Busy Night on the Tube
College Basketball, NBA, Television February 18th. 2009, 6:00pm
For whatever reason, there are about 27 significant college hoops games tonight involving bubble teams. And the Lakers visit the Warriors and old friend Ronny Turiaf (first to 130 wins). Dwight Howard vs. Chris Paul. And of course, LOST.
Topping the college basketball list: Miami must beat FSU and Notre Dame must beat West Virginia. The Mountaineers (loved by Ken Pom!) are surprising 9-point favorites. Penn State isn’t as hard-up for a win as those two, but it could really use a victory at Illinois.
133 Responses to “Busy Night on the Tube”
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February 18th, 2009 at 6:08 pm
I’d be surprised if Penn State won. It would be quite nice to beat a top 20 team on their court though.
February 18th, 2009 at 6:13 pm
KU/ISU and Lost and whatever game is on late night.
February 18th, 2009 at 6:29 pm
I like Virginia Tech in a pick ‘em tonight. God Virginia is so awful. ND getting 9.5 looks good, but I don’t think I’ll pull the trigger.
February 18th, 2009 at 6:36 pm
Tough to beat the Illini at the Hall with the Orange Douche in full effect. I’ll be watching whatever college b-ball’s on the tube. I watched the NBA all-star game so that’s my NBA quota for the month.
February 18th, 2009 at 6:42 pm
Never heard that one, like it.
February 18th, 2009 at 6:43 pm
In tourney bubble teams post, no mention of Va Tech, Michigan, or Kentucky. Do you have them all in? out?
February 18th, 2009 at 6:46 pm
@rs how much do you usually bet on a game? I’ve never bet on a game before and where do you bet?
February 18th, 2009 at 7:04 pm
I actually have a lot of money in my account right now due to getting very lucky during the Superbowl, but I usually place a wager that is not more than 5% of my bankroll. So the more money in there the bigger the wager. If you want to do small stakes then you can wager as little as you want depending on what website you use.
I use any of the sportsbook sites because I’ve been using them for years and am comfortable there, but just reading around there are probably better options out there.
This guy has a good breakdown of wagering sites.
themoneylinejournal.com
February 18th, 2009 at 7:05 pm
Got ND +9
February 18th, 2009 at 7:06 pm
alright thanks, good info.
February 18th, 2009 at 7:11 pm
LOST is all that matters, although the big Locke episode is, I believe, next week.
February 18th, 2009 at 7:14 pm
yeah, i think its called he life and death of john locke or something like that
February 18th, 2009 at 7:47 pm
Penn State 17, Illinois 15 at half. That’s right, neither team could crack 20. First to 40 wins? Gotta love Big-10 basketball. Pathetic.
February 18th, 2009 at 7:57 pm
yeah, i think its called he life and death of john locke or something like that
It’s The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham.
Official Lost Podcast said that they writers debated showing that one this week and “316″ which we will see tonight, next.
They said it would be more fun for the audience to see 316 before TLaDoJB.
So prepare to have a lot of questions … which will likely get answered next week.
February 18th, 2009 at 7:57 pm
God, I can’t believe I’m actually going to start watching UNC/State.
February 18th, 2009 at 7:58 pm
Citadel 28
Davidson 21
halftime, no Curry
February 18th, 2009 at 7:58 pm
same difference.
February 18th, 2009 at 7:59 pm
took WVU -9.5 and miami +3.5
February 18th, 2009 at 8:02 pm
This has been the norm the past few weeks. This is the number 2 rated conference? This is why RPI and ratings mean nothing.
February 18th, 2009 at 8:03 pm
so what metric do you want to use if not RPI? SOS? top 50 wins?
RPI means something …
(i agree the conf blows)
February 18th, 2009 at 8:04 pm
the RPI sucks balls. Especially in baseball, but I’m probably the only person on this site that cares about that
February 18th, 2009 at 8:07 pm
I’ve never even heard of it being used for baseball fetch.
Humor me.
anyone think young rousseau is cute?
