Games from Week 4 (part 1)

#13 Kentucky (5-1) @ #18 Texas (5-1)

Kentucky 33 40 - 73

Texas 25 34 - 59

(69 Possessions)

Kentucky never trailed in front of the fierce Texas crowd. Freshman Angel Hitchens scored 18, and the Wildcats outscored the Longhorns 18-9 off the bench. The only bright spot for the stifled Texas offense was sophomore Jacob Rayborn who put up 18.

Cincinnati (2-4) @ #15 Kansas (4-2)

Cincinnati 32 35 - 67

Kansas 45 29 - 74

(71 possessions)

The game was never in doubt, but the Bearcats put up a very respectable showing given their opponent. Kansas' bench dominated 20-11 with Travis Twomey putting up 8. Mainstay seniors Carl Bergin and Larry Burgur combined for 33.

#16 Xavier (5-1) @ #24 Oklahoma (6-0)

Xavier 37 31 - 68

Oklahoma 27 36 - 63

(58 possessions)

Xavier's bench outscored its opposition by 10 in what proved to be the difference. The junior shooting guard for the Sooners, Gene Sater, went on a rampage, putting up 27 and 10 of the team's last 17. It's hard to know how seriously to take Oklahoma as a ranked team, but Xavier certainly seems to merit discussion for a bye.

DePaul @ Creighton

DePaul 22 26 - 48

Creighton 20 27 - 47

(57 possessions)

In a defensive battle, Creighton's offense fell flat. Down by five with 10 minutes to go, their comeback was too little too late. Junior Donald Hidalgo was largely absent, contributing only 10 points in the embarrassing loss at home.

Temple (4-2) @ Utah (0-6)

Temple 35 35 - 70

Utah 36 35 - 71

(73 possessions)

Utah's bench put up a 20-10 quarter. And that was enough for Temple to eat a nasty upset. Despite a 23-point game from Fred Cavanaugh, the Owls' starters weren't enough to make up the difference. Ouch.

Preseason Rankings:

1. UNC

2. Duke

3. Florida

4. Syracuse

5. Purdue

6. Wisconsin

7. Pittsburgh

8. Ohio St.

9. Louisville

10. Gonzaga

11. Michigan St.

12. Georgetown

13. Tennessee

14. BYU

15. Kansas

16. Kentucky

17. Memphis

18. Texas

19. Xavier

20. Oklahoma St.

21. Stanford

22. Texas A&M

23. West Virginia

24. California

25. Villanova

Ranked Teams By Conference

Appalachian Conference:

North Carolina (#1)

Duke (#2)

Pittsburgh (#7)

West Virginia (#23)

Southeast Conference:

Florida (#3)

Colonial Conference:

Syracuse (#4)

Georgetown (#12)

Villanova (#25)

Big Ten:

Purdue (#5)

Wisconsin (#6)

Ohio St. (#8)

Michigan St. (#11)

Heartland Conference:

Louisville (#9)

Tennessee (#13)

Kentucky (#16)

Memphis (#17)

Xavier (#19)

Pac Ten:

Gonzaga (#10)

Stanford (#21)

California (#24)

Great Plains Conference:

Brigham Young (#14)

Texas A&M (#22)

Big Twelve:

Kansas (#15)

Texas (#18)

Oklahoma St. (#20)

Looking forward into 2011

The recruiting classes have finally been tabulated, and the results are in:

Top Recruting Classes for the 2011-2012 Season

1. Syracuse: Snagged two starting All-Americans, Christopher Torres and Walter Waddle, who are each expected to go as lottery picks in next year's NBA draft.

2. North Carolina: Recruited a lottery-bound forward in Ramon Baize, who is sure to take their team to the next level.

3. LSU: Surprised everyone by getting two different McDonalds All-Americans, a point guard in Dean Hedstrom, and a ferocious forward in Shane Cowie.

4. Memphis: Won out over many suiters by getting a letter of commitment from center Joseph Rye, considered by many to be the best center in this recruiting class.

5. Kentucky: Landed Angel Hitchens, an All-American point guard.

6. Penn St: In a recruiting class laden with talented players at the 1, the Nittany Lions managed to win over Hector Hinesley, a prospect from central Pennsylvania.

7. Oregon: Wooed All-American Nathaniel Nolette from the beginning, and won out over nearby Washington and Gonzaga.

8. Colorado: A surprise to everyone, All-American Loyd Bucciero agreed to suit up for Colorado this season.

Honorable Mentions:

Washington & Wisconsin: Both teams missed on All-Americans, but recruited excellent players with no weak spots whatsoever.

