Posted: January-28-2009 at 7:39pm | IP Logged	Tweet

Wow, who watched the Duke and Wake Forest game? Chalk another loss up for a No. 1 ranked team. The announcers said this is the third consecutive week the No. 1 ranked team has lost.

I give credit to the Demon Deacons, they really just outplayed the Blue Devils. Wake Forest should've won by more than two points. They never should have allowed Duke to tie the game there near the end.

I still cannot believe, though, the lapse on defense by the Blue Devils to allow the winning layup with .8 of a second remaining.

Now on to my beloved Tennessee Vols. No excuses from me, the Vols just lost to LSU. And the Vols are going to continue losing games as long as they don't play good defense. The Big Orange doesn't have any outside shooting.

All the preseason hype about how McDonald's High School All-American Scotty Hopson would probably be a one-and-done player and go to the NBA, what a joke. Hopson is a talent, don't get me wrong. But he's not putting good games together. The way he's played this year, he's not even going to make the All Boys Club League team.

Much talk speculated after last year whether or not Tyler Smith would jump to the NBA. Well, Tyler's another player whose game (I don't think) isn't ready for the NBA. He can't shoot the ball if he's past 12-to-15 feet away from the basket. He's going to have to develop an outside shooting touch if he's going to play NBA ball.

The Vols lost a lot of firepower when Chris Lofton and JaJuan Smith graduated, and no one has stepped up this year to be an outside scoring threat for the Vols. Scotty Hopson and Cameron Tatum are supposed to be the big outside guns, but they've been firing blanks a lot this year.

ESPN GameDay is supposed to be in Knoxville this Saturday for the Vols and Florida Gators matchup. The Vols had better have a team meeting and get better motivated for the Gators, otherwise the Billy Donovan coached Gators will beat the Vols.

Several of my friends, we've discussed this year's version of the Vols and how we feel coach Bruce Pearl has kind of let the team get away from him somewhat. When you look at the assembled players, it's kind of hard to not see a somewhat "thuggy" image. Hey, the truth's the truth.

What about the Virginia Tech Hokie fans, where are you? I just knew last week, after the Hokies knocked off top-ranked Wake Forest, someone would post about the huge Hokie victory. Tech's had some very good, quality wins this year. C'mon Hokie fans, let me hear some support for your team. You've got a much better team than the Virginia Cavaliers. Man, I liked the Cavs back in the Terry Holland coaching days. But the Cavs over the last few years don't even come close to resembling a Holland coached team.

Posted: January-29-2009 at 8:47pm | IP Logged	Tweet

Yep RW you are correctamundo on everything you said about the BasketVOLS.

As many of you know, Bug Jr came home from the war a couple of months ago. He didn't take his 30 day leave until 12/20. Most of his high school buddys are at UT now, so let's just say he spent his fair share of his leave on the strip with them, and he can tell you what the BasketVOLS problemo is, because he saw them out EVERY night he was out, including the nights before games. These thugs are a bunch of over-partying, overrated, under-aged punks.

You can tell by their play on the floor that they care more about themselves than being a team...AND HOPSON, OMG!!! Kentucky has to be thrilled they didn't get this professional air-baller...I mean it is EVERY game now too. I've never ever seen a college player who was supposed to be "one and done" play this unbelievably bad. He's awful. I actually got through the entire song "Over the Rainbow" when he shot one the other night!!! The "Golden Arches" have nothing on ole Scotty. I'd sit his arse on the bench until he gets those demons out of his head.

They're awfully cocky for a young team and right now, they're wayyyyyyyy overrated. If this keeps up, he'll (Pearl) be throwing more off of the team this year than last, a la Cruz and Smith (Ramar).

Posted: January-30-2009 at 12:13am | IP Logged	Tweet

dirttracker63 wrote: Alright now RW, leave my Cavs alone!  LOL!!  I haven't been more embarrassed about my UVA Cavs in a long time!  This year in football with all of their discipline problems and basketball, who the heck knows what is going on there.

Hey Nick, I've got a buddy who I grew up with and he attended UVA. Like yourself, he's a Cavalier. He just shakes his head, when it comes to either football or basketball with the Cavs.

I'm sure you agree, back in the Terry Holland days watching UVA basketball was exciting. But there's nothing exciting about the Cavs of recent years.

I hear you on the discipline problems with the Cavs, but whoa ... it's not just the Cavs. It's an everyday deal with college athletes getting in trouble. I just don't get it, either. These young men (women too) are getting the opportunity of a lifetime given to them, and many are just flushing it down the toilet.