February 18th, 2009 at 8:10 pm
Anyone try the new quizes on sporcle? or
February 18th, 2009 at 8:14 pm
watching the LOST rerun … so Jin stopped Rousseau from going in to help the friend who was taken by the smoke … but when Jin wasn’t there, who stopped her the first time? Or did she go the first time?
February 18th, 2009 at 8:14 pm
still can’t fucking link
February 18th, 2009 at 8:14 pm
sponge- I think it’s used for every sport save for football.
In a nutshell: The fact that the college baseball season started this passed weekend (I think) leads to a huge disadvantage to Northern teams. Northern teams have to play their first however many games on the road (except for schools like Minnesota, who can use the Metrodome). When two identical teams play eachother, the home team will win 60% of the time. So already this leads to a gap between the northern and southern teams.
Because the RPI is divided into three parts (25% winning percentage, 50% opponents winning percentage, 25% oppponents opponents winning percentage) it basically compounds over and over because all those southern schools who got to play three extra weeks of home games get to play other southern schools who did the same thing, and their winning percentages are artificially higher, thus making their RPI’s higher.
Basketball counts a road win as 1.4 wins and a road win as .6 wins, but baseball doesn’t. Now granted most of the time the southern schools are just better, but if it’s down to a Big East team or an SEC team, or even some lesser southern conferences, the northern team has no chance.
February 18th, 2009 at 8:15 pm
Why does a metric have to be used to know which conferences are better than others? The best way to compare conferences is simply this: which would you rather play in?
February 18th, 2009 at 8:15 pm
This is why RPI and ratings mean nothing.
While shitty, RPI means everything. That’s a bit part of what the committee uses.
February 18th, 2009 at 8:17 pm
What’s a college baseball?
February 18th, 2009 at 8:17 pm
TBL - don’t try to figure out the time paradoxes. It will just hurt the enjoyment of the show.
And it’s amazing how simplistic those pop-ups are.
February 18th, 2009 at 8:19 pm
A college baseball? No idea. A baseball that went to college maybe?
February 18th, 2009 at 8:19 pm
I have zero opinion on this issue, because I think college hoops is teh gehy, but why does low offense = shitty conference? Why can’t it be amazing defense?
February 18th, 2009 at 8:19 pm
very interesting. Would it make sense in football? It seems in general as an ok way to see who is better though, not infallible of course.
February 18th, 2009 at 8:19 pm
bsanders- I laughed out loud. Hilarious.
February 18th, 2009 at 8:20 pm
More Scoring = Better Basketball.
Sincerely,
NY Knicks 22-31
GS Warriors 19-35
February 18th, 2009 at 8:21 pm
Nick, Illinois is a good defensive team, but Penn State is 106th in the nation in Adjusted Defense. Pretty bad for a Major Conference team.
February 18th, 2009 at 8:21 pm
Thanks. Just giving you shit, Fetch. Whatever you like is cool with me. Do they still use those lightsabers in college baseball? Only a matter of time until someone dies.
February 18th, 2009 at 8:21 pm
NickP- I agree with the great defense. Best defensive conference in the country, but the first half of that game was under 26% for both teams. I love some big ten hoops though.
February 18th, 2009 at 8:22 pm
damn. i only got 20 of 24 dunkers. really bad misses, too.
February 18th, 2009 at 8:23 pm
Illinois is a very good defensive team, but a HORRIBLE offensive team. I could see them making a surprise Sweet 16 run, though, just because of how ugly they make games become. Weber’s done a great job getting a lot out of marginal talent. The next couple years they should become major players again. Not that being ranked 18th with a so-so roster is anything to sniff at.
February 18th, 2009 at 8:23 pm
Agreed.
Sincerely,
Pittsburgh 24-2
North Carolina 23-2
/Citing NBA records is irrelevant to CBB
February 18th, 2009 at 8:28 pm
Not anymore. The committee has been moving away from RPI which is why a team that was 21 in the RPI was left out in 2006. The committee is now looking a ton into OOC schedules and in conference schedules (due to unbalanced schedules in every conference except the Pac 10). I agree that’s is used, but not as heavily as it once was.