Reboot

So. While I greatly enjoyed my little league, I have retired it for a substantially improved game engine. Included are now both coaches and players, and the system itself is much more realistic and robust due to extensive testing. All subsequent posts pertain to the 2011-2012 JCBL (v.2) and its new beginning. Enjoy.

JCBL 2010, Week 10

So, what happened this week.

Well, Kansas lost @ Texas, 66-79. That bumped Texas up three rankings, and now puts Kansas State at the head of the Big 12. For now.

UNC finally got their first loss of the season at Duke by two points. The loss was enough to knock North Carolina out of the #1 spot.

Ohio State lost by 1 @ Wisconsin 58-59, which now puts them a game behind Wisconsin and two behind Michigan State, not to mention now tied with Illinois.

The Top 25 Rankings

#1 UConn 19-1

#2 UNC 19-1

#3 Memphis 18-2

#4 Duke 18-2

#5 Xavier 20-0

#6 Michigan St. 19-1

#7 West Virginia 18-2

#8 UCLA 16-4

#9 Ohio St. 16-4

#10 Kansas 15-5

#11 Kansas St. 16-4

#12 Georgetown 16-4

#13 Wisconsin 18-2

#14 Texas 15-5

#15 Pittsburgh 16-4

#16 Kentucky 17-3

#17 Syracuse 15-5

#18 Villanova 15-5

#19 Maryland 16-4

#20 Butler 15-5

#21 Illinois 16-4

#22 Missouri 14-6

#23 Marquette 14-6

#24 Gonzaga 13-7

#25 Louisville 12-8

Receiving the next most votes in order: USC, Clemson, Baylor, Arizona, Texas A&M.

JCBL 2010, Week 9

Top Stories

With only ten weeks of the regular season to go, we only have two undefeated teams left. North Carolina has been #1 for two weeks, and merits it, having swept through the ACC. Next week they play at Duke, but after that game they're in the easiest part of their conference schedule. They may well come out of conference play with only one loss, and going into the conference tourney with none... well, it's certainly possible. They'll need to do as well as possible, with a fierce UConn squad hard on their heels at #2.

Last week the basketball world tuned for two games. In one, the home court Wildcats destroyed Kansas 89-73. But in the other, #2 Memphis travelled to play #7 Xavier. While the Tigers are still the higher ranked team, the Musketeers were 17-0, leading the Ico-10. Xavier has been something of an anomaly, having long since surpassed their preseason expectations. Fans watched to see if #2 Memphis would end Xavier's streak. They'll have to keep waiting. Xavier played a flawless game and held off a late rally to win 59-48. Now Xavier is #5 in the nation, with Memphis falling to #3. Xavier has a two game lead on the conference now, but you'd better believe that when the rematch is played on Week 14 in Memphis...

Conferences with Top 25 games and Standings

Big East

- UConn stays on top, but West Virginia is moving out of the pack and into the top 10. Louisville continues to underperform.

#2 UConn (17-1) 49 @ #11 Georgetown (15-3) 41

#20 Syracuse (13-5) 103 @ #8 West Virginia (16-2) 108

#24 Louisville (11-7) 70 @ #14 Pittsburgh (15-3) 74

#15 Villanova (14-4) 53 @ St. Johns 49

#2 UConn (17-1) 70 @ #20 Syracuse(13-5) 68

#24 Louisville (11-7) 72 @ #11 Georgetown (15-3) 96

#8 West Virginia (16-2) 92 @ St. Johns 66

#14 Pittsburgh (15-3) 49 @ Seton Hall 46

#15 Villanova (14-4) 66 @ Cincinnati 61

Standings

#2 UConn 17-1

#8 West Virginia 16-2

#11 Georgetown 15-3

#14 Pittsburgh 15-3

#15 Villanova 14-4

#20 Syracuse 13-5

#24 Louisville 11-7

Cincinnati 5-13

St. Johns 4-14

Seton Hall 2-16

Big 12

- Kansas drops two in a row, and is now tied with Kansas St. Baylor and Oklahoma State lurk just under national ranking.

