BBR’s Week 2 Top 25

Couple of good games this weekend mixed the top 25 up a little with the Pac10 and the MAC doing most of the mixing. The MAC and the WAC came real close to pulling upsets over the Big 10 and the Pac 10. The biggest losers this week Notre Dame and the Big 10.

Being off Kentucky didn’t pick up any votes in the AP which doesn’t mean anything since the AP has never matched what fans manage to see every weekend with what writers don’t watch.

In the Coaches poll Kentucky got 9 votes which would rank us 6th in the SEC and 38th in the nation.

1 Florida 2-0
2 Texas 2-0
3 USC 2-0
4 Alabama 2-0
5 Brigham Young 2-0
6 Penn State 2-0
7 Mississippi 1-0
8 California 2-0
9 Boise State 2-0
10 Ohio State 1-1
11 LSU 2-0
12 Oklahoma 1-1
13 Virginia Tech 1-1
14 Cincinnati 2-0
15 TCU 1-0
16 Miami (FL) 1-0
17 Georgia Tech 2-0
18 Utah 2-0 405
19 Nebraska 2-0
20 Oklahoma State 1-1
21 Houston 2-0
22 Kansas 2-0
23 Georgia 1-1
24 Notre Dame 1-1
25 Michigan 2-0

BBR’s Week 1 Top 25

In an attempt to give you a unbiased by the media blue view of how good teams are we proudly give you our week 1 top 25 rankings.

Our rankings in no way suggest that some of these teams deserve to be ranked #1 or in the top 25 since at least one of them won against a Charleston Pastry team and others against programs desperate for money and short on top 150 talent.

BBR’s hats go off to Alabama, California, Miami (Fl), Boise St, BYU and Cincinnati for winning against quality opponents. A special hat tip to the WAC and the MWC for electing to play top tier teams and to William & Mary and Richmond for wins over ACC teams.

1 Florida 1-0
2 Texas 1-0
3 USC 1-0
4 California 1-0
5 Oklahoma State 1-0
6 Alabama 1-0
7 Penn State 1-0
8 Mississippi 1-0
9 Brigham Young 1-0
10 Ohio State 1-0
11 LSU 1-0
12 Boise State 1-0
13 Georgia Tech 1-0
14 Virginia Tech 0-1
15 Oklahoma 0-1
16 TCU 0-0
17 Utah 1-0
18 Miami (FL) 1-0
19 Cincinnati 1-0
20 Notre Dame 1-0
21 Nebraska 1-0
22 Georgia 0-1
23 North Carolina 1-0
24 Kansas 1-0
25 Missouri 1-0

More UK thoughts,… from yours truly

1st: Randy Sanders will be calling the plays, NOT Joker. Can’t be overstated. This will make a huge difference.

2nd: The more I think about it, the more I find myself overlooking the UK UL game. My mind has it penciled in as a win. Most of the fans I talk to are also just as dismissive. Well, let me show some respect and offer the thought that, if UK isn’t ready to play against UL, they have a chance of starting 0-3. So, with that thought in mind, let me focus my energy (and somehow transfer that to the team) on UL, and concentrate on whipping our in state rival to start the season. Let’s don’t give Kragthorpe his signature win to prove he belongs. Let’s hit em mouth from the jump, and practice winning against them. GO CATS!!!

3rd: I have stated many times that UK HAS to beat Alabama to get off to the 2-1 start. But,… there’s that part of my mind that says…. Florida may be ripe for the picking. I know it’s crazy. I know it’s hypocrisy. I know the media tells us that, on paper, no way UK can beat…. not Florida, but Tim Tebow. I just get that feeling. Maybe it’s the optimist. Maybe it’s the critic. This Florida team should be good. But, let’s not kid ourselves, or let the what-can-you-sell-for-me-now media kid us either. Florida is beatable. And, I can’t think of a more hostile, hungry crowd, PARTICULARLY after beating an LSU that won the title with a two loss season, than these fans at commonwealth. I think it will be emotional. I think this team will play harder than any team we’ve seen in over twenty years.