February 18th, 2009 at 8:28 pm
23 of 24…fucking Kenny Walker
February 18th, 2009 at 8:29 pm
And conference RPI is not used at all.
February 18th, 2009 at 8:29 pm
bsanders- yes they do, and if I had my way (and a lot of people) they’d get rid of them, but it will never happen because wood costs so much more and I’m sure Easton and Louisville Slugger and Demarini and all those bats pay a bajillion dollars to the NCAA and the schools to make sure it doesn’t happen. And I was just giving you shit too. It’s what I do.
February 18th, 2009 at 8:30 pm
just now reading the EW recap. they’ve all got to be dead, right? some people’s souls are just drifting between heaven and hell? (ducks)
February 18th, 2009 at 8:31 pm
Griffey back to the Mariners, don’t know if it’s said today yet
February 18th, 2009 at 8:31 pm
this is probably one of those questions that you just don’t ask because it ruins the show but wouldn’t anyone who is meeting for the 1st time on this “strange island” mention that they had been on the “strange island” before? doesnt that seems like pertinent information?
February 18th, 2009 at 8:32 pm
TBL
- I don’t know, purgatory has been a pretty popular theory floated since late-season 1, early-season 2. Seems too easy a copout. Not saying it’s not possibly correct, I just don’t see it.
February 18th, 2009 at 8:34 pm
The RPI used to be really good, but when they tried to compensate for the mid majors to give them more respect, they fucked the thing up.
February 18th, 2009 at 8:36 pm
Actually the ACC is the best defensive conference in the country statistically, adjusting for pace of play. The reason everyone thinks the Big 10 is so good is because they play so slow. Less possessions equals less points. Staistically if they had good defensive teams they would be giving up even less points which would make these games even harder to stomach. The ACC has 8 teams in the top 50 of adjusted defensive efficiency, the big east has 7, and the Big 10 and Pac 10 have 5.
The Big 10 also only has 3 teams in the top 50 of adjusted offensive efficiency. I think people are right to say that this basketball isn’t very good, visually and statistically.
February 18th, 2009 at 8:37 pm
If there’s one thing the show’s writers have confirmed, is that it’s not purgatory.
February 18th, 2009 at 8:37 pm
there’s already a racial outcry over this?
http://www.nypost.com/delonas/2009/02/02182009.jpg
February 18th, 2009 at 8:41 pm
oh yeah, al sharpton was on this morning. I’m guessing they weren’t planning on it to be racist but, it comes over terribly racist.
February 18th, 2009 at 8:42 pm
I second Cracker. I’m almost certain they said the whole situation was not purgatory.
February 18th, 2009 at 8:47 pm
Yeah not that I’m surprised that cartoon got by the Post’s editors… you can’t look at that and not think about how it could be interpreted very very badly.
February 18th, 2009 at 8:48 pm
psu 34, illinois 33
:38 left.
sad.
February 18th, 2009 at 8:49 pm
Sponge, this is why Lost will never make it into my “Best Shows Ever” list. It’s also a perfect example of the shit the writers bring up but then forget to address for 4 seasons (if they address it at all). Questions made by the people from the plane crash get cryptic answers. The writers are expecting me to believe there’s a fucking smoke monster coming out of a goddamn temple, but they don’t think the audience would wonder why the characters don’t ever ask each other questions about their lives when the spend hours walking from place to place on the island? Juliette keeps calling herself an Other but doesn’t bother to give Sawyer a condensed version of why she’s there or how the fuck she knows Vincent?
February 18th, 2009 at 8:51 pm
Who’s Vincent?
February 18th, 2009 at 8:52 pm
and penn state wins, that’s your ballgame.
that may lock up a tourney spot for the lions
February 18th, 2009 at 8:53 pm
Sportsgal -
Great post as far as I’m concerened. I feel mostly the same about the show. Still, damn good fare for a non-HBO show over the past 10 years.
February 18th, 2009 at 8:54 pm
nothing quite like an 845 pm sportsgal rant.