#9 Kansas (14-4) 58 @ Texas A&M (10-8) 65

#12 Kansas St. (14-4) 86 @ #21 Missouri (13-5) 57

#17 Texas (13-5) 64 @ Baylor (12-6) 66

#9 Kansas (14-4) 73 @ #12 Kansas St. (14-4) 89

#17 Texas (13-5) 74 @ Texas A&M (10-8) 70

#21 Missouri (13-5) 57 @ Colorado (2-16) 47

Standings

#9 Kansas 14-4

#12 Kansas St. 14-4

#17 Texas 13-5

#21 Missouri 13-5

Baylor 12-6

Oklahoma St. 12-6

Texas A&M 10-8

Oklahoma 6-12

Colorado 2-16

Texas Tech 2-16

Rem 10

- Georgia Tech upsets both of the Butler and Marquette, and is making their case for a bye come tournament time.

#18 Butler (14-4) 59 @ Georgia Tech (11-7) 71

#25 Marquette (12-6) 70 @ LSU (6-12) 55

#18 Butler (14-4) 78 @ Notre Dame (7-11) 56

#25 Marquette (12-6) 72 @ Georgia Tech (11-7)81

Standings

#18 Butler 14-4

#25 Marquette 12-6

Georgia Tech 11-7

Notre Dame 7-11

Wake Forest 7-11

LSU 6-12

Providence 5-13

Iowa St. 3-15

S. Florida 2-16

Nebraska 1-17

Ico 10

- The story here continues to be Xavier; #24 in the preseason polls is all the way at #5 this week. All they do is win. :D

#3 Memphis (16-2) 68 @ BYU (10-8) 58

#5 Xavier (18-0) 79 @ San Diego St. (7-11) 62

#22 Gonzaga (12-6) 65 @ UNLV (5-13) 43

#3 Memphis (16-2) 48 @ #5 Xavier (18-0) 59

#22 Gonzaga (12-6) 62 @ BYU (10-8) 69

Standings

#5 Xavier 18-0

#3 Memphis 16-2

#22 Gonzaga 12-6

BYU 10-8

San Diego St. 7-11

Arkansas 6-12

UNLV 5-13

Northwestern 5-13

DePaul 2-16

Rutgers 1-17

ACC

- UNC pulls away as Duke loses two straight. The interesting stories may be about the second-tier teams: Clemson has put together a good set of games lately against good teams, Miami continues to surprise at 12-6, Boston College has somehow managed 12-6, and Virginia Tech's quality offense has only yielded 10-8, even if they were the first to knock off Duke. More than any other conference, nobody is sure how things are going to end. Minus UNC and Duke being 1 & 2. Sheesh.

#1 UNC (18-0) 99 @ Clemson (12-6) 87

# 19 Maryland (14-4) 61 @ Florida St. (4-14) 50

#4 Duke (16-2) 55 @ Virginia Tech (10-8) 64

#1 UNC (18-0) 75 @ #19 Maryland (14-4) 62

#4 Duke (16-2) 63 @ Clemson (12-6) 71

Standings

#1 UNC 18-0

#4 Duke 16-2

#19 Maryland 14-4

Clemson 12-6

Miami 12-6

Boston College 12-6

Virginia Tech 10-8

Florida St. 4-14

Virginia 2-16

NC St. 1-17

SEC

- UK asserts its dominance even while Florida can't seem to buy a win. #25 in the preseason, Florida is 10-8 in a fairly weak conference. The SEC has plenty of solid teams, but Kentucky is the only team that has a remote shot at making a run.

#16 Kentucky (15-3) 72 @ South Carolina (11-7) 62

#16 Kentucky (15-3) 73 @ Vanderbilt (11-7) 58

Standings

#16 Kentucky 15-3

South Carolina 11-7

Vanderbilt 11-7

Florida 10-8

Mississippi St. 9-9

Tennessee 8-10

Georgia 8-10

Auburn 4-14

Alabama 2-16

Mississippi 1-17

Big 10

- Michigan State moves to the top of the conference as they defeat Ohio St. at home by 9. Perhaps the most interesting team is Illinois, who is poised to play spoiler this year with their excellent coaching and overall depth.

#6 Ohio St. (15-3) 64 @ Purdue (4-14) 63

#7 Michigan St. (17-1) 56 @ #23 Illinois (14-4) 45

#13 Wisconsin (16-2) 60 @ Minnesota (9-9) 50

#6 Ohio St. (15-3) 73 @ #7 Michigan St. (17-1) 84

#13 Wisconsin (16-2) 64 @ Purdue (4-14) 62

#23 Illinois (14-4) 60 @ Penn St. (3-15) 51

Standings

#7 Michigan St. 17-1

#13 Wisconsin 16-2

#6 Ohio St. 15-3

#23 Illinois 14-4

Indiana 10-8

Minnesota 9-9

Purdue 4-14

Penn St. 3-15

Iowa 2-16

Michigan 1-17

Pac 10

-UCLA is the team to beat, but the Pac 10 has a lot of excellent underteams. USC, Arizona and Washington could all make a lot of trouble before the season is over.