So, the ole Katmen is gonna lay it out now. If UK comes into that game 2-0, they will beat Florida. Commonwealth will be so loud and packed with fans that I think the energy will be palpable. There it is. I throw out the caveat of the 2-0 and because football is a game of momentum, and energy. An upset loss to Loserville, or a letdown against Alabama will make room for doubt, and deflate fans. BUT… come in 2-0, and UK will headline the early season by beat Florida.

4th: Folks, I love the SEC. Love it. Admire it. Respect it. But this is the facts. The best conference in college football, THIS year, is the big twelve. AND, the top two teams in the big twelve (OKLAHOMA and Texas) are better than the top two in the SEc. Fact. My early money says, barring critical injury, One of those two teams Will win the national title.

5th: I think the media needs to quit storking its… feathers to Nick Saban and get a reality check. Alabama at #5? Tell you what, if Alabama is in the top ten at the end of the year, I’ll get on this board and call myself stupid. They will be solid, maybe touch good. But, they are an 8 win team at best.

Alabama has got a tougher road than many think, and let me put a little bug in some people’s ears. Like it or not, Bobby Petrino can coach. He’s dirty. he stinks. But, he gets talent on the roster and gets it to perform on the field about as good as some of the best that are in the game. My early predictions are Alabama losing to Va Tech and Arkansas.

USA Today Poll

USA Today has released there preseason top 25. The Cats got 9 votes and are ranked 42 in the nation.

What shouldn’t surprise anyone is that there are no Big East teams ranked to start the season. Cincinnati, Pittsburg, W. Va, Rutgers and S. Florida all got votes. Its hard to see anyone besides Cincinnati or W. Virginia making a climb in to the top 25 due to the strength of their non-conference schedules.

The MWC and the WAC have four teams in the top 25 and a fifth Nevada got a few votes. Its easier to see some of them staying in the top 25 since they have teams that stand a fair chance of winning games against the BCS teams on their non-conference schedules.

USA Today Poll

1. Florida (53) 0-0 1,466

2. Texas (4) 0-0 1,386
3. Oklahoma (1) 0-0 1,358
4. USC (1) 0-0 1,321
5. Alabama 0-0 1,134
6. Ohio State 0-0 1,126
7. Virginia Tech 0-0 1,020
8. Penn State 0-0 988
9. LSU 0-0 917
10. Mississippi 0-0 889
11. Oklahoma State 0-0 861
12. California 0-0 711
13. Georgia 0-0 707
14. Oregon 0-0 694
15. Georgia Tech 0-0 559
16. Boise State 0-0 542
17. TCU 0-0 461
18. Utah 0-0 404
19. Florida State 0-0 371
20. North Carolina 0-0 293
21. Iowa 0-0 257
22. Nebraska 0-0 236
23. Notre Dame 0-0 194
24. Brigham Young 0-0 178
25. Oregon State 0-0 165

Others Receiving Votes: Kansas 138, Michigan State 136, Texas Tech 114, Cincinnati 90, Pittsburgh 64, West Virginia 55, Rutgers 51, Miami (FL) 46, Missouri 44, Illinois 38, Clemson 30, South Carolina 18, UCLA 14, Auburn 12, South Florida 11, Nevada 11, Kentucky 9, North Carolina State 7, Wisconsin 6, Arkansas 6, Northwestern 5, Southern Miss 4, Wake Forest 4, Arizona 3, Boston College 3, CENTRL MICHIGAN 3, East Carolina 3, Colorado 2, Maryland 2, Navy 2, Tennessee 2, TROY 1, Minnesota 1, Michigan 1, Houston 1.

What Are Patterson and Orton Doing With Hell’s Trainer?

Frank Matrisciano. The mental and fitness expert that has earned the moniker of “Hell’s Trainer.” Who is he? What does he do? And why in the world would a highly regarded freshman center and arguably the best frontcourt player in the country seek out such a secretive man to prepare them for the season?