February 18th, 2009 at 8:54 pm
Nick - Black kid from the first season. I think. Damn, there are a lot of characters.
February 18th, 2009 at 8:56 pm
I’d like to beat Illinois again or OSU to go with definite Indiana win to be sure.
February 18th, 2009 at 8:58 pm
Vincent is the dog people.
February 18th, 2009 at 8:58 pm
Oops, Vincent’s the dog. I meant Richard Alpert.
February 18th, 2009 at 8:59 pm
is it just me, or was ben surprised when Desmond referred to Eloise as Farradays mother?
February 18th, 2009 at 8:59 pm
I look forward to wagerin heavily against Penn State in any tournament game they play. Good win for PSU, not so good for Wisconsin. That really hurts them.
February 18th, 2009 at 9:00 pm
Listen, I haven’t had a rant on here in, like, months. Cut me some slack.
February 18th, 2009 at 9:00 pm
PSU is better than WIS.
February 18th, 2009 at 9:01 pm
This year.
February 18th, 2009 at 9:02 pm
Agreed.
February 18th, 2009 at 9:02 pm
jacks such a hero
/vomit in my moth
February 18th, 2009 at 9:03 pm
I know a win is a win, but that was one of the ugliest basketball games I’ve ever seen. PSU won by scoring 38 points. THIRTY-EIGHT! Did I mention this was basketball and not football?
February 18th, 2009 at 9:06 pm
That’s worse than the Michigan State/Iowa score last year
February 18th, 2009 at 9:06 pm
Turns out I was an idiot for suggesting that either one of those teams would make it to 40.
February 18th, 2009 at 9:08 pm
Illinois did not shoot a free throw.
February 18th, 2009 at 9:15 pm
Still don’t get why people hate Jack, he’s the show’s best-developed and most interesting character.
February 18th, 2009 at 9:16 pm
OMG, OMG, OMG…Watchmen!
February 18th, 2009 at 9:17 pm
Jack gets on my nerves. bad.
February 18th, 2009 at 9:19 pm
Wow. Anybody else see Ellington toss the ball into the 5th row on a wide open dunk?
February 18th, 2009 at 9:21 pm
leap of faith?
February 18th, 2009 at 9:23 pm
OK, here’s another question for all you Lost lovers. Ben has put a huge emphasis on the fact that EVERYONE who got off the island has to go back in order to save the people that are stuck there. What about Michael (who’s dead) and Walt? Maybe that’s just one of the questions the writers don’t ever expect to answer. Fuckers.
February 18th, 2009 at 9:38 pm
“Thanks for helping me put my shoes on, Jack.”
February 18th, 2009 at 9:39 pm
So you’re putting Florsheim shoes on a dead man, but you don’t read the letter he wrote to you before you depart for a traveling island? Got it.
February 18th, 2009 at 9:40 pm
Thank you Penn State. It is becoming a reality, TBL.
February 18th, 2009 at 9:41 pm
I bet Kate’s tore up from the floor up.
February 18th, 2009 at 9:43 pm
I must say, I am loving that Vincent got some run here.
February 18th, 2009 at 9:45 pm
yes it does matter how you got here!
February 18th, 2009 at 9:47 pm
How come none of the flight attendants were like, “Dude, who beat your ass?”
February 18th, 2009 at 9:49 pm
These people are fucking nuts, no way am I flying out of LAX on Ramen Noodle Air.
February 18th, 2009 at 9:50 pm
Vincent better not be flying coach.
February 18th, 2009 at 9:50 pm
Woo hoo!
February 18th, 2009 at 9:58 pm
what did that say???
February 18th, 2009 at 10:00 pm
Jack = Greg Luganus.
February 18th, 2009 at 10:04 pm
when did they land?
February 18th, 2009 at 10:05 pm
lol
February 18th, 2009 at 10:07 pm
Dharma time, TBL. Mid 70s I think?
Decent set up episode. A lot of their set up episodes are uneven. They kept this one focused.
Looks like Locke tries several times to kill himself and fails and then Ben helps him finish the deal. Ben always lies. He knows everything that is going on.