Posted: January-30-2009 at 12:17am | IP Logged	Tweet

Speedyb9 wrote: I'm a Tech fan and hadn't registered till saturday...I think. I'm glad to see them get the big win over Wake Forest but what happened tonight agaist #11 Clemson. They completly let that game slip away from them. I mean they had 15 point lead coming into the 2nd half...

Hey "Speedyb9," I'd like to welcome you onboard here at RacersLounge with all the rest of us.

I got home and turned the TV on with 1:54 before halftime, and saw Tech hit the long 3-pointer at the buzzer. I was thinking, "Hey, the Hokies are looking good."

And as you said "Speedyb9," they just blew it in the second half. Clemson's good, but they're not really all that much better than the Hokies. Teams cannot lose games played on their home-court, that's the bottom line. Indeed, the Hokies let the game with Clemson slip away.

Posted: January-30-2009 at 12:32am | IP Logged	Tweet

I'm GLAD to see what you said above, "BugMan." You spoketh da truth!!!!!

My cousin, who played basketball for the Vols back on the teams which were led by Dale Ellis in the 1980s, he's told me a lot about this current edition of Vols. When he and his wife come up to attend their son's basketball games at Milligan College, we always go out to eat either before or after the games. He also coaches in the summer Rocky Top League in Knoxville, too.

Bruce Pearl is a good coach, but you can't coach "un-coachable" players. But you can sit their doggone butts on the bench. As you mentioned "BugMan," Pearl sent Duke Crews and Ramar Smith packing.

Personally, I'd send Bobby Maze back wherever he came from. He can't shoot, period! He's not even that good of a point guard, either.

Several of my buddies, we've all talked about how Pearl won't even play Ryan Childress. He's really not that bad a player.

I like Brian Williams, he's getting better. He's a big body down low in the paint.

Hey "BugMan," you'll like this. Up at the Arby's Classic, a buddy of mine, his son and some of his buddies were all around Viking Hall. Robbie said, "Look down there at Luke, talkin' to Bruce Pearl." We noticed Pearl shook the boys' hands, and he patted Luke on the shoulder. After the boys' came back up around where we were, they said "We got to talk to Bruce Pearl." I don't remember that one boy's name, but they laughed and said Luke asked Pearl, "Why don't you tell Wayne Chism to get down low inside the paint and stop going outside all the time to shoot those 3-pointers." HA HA HA HA HA HA ... Here Luke's 11 years old, and he's telling Pearl to not let Chism play so far away from the basket. But heck, with no-shootin' Cameron Tatum and Scotty Hopson launching up shots and missing, Chism is actually a pretty decent outside shooter for a 6' 9" player. Josh Tabb or Bobby Maze, they can't shoot outside. Opposing teams are leaving the Vols' outside shooters alone, making them prove they can hit the 3-pointers.

Posted: January-30-2009 at 5:55am | IP Logged	Tweet

Childress probably won't play much at all this year. His knees are in pretty bad shape.

Bug Jr literally ran into Pearl's son at a crowded venue one night. He looks at Jr and says "Say excuse me...don't you know who I am"? Jr. said "No, and neither will you if you don't get outta my way!!" ROFL ROFL!!

Posted: January-30-2009 at 6:09pm | IP Logged	Tweet

Thanks "RW". I've loved racng all my life and got the chance to start racing this year. I stunk. lol. But anyway, heard about Racerslounge and started looking at it in Dec. So last week I decided to register.

I don't really keep up with anyone besides Tech and my High school's teams. I'd rather work on a racecar than go to a basketball game anyway's.

Posted: January-30-2009 at 10:46pm | IP Logged	Tweet

Yeah, I'd say you're right about Childress. But you know, he really was a pretty decent player ... he had a decent outside shooting touch for a big man.

That is FUNNNNNN-EEEEEEEEEEEEE about Bug Jr. I don't even know Steve Pearl, but just the way that boy carries himself, he comes across as having a cocky, arrogant attitude. I forget the whole details now, but back when Steven was playing high school ball, Bruce Pearl had a run-in with the officials at the boy's ballgame. If I'm not mistaken, Bruce had to leave the gym.

Posted: January-30-2009 at 10:52pm | IP Logged	Tweet

I watched my alma mater, the East Tennessee State University Buccaneers play the Jacksonville Dolphins on TV tonight. And the Bucs gave a victory away. After leading by as much as 15 points in the first half, and by around 10 points most all the way through the second half, the Bucs tossed in the towel over the last five minutes of regulation time.

Jacksonville hit a 3-pointer with nine seconds to tie the game and send it into overtime. In OT it was all Jacksonville, and they won 82-72. The game was tied 70-all heading into OT, and the Bucs scored just two points in the extra period.