Because they want to experience the same results Blake Griffin, this year’s #1 overall draft pick out of Oklahoma experienced.

I did a lot of research for this post, and it really amazed me just how little information I was able to find. But what I could find was very interesting. Either this guy is a complete basket case, which I do not believe, or he is one of the few innovators left. His methods are definitely different, but anyone who witnessed Blake Griffin terrorize the Big 12 and the rest of the country, realizes they bring results.

Matrisciano is half-italian, half-spanish, and was raised in northern New Jersey. (Couldn’t find a town). He is the youngest of four, has no kids himself, and has never been married. Reportedly he is 43 years old but that hasn’t been confirmed. Frank has been training basketball players since 1992, and though he doesn’t like to talk about the athletes he trained, the list includes the Wizards’ Gilbert Arenas, Celtics’ Leon Powe, the Pacers’ Kareem Rush, and Arron Afflalo of the Pistons.

“I look at them like robots.”

“I take them to a level they’ve never been.”

“I’m just a shadow in the background.”

All quotes from a man that has coined a personal phrase “Law-7.” What that means is for every ten athletes that enlist his help, seven of them leave within the first half-hour. He does not advertise his services, you must know someone within his training circle to get hooked up with him. Matrisciano addresses everyone “sir” and expects the same in return. He admits that in the past he was saddled with nicknames like “Mental Patient” and “Genetic Freak.”

“You don’t know how many say they want to do it,” Frank says. “But it’s easy to say when you’re on the couch. It’s another thing to get up at 5 a.m. and get out there on the sand hills.” He does not accept payment from high school or college players. They are responsible for paying their living expenses and bringing the will and desire to follow through with what they started. Four to eight hours per day five days a week for four to six weeks is what the newbies have to look forward to. Basketball doesn’t get neglected either as part of that time is spent in skills training under former NBA coach Bob Hill.

Survival of the Fittest training. Chameleon training. Two of the terms Matrisciano uses to describe his workouts. Stairmasters, ellipticals, treadmills, and even traditional free weights mean nothing to this man. His playground is San Francisco. Adapting to one’s surroundings and overcoming any obstacle is the mantra he preaches as his charges labor up stairs carrying medicine balls, jog up sand hills in harnesses he tugs at from behind, and run in the soft, sandy beaches while wearing a 65-pound weighted vest. The workouts are held almost exclusively outside and never on a flat or hard surface.

Hell’s Trainer has pushed many to their absolute limits which some say is his ultimate gift: the ability to identify exactly where each of his client’s “limit” is. He has trained boxers, MMA & Martial Artists, Federal Marshalls, Firemen, Policemen, Pro Athletes, and Military Personnel.

So did Patrick and Daniel make the right choice? Only time will tell, but if Blake Griffin’s domination last year is any indication, Wildcat fans will appreciate the time and hard work our two big men are putting into the team’s success. After all, when you have ran stairs, sand dunes, and inclines of every sort, how hard could it be to sprint up and down a 94′ basketball court?

 http://sewildcatreview.com/blog2.php?p=105&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1

Meeks an Oscar Robertson Candidate

The complete list of finalists:

DeJuan Blair, Pittsburgh (Soph., Pittsburgh, Pa.)
Sherron Collins, Kansas (Jr., Chicago, Ill.)
Dante Cunningham, Villanova (Sr., Silver Spring, Md.)
Stephen Curry, Davidson (Jr., Charlotte, N.C.)
Tyreke Evans, Memphis (Fr., Chester, Pa.)
Blake Griffin, Oklahoma (Soph., Oklahoma City, Okla.)
Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina (Sr., Poplar Bluff, Mo.)
Luke Harangody, Notre Dame (Jr., Schererville, Ind.)
James Harden, Arizona state (Soph., Los Angeles, Calif.)
Ty Lawson, North Carolina (Jr., Clinton, Md.)
Jerel McNeal, Marquette (Sr., Chicago, Ill.)
Jodie Meeks, Kentucky (Jr., Norcross, Ga.)
Hasheem Thabeet, Connecticut (Jr., Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania)
Jeff Teague, Wake Forest (Soph., Indianapolis, Ind.)
Evan Turner, Ohio State (Soph., Chicago, Ill.)