February 18th, 2009 at 10:07 pm
when did they land?
It looks like maybe the 70s??? The van, music (don’t recall the song, just the sound), the Dharma get-up, and the gun seem to say late 70s (isn’t that when Dharma was going on?). But…why Jin? And he certainly recognized Hurley calling him by name, hence the half-smile.
February 18th, 2009 at 10:09 pm
So you’re putting Florsheim shoes on a dead man, but you don’t read the letter he wrote to you before you depart for a traveling island? Got it.
lol
Thought the same thing. Good stuff. I love how the plane went down or whatever immediately after Jack read the sentence. Superloved Lawnmower Man back in the action. “We’re not going to Guam, are we?” Great one liner. I hope he ends up on the island. Notice how he had 70’s hairstyle.
/reading entirely too much into this.
February 18th, 2009 at 10:10 pm
definitely Geronimo Jackson for sure.
February 18th, 2009 at 10:13 pm
How about Jack and Ben’s dialogue.
Jack: There are others on the plane. What’s gonna happen to them?
(stone-faced) Ben: Who cares.
February 18th, 2009 at 10:14 pm
yes, jackson no doubt, and the van is running and jin’s hair is long … but jin in the 70s? did that crew get captured or something?
February 18th, 2009 at 10:16 pm
Jack: There are others on the plane. What’s gonna happen to them?
(stone-faced) Ben: Who cares.
February 18th, 2009 at 10:17 pm
Just reading these comments, this show sounds ridiculously dumb.
/commence the hate.
February 18th, 2009 at 10:18 pm
I’m caught up on Hawking call this a “leap of faith”. Maybe just because they were in a church?
February 18th, 2009 at 10:18 pm
Credit to Ndub. I meant The Others, but I fail generally with the bolding, italizing, and capitalizing.
February 18th, 2009 at 10:18 pm
KC - ben had the two LOL lines, that was one. the other was “my mother taught me”
February 18th, 2009 at 10:19 pm
TBL,
Jin is definitely not 20 years younger. He looks like present Jin. Did you see if he still had the bad sunburn and chapped lips?
Captured could make sense. Maybe there are some other people time-looping on the island? Some Widmore folks? Eloise Hawking with a set-up, perhaps?
February 18th, 2009 at 10:20 pm
Ben’s little “errand” he had to go on was probably to kill Penny. He told Charles he would get even with him after Charles changed the rules. It looks like the time jumps stopped around the beginning of the Darma Initiative on the island. The first episode of the season had Faraday there when Darma first found the wheel, so that ties that together.
Prediction: Desmond will go back to the island (via boat like last time) to kill Ben for killing Penny.
February 18th, 2009 at 10:20 pm
Fetch -
No hate from me. I keep coming back at night even though Gossip Girl is part of the discussion.
KU won. Ugly game. ISU is awful. Ku played down to the competition and pulled away and won by 17. Did you see it? Late February… I love this time of year for hoops.
February 18th, 2009 at 10:22 pm
Anyone seen irish? I need to inform him that the Hornets are about to be done giving the Magic a swirly.
February 18th, 2009 at 10:22 pm
Point of attack, CAn you please elaborate? Ha ha. You’re making some sense, but my brain is about in overload and I need my hand held through your explanations. Thanks.
February 18th, 2009 at 10:24 pm
I could buy that, was Penny the one that whooped Ben’s ass though?
February 18th, 2009 at 10:26 pm
POA is way far in front of me. Interesting post.
Who is the non-white dude that offered condolences to Jack at the airport ticket counter and was on the plane. Dude that Hurley told him to strap on his seatbelt?
February 18th, 2009 at 10:26 pm
TBL
The creators have repeatedly said they aren’t dead or in purgatory or whatever. It would be a huge kick in the nuts if they were lying the whole time and probably get them nerd death threats.
Of course, EW guy is fed info by the show and sees everything in advance, so people probably need to listen when he starts pounding on points.
February 18th, 2009 at 10:27 pm
Sponge -
Penny ran back to her Daddy after Desmond left and his guys’ beat up Ben? But Ben got away because because I dunno, Sayid came in? Just thinking out loud.