The Bucs bolster the Atlantic Sun Conference's top two scorers in Kevin Tiggs and Courtney Pigram, combined they average right at 42 points a game. Tonight Jacksonville held the duo to 20 points below their combinded averages. That really hurt the Bucs' chances to win. But post player Mike Smith really stepped forward with an outstanding game, scoring 18 points and grabbing 16 rebounds. One thing the Bucs must improve on is free throw shooting. Down the stretch in regulation, if the Bucs could've hit some foul shots, they'd a won the game.

Posted: January-30-2009 at 11:58pm | IP Logged	Tweet

Tonight (Saturday) the Tennessee Volunteers play the Florida Gators in Knoxville at 9 p.m. (ESPN).

What will the outcome be? I don't care if the Vols only win by one-point, all I want to see is a victory. Too many losses of late for the Vols.

Posted: January-31-2009 at 11:50pm | IP Logged	Tweet

Well, let's start with the Kentucky Wildcats. How about it "James K" and Bobby Gobble, what's the deal with the Cats, losing this past week to Ole Miss and then last night at home to South Carolina? The win was just the Gamecocks' second victory in 23 games in Lexington, the program's first win on the Wildcats' home court coming back in 1997.

What can I say about the Vols, other than they finally played a pretty good ballgame in beating the Florida Gators. The Vols opened the game strong and led by as much as 23 points. The crowd in Thompson-Boling was definitely pumped-up with ESPN's GameDay crew present.

Scotty Hopson had his best game yet as a Vol. He shot pretty well from outside, but I still don't understand what Tyler Smith was doing launching up those 3-pointers. He hit just one outside shot, I'm thinking.

But the main thing is, the Vols won and now with Kentucky losing twice in conference play this past week, and Florida losing to the Vols, we now see Tennessee, Florida, Kentucky and South Carolina all with two SEC losses in the East division standings.

Did you watch the Vols and Gators game, "BugMan?"

And for the Virginia Tech Hokie fans, a heartbreaking loss by a bucket to Boston College.  

Posted: February-01-2009 at 7:06am | IP Logged	Tweet

Tyler had THREE 3 pointers in the 1st half...what game were you watching??...

...and Hopson looked much better, but STILL had TWO Air-Balls, one from three pt land and 1 from the foul-line late.

Posted: February-01-2009 at 9:57am | IP Logged	Tweet

The SEC is very young in men's basketball right now.

Let's see what Dickie V says in a few years...I bet it won't be "No SEC team would be in the top 8 of the Big East".

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!

Posted: February-02-2009 at 1:43am | IP Logged	Tweet

Personally, I love hearing Dickie V broadcast basketball games. He's a legend! But I don't like hearing him talk bad about the SEC. Though it's true, the SEC is down this year. I admit it. But look at just a couple of years ago when Florida won back-to-back national titles.

The Big East has some good teams ... U Conn, Pittsburgh, Louisville, Syracuse and Marquette especially.

But take Georgetown, West Virginia, Seton Hall, St. John's, Rutgers and others from the Big East, and they're no better than some SEC teams.

Florida, Tennessee, LSU, Kentucky, Arkansas and South Carolina, those will be the teams from the SEC I believe that will get NCAA March Madness tournament bids. Maybe substitute Mississippi State for one of the above teams.

Then let's sit back and see how the SEC teams fare in the NCAA tournament.

I tell you something that could happen, and I sure hope it doesn't. U Conn men and women both could win championships. Being a UT Vol fan, I cannot stand U Conn women's coach Geno Auriema. That's one of the most cocky, arrogant acting individuals I believe I've ever seen. U Conn men's coach Jim Calhoun, his career speaks for itself. But some of those players he's had over the years, I wonder if they graduated from kindergarten. HA HA HA HA

We all know the ACC is tough in basketball, with North Carolina, Duke and Wake Forest at the head of the conference. Clemson has a pretty good record, but I'm still not so sure how good a team they are.

Look at Virginia Tech, Miami, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina State, and it's hard to say which of those teams might get into the NCAA tournament. I don't believe Maryland, Virginia or NC State will make it, though.

Look how crazy the game of basketball is. Here recently Virginia Tech beats No. 1 ranked Wake Forest, then last week Wake Forest beats No. 1 ranked Duke. Then over the weekend, Wake Forest turns around and loses to Georgia Tech.  

Posted: February-02-2009 at 1:47am | IP Logged	Tweet

Yeah, he did hit those three outside shots in the first half. Not just Tyler, but in the first half is really when Tennessee as a team unit had everything clicking. But Tyler kept launching those 3-pointers in the second half, and he was an "iron worker."