Latest Top 25

This weeks top 25. With a good week by LSU and a few losses by others the SEC could climb into the rankings

AP Top 25
1. Connecticut (67) 22-1 1,795
2. Oklahoma (3) 23-1 1,710
3. North Carolina (2) 21-2 1,672
4. Pittsburgh 21-2 1,583
5. Louisville 18-4 1,423
6. Duke 20-3 1,350
7. Wake Forest 18-3 1,242
8. Memphis 20-3 1,237
9. Michigan State 19-4 1,214
10. Marquette 20-3 1,137
11. UCLA 19-4 1,131
12. Clemson 19-3 1,097
13. Villanova 19-4 989
14. Xavier 20-3 893
15. Butler 21-2 762
16. Kansas 19-4 751
17. Missouri 20-4 395
18. Arizona State 18-5 389
19. Gonzaga 17-5 361
20. Purdue 17-6 353
21. Utah State 23-1 317
22. Illinois 19-5 303
23. Syracuse 18-6 280
24. Ohio State 17-5 216
25. Florida State 18-5 182
Others Receiving Votes
LSU 167, Washington 135, Texas 106, Florida 66, Minnesota 43, Dayton 31, California 16, Kansas State 8, West Virginia 8, South Carolina 7, Davidson 7, Miami (FL) 7, Utah 4, Arizona 4, San Diego State 2, Siena 2, Northeastern 2, Robert Morris 1, Boston College 1, Green Bay 1.
Dropped From Rankings
Texas 16, Minnesota 19, Washington 22.

ESPN/USA Today Poll
1. Connecticut (30) 22-1 774
2. Oklahoma (1) 23-1 735
3. North Carolina 21-2 711
4. Pittsburgh 21-2 689
5. Duke 20-3 604
6. UCLA 19-4 554
7. Louisville 18-4 553
8. Wake Forest 18-3 541
9. Michigan State 19-4 521
10. Memphis 20-3 486
11. Clemson 19-3 456
12. Marquette 20-3 446
13. Villanova 19-4 416
14. Xavier 20-3 375
15. Butler 21-2 346
16. Kansas 19-4 300
17. Utah State 23-1 258
18. Arizona State 18-5 214
19. Missouri 20-4 162
20. Illinois 19-5 143
21. Gonzaga 17-5 124
22. Syracuse 18-6 115
23. Purdue 17-6 114
24. Washington 17-6 86
25. Florida State 18-5 62
Others Receiving Votes
Ohio State 55, Texas 50, LSU 50, Dayton 34, Minnesota 30, Florida 26, Davidson 9, Utah 9, South Carolina 7, Saint Mary’s 5, Brigham Young 5, California 3, San Diego State 3, Penn State 2, UNLV 1, Arizona 1.
Dropped From Rankings
Texas 17, Minnesota 19.

Week 2 SEC Basketball Rankings

1. Tennessee: Finishing strong gets Tennessee to the top. Games against Kentucky and South Carolina this week could cement their top ranking.

2. Kentucky: Cats held on to beat Vandy and get to rise one. They have a chance to move up with wins over Tennessee and Georgia this week.

3. Arkansas: Beat Oklahoma and Texas last week and loose to Miss St at home. Hard to figure out how good this team is.

4. Florida: Florida is floating right now. Still waiting to see if they can beat a good SEC team.

5. South Carolina: A 12 point win over Auburn helped to show that SC is for real.

6. Mississippi St: A win at Arkansas shows that Miss St is playing good enough to be ranked this high.

7. Alabama: Win over LSU has Alabama ranked above LSU.

8. Vanderbilt: I’m not sure that Vandy should be ranked this low.

9. LSU: Lots of easy wins except against decent teams has LSU dropping.

10. Georgia: Georgia showed a little spunk in their two loosses and move up two spots this week.

11. Mississippi: Not much of a difference between 11 and 12.

12. Auburn: A 12 point loss to South Carolina lands them in the cellar this week.

SEC Basketball Rankings

The SEC is about to get underway so here is the first of my weekly SEC rankings.

