john howard's Oklahoma City Thunder Fan Profile

Thunder playoff bound posted on 03/13/2010

If the Thunder win the next 12 out of 18 games, they will assure themselves of a playoff spot.  That's assuming Memphis wins every game here on out.  Memphis is in 9th place and has 16 games remaining. Should they win all 16, they would have 51 wins.  OKC may very well win 12 games.  But, either way it looks like they are going to make the playoffs.  Just where will they be is the question.  Right now they are in 5th place.  But, they are 1 1/2 games behind Utah for 4th!! They are also 2 games ahead of 8th.  So, they could finish anywhere.

No one is playing as good as Durant.  Jeff Green had 27 last night.  Westbrook is amazing and continues to impress.  Sefaloosha can hand cuff the best and Krstic is almost a double double level.  The bench has become solid.  Nick Collison is a blue collar veteran that knows how to play.  Ibaka is turning into a weapon offesnisvely and can rebound.  He is a high energy guy.  Eric Maynor's turnover to assist ratio is incredible for a rookie.  The only down fall is that Harden is out and may miss a month with a hamstring injury.  He should be back for the playoffs.  If he returns at the level he was playing at, the Thunder have a scorer off the bench.  Unitl then, Kyle Weaver will be picking up the slack. 

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Saturday's Games: NCAA Tourney hopes posted on 03/13/2010

There are some big games on Saturday.  The ACC is at the top of the list with perhaps the biggest game.  That game is Duke vs Miami Fla.  Miami had the worst record in the league for the ACC and knocked off Wake Forrest and Va Tech.  Va Tech looks to still get in and Wake was a bubble team.  Losing to Miami may have knocked them out.  If Miami wins, that would put them into the ACC final against either NC ST or Ga Tech.  Ga Tech is a bubble team that could earn a spot with a win today.  But either way, a Miami win would give a team that wasn't in the field of 64 a slot, bumping someone else out.  Live long Jimmy V.

In the American East, Vermont and Boston battle for the automatic bid.

The Atlatic 10 looks like it has 3 locks with Temple, Xavier and Richmond.  Those 3 are still alive in the tourny.  Xavier and Richmond are playing each other while Temple takes on Rhode Island.  ESPN has Rhode Island and one of the first 4 teams not getting in.  A win today could get them back in.  A tournament win definately would.

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Bubbles bursting by the minute. posted on 03/10/2010

South Florida got hammered by Georgetown today.  That means that SFU most likely won't be invited to the big dance. 

Missouri got beat by lowly Nebraska.  That is very unimpressive.  The Tigers have a 10-6 record in Big 12 play.  That alone should qualify them for the NCAA tourney.  But losing in the first round to Nebraska who is 14 and 17 on the year is bad.

 What's scary is teams that run the table and make it that otherwise wouldn't have.  This bumps off another bubble team.  I don't think Nebraska will run the table, but someone usually does.

Back to the Big East.  Cincinatti and Seton Hall are still alive, but they won't likely run the table either.   However, Seton Hall takes on the 7 seed in Notre Dame.  This is a big game for the Fighting Irish.  They are a bubble team that is looking better than most.  A loss here could really hurt them.  A win should be enough to get them in.

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On The Bubble posted on 03/09/2010

65 teams will get invited to the big dance.  There are 31 conferences with automatic bids.  That leaves 34 at-large bids.  Most of those conferences will be won by a team that should get an at large bid. What causes some teams to be bumped off the bubble is those conferences that someone wins that wouldn't normally be invited.

Here is a break are the top 34 teams that are going to get invited even if they don't win there conferences.

1)  KANSAS SYRACUSE KENTUCKY DUKE

2)  PURDUE OHIO ST W VIRGINIA VILLANOVA

3)  KANSAS ST MICH ST NEW MEXICO TENNESSEE

4) MARYLAND PITT WISCONSIN TEMPLE

5)  BUTLER BYU BAYLOR VANDERBILT

6)  GONZAGA XAVIER TEXAS A&M GEORGETOWN

7) RICHMOND N IOWA TEXAS UTEP

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ncaa tourney feb 22 posted on 02/23/2010

Kansas got closer to locking up a one seed.  They beat Oklahoma soundly last night.  As for the Sooners, it has gotten so bad that the coach is threatening scholarships.  OUch!

The big game of the night was UConn beating West Virginia.  WV is fighting for a top seed and last night didn't help.  They may now be a 3 or 4 seed if the selection were today.  UConn took a big step towards getting in. I think they are still out of the field as of right now since their conference record is still below 500.  They have always been a tourney favorite.  I look for them to keep building on that win.  I say now they are not in. I predict that they will get in.

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