont do anything at an even remotely below-average level. And yet, heading into a neutral-floor game (at Staples Center) against a new-look, transfer-led Gonzaga team -- where Nigel Williams-Goss, Johnathan Williams?and Jordan Mathews have all taken immediate lead roles -- it is hard not to wonder just how good Arizona might be with their star sophomore along for the ride.No. 25 West Virginia at No. 6 Virginia, Saturday, 2 p.m. ET, ESPNU and ESPN AppVirginia coach Tony Bennett is not the screaming type, but after point guard London Perrantes put up four points and three turnovers in the first half Wednesday against Ohio State -- a game the Cavaliers trailed 36-24 at halftime in their own typically impenetrable building -- Bennett got after his senior guard in earnest. After his 15-point second half keyed the Cavs comeback, Perrantes said the discussion was the most I got ripped by him since Ive been here and it sparked us all. Bennett will (more calmly) be walking his team through its collective offensive struggles against the Buckeyes in advance of Saturdays game against West Virginia, which, surprise surprise, is pressing its opponents into the nations highest turnover and steals rates through its first six games. Virginia turns the ball over rarely on its best nights, but even a brief lapse into carelessness -- and the necessity of Perrantes performance -- can be followed rather quickly by vulnerability. Wholesale Authentic Jerseys . Hazard cut in from the left and scored with a swerving right-footed shot for ninth goal of the season, which proved to be enough for the victory despite Chelseas forwards again lacking a cutting edge up front. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale .Y. - Detroit goaltender Jonas Gustavsson has earned NHL first star of the week honours after winning in his first three appearances of the season. http://www.cheapjerseyswholesaleauthentic.com/ . -- Yogi Ferrell orchestrates pretty much everything in Indianas offence. (STATS) -- The only unbeaten FCS team remaining made its biggest statement of the season in its final regular season game Saturday.Sam Houston State has some more statements -- and wins -- planned for the postseason, entering it Sunday as the top-ranked team in the STATS FCS Top 25.Shortly before the NCAA announced its FCS playoff field, the Bearkats (11-0) gained 111 of the 151 first-place votes and 3,676 points to solidify the top ranking in the national media poll for the sixth straight week. It came on the heels of a 59-23 trouncing of then-No. 11 Central Arkansas in what basically was the Southland Conference championship game.You cant get any better than what we just did, third-year coach K.C. Keeler said, Eleven-0, conference champions, pretty much dominated almost every single game we played.It was a great accomplishment. Its two seasons. And this season that we just had here -- this regular season -- its the single greatest season Ive ever been around.All but one of the teams in the top 10 earned at least a share of their conference title, and the exception -- Villanova -- features the sentimental story line of a retiring head coach. Jacksonville State (10-1) was No. 2 in the final regular season poll after it finished off an unbeaten season in the Ohio Valley Conference for the third straight year.Eastern Washington (10-1) and North Dakota State (10-1) remained No. 3 and 4, respectively, after both earned a share of their conference title. EWU made it four Big Sky Conference titles in five seasons and NDSU made it six straight in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, moving into the playoffs with the goal of extending its record five straight FCS national titles.CAA Football James Madison (10-1) moved up one spot to No. 5, flip-flopping with The Citadel (10-1), which lost for the firrst time against North Carolina from the FBS level. China Jerseys. South Dakota State (8-3), an MVFC co-champ, was No. 7 and North Dakota (9-2), a Big Sky co-champ, No. 8.Villanova (8-3) carried a No. 9 ranking after it sent coach Andy Talley into the playoffs in his 32nd and final season on the Wildcats sideline. Charleston Southern (7-3), which earned a share of its second straight Big South Conference crown, was No. 10.Chattanooga (8-3) moved up one spot to No. 11 after playing to a 31-3 loss at Alabama that wouldnt be registered by many FBS teams. Then it was Richmond (8-3); Youngstown State (8-3); Central Arkansas (9-2); Coastal Carolina (9-2); Grambling State (8-1); North Carolina A&T (9-2); Lehigh (9-2), the Patriot League champ; Wofford (8-3); and North Carolina Central (9-2), the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champion.Rounding out the Top 25 were No. 21 Cal Poly (7-4), New Hampshire (7-4), Samford (7-4), and two teams appearing for the first time this season, Pioneer Football League champ San Diego (9-1) and Weber State (7-4).Eleven FCS conferences had at least one ranked team. The Big Sky, CAA and SoCon led with four each, the Missouri Valley had three, the MEAC and Southland two each, and the Big South, Ohio Valley, Patriot, Pioneer and SWAC had one each. Coastal Carolina is an FCS independent.A national panel of sports information and media relations directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries select the STATS FCS Top 25. In the voting, a first-place vote is worth 25 points, a second-place vote 24 points, all the way down to one point for a 25th-place vote.The final Top 25 will follow the FCS championship game, to be held Jan. 7 in Frisco, Texas. Wholesale Jerseys From China Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Womens Jerseys Stitched Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys 2019 Cheap NFL Womens JerseysWholesale NFL Gear Cheap Jerseys Wholesale Wholesale Jerseys Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Wholesale NFL White Jerseys Discount Jerseys NFL T-shirts From China China NFL HoodiesNike NFL Jerseys China ' ' '
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