#10 UCLA (14-4) 51 @ USC (12-6) 48

#10 UCLA (14-4) 60 @ Washington (11-7) 61

Standings

#10 UCLA 14-4

Arizona 13-5

USC 12-6

Washington 11-7

Arizona St. 11-7

California 9-9

Washington St. 6-12

Stanford 5-13

Oregon 5-13

Oregon St. 6-6

Top 25 Poll (last week)

#1 (1) North Carolina 18-0

#2 (4) Connecticut 17-1

#3 (2) Memphis 16-2

#4 (3) Duke 16-2

#5 (7) Xavier 18-0

#6 (6) Ohio St. 15-3

#7 (9) Michigan St. 17-1

#8 (10) West Virginia 17-1

#9 (5) Kansas 14-4

#10 (8) UCLA 14-4

#11 (11) Georgetown 16-2

#12 (14) Kansas St. 14-4

#13 (12) Wisconsin 16-2

#14 (15) Pittsburgh 15-3

#15 (18) Villanova 14-4

#16 (20) Kentucky 15-3

#17 (16) Texas 13-5

#18 (17) Butler 14-4

#19 (19) Maryland 14-4

#20 (13) Syracuse 13-5

#21 (22) Missouri 13-5

#22 (23) Gonzaga 12-6

#23 (24) Illinois 12-6

#24 (21) Louisville 11-7

#25 (25) Marquette 12-6

- Also receiving votes in order, Baylor, Arizona, USC, Oklahoma State, Clemson.

JCBL 2010, Week 8

Week 8 Standings:

Big East:

#4 UConn 15-1

#11 Georgetown 14-2

#10 West Virginia 14-2

#13 Syracuse 13-3

#15 Pittsburgh 13-3

#18 Villanova 12-4

#21 Louisville 11-5

Cincinnati 5-11

St. Johns 4-12

Seton Hall 1-15

Big 12

#5 Kansas 14-2

#14 Kansas St. 12-4

#16 Texas 12-4

#22 Missouri 12-4

Baylor 10-6

Oklahoma St. 10-6

Texas A&M 9-7

Oklahoma 6-10

Texas Tech 2-14

Colorado 1-15

ACC

#1 North Carolina 16-0

#3 Duke 16-0

#19 Maryland 13-3

Clemson 11-5

Miami 11-5

Boston College 10-6

Virginia Tech 8-8

Florida St. 4-12

Virginia 1-15

NC St. 1-15

Big 10

#9 Michigan St. 15-1

#6 Ohio St. 14-2

#12 Wisconsin 14-2

#24 Illinois 13-3

Minnesota 8-8

Indiana 8-8

Purdue 4-12

Penn St. 3-13

Iowa 1-15

Michigan 1-15

Pac 10

#8 UCLA 13-3

USC 11-5

Arizona 11-5

Arizona St. 10-6

California 9-7

Washington 9-7

Washington St. 5-11

Stanford 4-12

Oregon 4-12

Oregon St. 3-13

SEC

#20 Kentucky 13-3

South Carolina 11-5

Florida 10-6

Vanderbilt 10-6

Mississippi St. 8-8

Tennessee 6-10

Georgia 6-10

Auburn 3-13

Alabama 1-15

Mississippi 1-15

Ico 10

#7 Xavier 16-0

#2 Memphis 15-1

#23 Gonzaga 11-5

BYU 9-7

San Diego St. 6-10

Arkansas 5-11

UNLV 4-12

Northwestern 3-13

DePaul 2-14

Rutgers 1-15

Rem 10

#17 Butler 13-3

#25 Marquette 11-5

Georgia Tech 9-7

Notre Dame 7-9

LSU 6-10

Wake Forest 5-11

Providence 3-13

Iowa St. 2-14

Nebraska 1-15

S. Florida 1-15

Top 25

1. North Carolina

2. Memphis

3. Duke

4. UConn

5. Kansas

6. Ohio St.

7. Xavier

8. UCLA

9. Michigan St.

10. West Virginia

11. Georgetown

12. Wisconsin

13. Syracuse

14. Kansas St.

15. Pittsburgh

16. Texas

17. Butler

18. Villanova

19. Maryland

20. UK

21. Louisville

22. Missouri

23. Gonzaga

24. Illinois

25. Marquette