***Official 2006-2007 College Basketball Thread***

[The4Aces]

Texas A & M is going to be champions

[Assani Fisher]

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- Greg Oden finally made his college debut, drawing a standing ovation that lasted almost a half minute.

The 7-foot freshman, one of the most acclaimed big men to come out of high school in recent years, played for No. 3 Ohio State on Saturday after a long layoff because of an injured right wrist. He had not appeared in a competitive game since surgery in June to repair ligament damage.


He scored his first point at 12:56 against Valparaiso, hitting a free throw with his left -- nonshooting -- hand. He wore an elastic brace on his right wrist and hand.

Oden was the tallest cheerleader in Value City Arena until a roar went up at 16:37 of the opening half when he stood, stripped off his warmups and walked slowly to midcourt to check in.

He took the floor while Valparaiso had the ball. When the Crusaders' Urule Igbavboa put up a looping 12-footer, Oden jumped high -- the ball barely going over the tips of his fingers before falling through the net. The crowd oohed and aahed at the near-block.

On his first trip down the floor on offense, he traded passes with his former high school teammate, Mike Conley Jr., before Conley threw the ball away trying to feed him inside.

Oden was the nation's top recruit and was widely perceived as the No. 1 player in the NBA draft -- if the league hadn't changed its rules to prevent high school graduates from immediately jumping to the pros from high school.

Since undergoing surgery, Oden has practiced with the Buckeyes while maintaining a conditioning regimen. He played in practice with a brace on his hand and wrist. During workouts he shot with his left hand.

Team doctors administered strength tests on the wrist and hand Friday and consulted with Oden's surgeon in his hometown of Indianapolis. The surgeon cleared him to play.

During the Buckeyes' shootaround on Saturday morning, Oden wore a wide smile when he first walked on the court.

Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith and two of the officials came over to shake his hand during warmups before the game.

Most of the crowd remained standing for several minutes after Ohio State returned to the floor before introductions, many staring at every move Oden made while simply shooting layups or scooping up rebounds.

Oden teamed with Conley to lead Lawrence North High School to three consecutive Indiana state championships. He averaged 22.7 points, 10.7 rebounds and hit 73 percent of his field-goal attempts last year as a senior.

The Buckeyes are off to a 6-1 start -- their only loss a 98-89 defeat at No. 7 North Carolina on Wednesday night. In that game, North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough dominated inside in the second half to lead the Tar Heels.

Oden and Conley are part of the "Thad Five" recruiting class at Ohio State for coach Thad Matta. Conley starts along with 6-6 defensive specialist David Lighty and 6-9 junior-college transfer Othello Hunter, with 6-5 Daequan Cook coming off the bench to average 17.3 points.

Hunter and career backup Matt Terwilliger have been filling in for Oden in the middle for Ohio State.

If Oden continues to progress physically, he most likely will play a major role when the Buckeyes take on defending champion Florida on Dec. 23 in Gainesville.






Am I the only one that thinks its rather silly to rush him back when he can't even shoot with his right hand yet?

[Assani Fisher]

Wichita St, which already won at LSU(#6 at the time) is currently up 35-15 at #15 Syracuse!

[Assani Fisher]

Oh, and they've won at George Mason too this year.

[MEbenhoe]

[ QUOTE ]

Am I the only one that thinks its rather silly to rush him back when he can't even shoot with his right hand yet?

[/ QUOTE ]

14 Pts, 10 Reb, 5 Blks in 23 min with one good hand. Thats why he's playing already.

[Assani Fisher]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

Am I the only one that thinks its rather silly to rush him back when he can't even shoot with his right hand yet?

[/ QUOTE ]

14 Pts, 10 Reb, 5 Blks in 23 min with one good hand. Thats why he's playing already.

[/ QUOTE ]I'm not saying that hes not a good player. I'm saying that they were playing Valparaiso and didn't really need the extra help, and if he can't even shoot with the hand then its definitely not healed. And playing when you're not healed is the surest way to re-injure something. Just doesn't seem smart for Ohio St, and it definitely doesn't seem smart long term for Oden.

[mark_foley]

[ QUOTE ]
Wichita St, which already won at LSU(#6 at the time) is currently up 35-15 at #15 Syracuse!

[/ QUOTE ]

The Wheat Shockers hold on and could make their way in to the top 10 this week. The valley has not dissapointed this year.

[MyTurn2Raise]

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Why do you say that about rpi?

[/ QUOTE ]

it's terrible compared to other computer rankings
doesn't account for MOV enough
overweights win and loss record for inferior opponents

[Austiger]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Why do you say that about rpi?

[/ QUOTE ]

it's terrible compared to other computer rankings
doesn't account for MOV enough
overweights win and loss record for inferior opponents

[/ QUOTE ]

But like the BCS in football, it is the only ranking that matters, so we will have no choice but to talk about it. Butler is #1 btw, and Arkansas St. (0-5) is #1 is SOS:

@ Air Force L
@ Nevada L
@ Fresno St. L
@ Nebraska L
@ Creighton L

[MyTurn2Raise]

we have a choice....educate the world about how much the rpi sucks

its crumminess causes the crappy seedings each year