February 18th, 2009 at 10:28 pm
@NDub Well, the first thing Ben did when he got off the island was to tell Charles Widmore(sp?) that he was going to kill Penny since Charles’ hired help kill Ben’s daughter “Alex”. Now, whether he killed Penny or not is a big mystery. IF he killed Penny, I suspect Desmond will go back to the old hag in the church to find out where he has to go to get back to the island to get revenge on Ben. It looks like some of the people left on the island have chosen to blend in with Darma (Faraday and Jin) but that doesn’t mean everyone has. Also, since Hurley was carrying that Guitar Case, I suspect that Charlie may have been the one that told him he HAD to get on that plane.
February 18th, 2009 at 10:29 pm
the racist in me said he was a terrorist who was the one that was going to make the plane go down.
The Bobcats play really good defense, a shame they cant score at all on offense.
February 18th, 2009 at 10:33 pm
I’m guessing at some point (when Locke left?) there was one last “flash”, for now anyway.
Ben did have some great one liners as usual, and I’m sure he knows more than he is letting on. It dawned on me in one of the episodes tonight that he probably had something to do with Locke “dying”.
It seems Jack is being set up for some sort of redemption or something. He needs to believe. Seems like Locke was telling him this all along. This reminds me of other stories, common theme.
I’m sure Doc Jensen at EW will have a field day with that theory and all.
BTW, what’s with Sayid apparently being escorted by a Marshall or something? Parallels to their first flight all around on that plane.
February 18th, 2009 at 10:36 pm
@pointofattack: Thanks, that helps a lot. I’m curious why Faraday and Jin would choose to blend in? And you mentioned in your previous post about the time shifts stopping around the time of the Dharma Initiative. Do you mean STARTED? That’s when all of this electromagnetic or whatever power was discovered (as evidenced by Faraday talking with the guys down there).
February 18th, 2009 at 10:36 pm
I had an intramural game, so I only saw the first 5 minutes or so. I was glad to see in the boxscore that it looked like they played Brackins fairly well.
February 18th, 2009 at 10:40 pm
Well, I mean that when Locke stopped the wheel from making the island flash through time, the Darma people were getting there. Hence Sawyer, Faraday, and the rest were stuck in that time. That why the Well disappeared.
February 18th, 2009 at 10:43 pm
YES! You’re right. Because just as they got to the Orchid, it flashed away and Locke ran to the well before another flash (which caused the well to disappear). So if that second flash moved them just a few days or months, then it would make sense Sawyer and Co. would be around just as Dharma arrives and before it builds the Orchid.
February 18th, 2009 at 10:43 pm
There are like 300 people at this Ttech/OSU game.
February 18th, 2009 at 10:45 pm
Oh snap Tyler Zeller is back for UNC? That’s awesome baby!
February 18th, 2009 at 10:47 pm
So do we really need an Armageddon 2? The odds of an asteroid hitting the Earth are about 1 in 5,500. And the two most recent ones to hit did so in uninhabited regions of Siberia.
February 18th, 2009 at 10:50 pm
That’s what I keep saying, but Michael Bay’s making Revenge of the Fallen anyway. Fucker.
February 18th, 2009 at 10:57 pm
I think Michael Bay is terrible, but I have nothing against the guy. It’s like the Jonas Brothers, their stuff sucks but if they can dupe people into listening to it/watching it good for them.
February 18th, 2009 at 11:01 pm
POA - you are on fire, man. great food for the Lost post tomorrow!
February 19th, 2009 at 12:20 am
How did Kate get through security that easy if she is on probation (10 years or so)? Wasn’t she suppose to not leave the state or country? wouldn’t they be on the lookout for her, especially if she is O6?
Did Ben pull some strings or should this be filed under “suspend belief” or “forget about the probation”?
February 19th, 2009 at 12:23 am
Forget that, what the hell happened to Aaron? Kate was beyond a mess when she showed up at Jack’s place.
February 19th, 2009 at 7:50 am
I bet Claire’s mom got custody.