But at least Tyler did hammer the iron, unlike Scotty Hopson on those air-balls. There at the end of the game, when he air-balled that foul shot ... I about fell off the couch into the floor.

But I want to look at the overall positive for the Vols: The won. Scotty Hopson finally hit some outside shots. The team played pretty good defense.

Posted: February-02-2009 at 1:55am | IP Logged	Tweet

Bobby Gobble wrote: Guys I dont know what going on in Lexington. They won 10 out of 11 games now they have lost 2 in a row. This is a team of streaks but they need more points from other players than Meeks and Patterson. Coach Gillespie will get UK back into the national picture in a couple years but it will take a little time

Hey Bobby, I agree with you and think Billy Gillespie will get the Wildcats back in the national championship hunt. He's a good coach.

But something that I think funny is, Kentucky fans basically ran Tubby Smith out of town because they didn't think he was a good coach anymore. Somehow, though, ol' Tubby's "learned how to coach again" (not that he ever forgot how to coach to begin with) and he's got a pretty doggone good team at Minnesota. I'd love to see Minnesota and Kentucky get paired-up in the NCAA tournament and see the Golden Gophers beat the Wildcats. That would kill the Kentucky fans.

In last year's Arby's Classic at Viking Hall in Bristol, I got to see Ralph Sampson III play for his Georgia high school team, and he's playing pretty good ball as a freshman for Minnesota.

Posted: February-10-2009 at 11:14pm | IP Logged	Tweet

Hey Bobby Gobble, did you watch tonight's Kentucky and Florida game? I thought the Wildcats had lost yet another game, which would've been their fourth-straight ... and the game was played at Rupp Arena.

What an unreal shot Jodie Meeks hit. Luck played a big part in that shot. I couldn't believe it when Kentucky fouled Nick Calethes on the 3-point attempt. Here Calethes was 9-for-9 from the charity stripe on the night, and all he had to do was hit all three free throws to send the game to overtime. He missed the first two, then deliberately missed the last. Well, he just slammed the ball off the backboard without hitting the rim, wanting to get the rebound and try a 3-pointer. But the ball's got to hit the rim.

Bobby, I was pulling for Kentucky. Because I knew with a Wildcat win that would leave Florida, South Carolina, Kentucky and Tennessee all with three SEC East division losses.

I just hope the Vols can beat Georgia tonight (Wednesday) to make their record 6-3, to draw them even with the Gators, Gamecocks and 'Cats.

Also, the biggie game tonight will be Duke and North Carolina in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Okay RacersLounge participants, who do y'all think will win between the Blue Devils and Tar Heels?

Posted: February-11-2009 at 12:55am | IP Logged	Tweet

This is definitely a lean year for Tennessee basketball fans. The men's team looks more like an NBA team (and I don't mean that as a compliment) and the women are just too young to do much.

At least Gonzaga's playing fairly well, so this year's not a total loss.

Posted: February-20-2009 at 8:50pm | IP Logged	Tweet

Hey "dirttracker63," I figured you'd make a post about your Cavaliers beating the Hokies Wednesday night. With this being a down year for the Cavs, I figured you'd be ready to brag on your team. And I know there are Hokie fans who participate on RacersLounge.

Hey, it's just a facet of sports today, you've got "thugs" participating. They don't know how to act. And for the Hokies, everytime I've watched them play, that Jeff Allen definitely is a "thug." After his actions in the Maryland game, I applaud Virginia Tech officials for suspending him one game.

C'mon guys, the rivalries of college athletics is what it's all about. We've all got our respective teams we cheer/root for, and it's well-known my team is the Tennessee Volunteers.

Just like where the Virginia and Virginia Tech game is for braggin' rights in the Commonwealth, another game for braggin' rights on Saturday will be when the Vols travel to Lexington to face Kentucky. I hope the Vols win, but it will be tough to beat the Wildcats at Rupp Arena.
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — Sylven Landesberg scored 19 points and Virginia used a 17-2 run spanning the halves to take command and beat Virginia Tech 75-61 on Wednesday night.

Virginia (9-13, 3-8 Atlantic Coast Conference) won its second in a row. The Cavaliers snapped an eight-game losing streak in their last game, an 85-81 overtime victory against No. 13 Clemson, and had the perfect next opponent to rile up the crowd and allow them to play with a sudden swagger.

A.D. Vassallo scored 21 to lead the Hokies (16-9, 6-5), who lost for the fourth time in six games. They played without Jeff Allen, their leading rebounder and No. 3 scorer, who was suspended for making an obscene gesture at Maryland fans on Saturday.

Landesberg added nine rebounds and six assists.