1. Arkansas: Not much of a schedule but they beat a real good Oklahoma team so they get the #1 this week.

2. Tennessee: To many losses to good teams considering how high they were ranked to be #1 this week.

3. Kentucky: A much better team than the 12-4 SEC team last year.

4. LSU: 12-1 but a loss to Texas A&M the only good team they played in the pre SEC games. This team has the potential to rise quickly in SEC play.

5. Florida: Florida could go either way after this weeks games.

6. Alabama: Losses to Texas A&M, Oregon and Mercer are keeping Bama down.

7. South Carolina: A win over Baylor has South Carolina ranked this high.

8. Vanderbilt: I’m not sure that Vandy should be ranked this high.

9. Mississippi St: Wins in the last two games over Houston and Western Kentucky make me think Miss St is gelling.

10. Auburn: A loss to 7-7 Mercer and a 10-4 record so far gets Auburn a #10 ranking.

11. Mississippi: Losses to every good team they have played so far have Mississippi near the bottom of the list.

12. Georgia: With games against Georgia Tech and Tennessee this week its going to be real hard to climb out of the cellar for Georgia.

This weeks Top 25

This weeks top 25 rankings are out and clearly show that the winner of the Florida Alabama SEC championship game will be the team favored to win the national championship. The BCS rankings will be out later and will help solidify which non BCS team or teams will play.

AP Top 25
1. Alabama (62) 12-0 1,620
2. Florida (3) 11-1 1,516
3. Texas 11-1 1,488
4. Oklahoma 11-1 1,480
5. USC 10-1 1,355
6. Penn State 11-1 1,257
7. Utah 12-0 1,216
8. Texas Tech 11-1 1,197
9. Boise State 12-0 1,103
10. Ohio State 10-2 1,069
11. TCU 10-2 885
12. Ball State 12-0 834
13. Cincinnati 10-2 824
14. Oklahoma State 9-3 798
15. Georgia Tech 8-3 708
16. Oregon 9-3 630
17. Georgia 9-3 495
18. Boston College 9-3 482
19. Missouri 9-3 479
20. Brigham Young 10-2 385
21. Michigan State 9-3 312
22. Mississippi 8-4 280
23. Pittsburgh 8-3 241
24. Northwestern 9-3 190
25. Oregon State 8-4 122
Others Receiving Votes
Iowa 66, Virginia Tech 47, Tulsa 13, Florida State 12, California 7, West Virginia 4, Rice 3, Connecticut 3, Nebraska 3, North Carolina 1.
Dropped From Rankings
Florida State 23.
USA Today Poll
1. Alabama (58) 12-0 1,521
2. Oklahoma (2) 11-1 1,397
3. Texas 11-1 1,396
4. Florida (1) 11-1 1,385
5. USC 10-1 1,298
6. Penn State 11-1 1,176
7. Utah 12-0 1,153
8. Texas Tech 11-1 1,116
9. Boise State 12-0 1,044
10. Ohio State 10-2 999
11. TCU 10-2 836
12. Cincinnati 10-2 770
13. Ball State 12-0 765
14. Oregon 9-3 658
15. Oklahoma State 9-3 613
16. Georgia Tech 8-3 590
17. Missouri 9-3 470
18. Brigham Young 10-2 461
19. Georgia 9-3 440
20. Boston College 9-3 435
21. Michigan State 9-3 414
22. Northwestern 9-3 333
23. Pittsburgh 8-3 154
24. Oregon State 8-4 127
25. Mississippi 8-4 126
Others Receiving Votes
Virginia Tech 41, Iowa 31, Tulsa 21, Florida State 15, Nebraska 11, Kansas 10, Connecticut 5, North Carolina 5, Rice 5, California 4.
Dropped From Rankings
Florida State 24, West Virginia 25.

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