Preseason Primer - Best Out-Of-Conference Games

Preseason Primer is STF's guide to guide to some of most intriguing storylines heading into the 2007-2008 college basketball season. Today the primer checks out the best out-of-conference games. Stay tuned in October for Best Preseason Tournaments, Impact Freshmen, Under The Radar Teams, Best Mid-Majors, Reasons to Love College Basketball, Biggest Mismatches, Best College Hoops Blogs, Worst Teams in College Basketball.


Best Out-Of-Conference Games
(Only includes locked in games, not including possible tournament match-ups)





- GEORGETOWN AT MEMPHIS (December 22)
This is almost like an early Christmas gift. Personally my favorite match-up of the preseason tilt. It's a match-up of two Top 5 team with very contrasting style. Georgetown will come into the FedEx Forum trying to control the tempo with it's deliberate Princeton offense. Memphis will do the complete opposite, running at a lighting pace with Chris Douglas-Roberts and super frosh Derrick Rose. Throw in the big man match-up of Roy Hibbert vs. Joey Dorsey, and you've got yourself the best preseason game. Let's just hope Dorsey doesn't run his mouth to Hibbert.

- DAVIDSON VS UCLA (December 8)
Although this game is being played at Anaheim, love the move by UCLA to take on arguably the best mid-major in the country. Throw in additional non-conference, neutral site games against Duke (Dec 1) and North Carolina (Nov 14) and the Stephen Curry led Wildcats have am excellent chance to bolster their RPI resume before they enter SoCo play.

- TENNESSEE AT MEMPHIS (February 23)
A Top 5, out-of-conference game in late February? Thank you Memphis and Tennessee, who are most likely ranked 1 and 1a in terms of best non-conference schedule. Memphis also get home games vs. Arizona (Dec 29) and Gonzaga (Jan 26). Tennessee will host Ohio State (Jan 19) and vs Gonzaga in Seattle (Dec 29).

- KANSAS AT USC (December 2)
Our first real chance to see what OJ Mayo can do against some quality competition. The Brandon Rush/OJ Mayo match-up is worth the price of admission alone.

- INDIANA AT SOUTHERN ILLINOIS (December 1)
As you can probably tell by now, I'm a huge fan of big BCS schools traveling to mid-major powers. Just like UCLA, you have to credit Indiana for going to Southern Illinois, a team that returns three key starters (Falker, Shaw and Mullins) from a squad that was seconds from the Elite 8.

- WASHINGTON STATE VS GONZAGA (December 5)
The Zags look to get revenge for last year's loss to WSU. For the Cougars, this is their only chance to prove themselves in the preseason, thanks to a very weak schedule.

- OREGON AT KANSAS STATE (November 29)
Very intriguing match-up in the inaugural Pac-10/Big 12 Shootout. For Oregon, we'll get to see what they can do without Aaron Brooks and with expectations. For K-State, we'll see if Frank Martin can coach a contender and what if Michael Beasley can live up to the hype.

- NORTH CAROLINA AT OHIO STATE (November 28)
The Heels play a so-so preseason slate (at Penn, at Rutgers,vs, Davidson), but this game will be more about Buckeyes. Good early test to see how far along this team is compared to last year's National runner-up.

Word on the Court - September 28

What to know what is buzzing in college hoops? Every Monday and Friday (add Wednesday during the season) Word on the Court will provide links to the biggest and most interesting stories in the world of college basketball.


- To say that Coach K has been busy this summer would be an understatement (Seth Davis)
- John Thompson III finally get a contract extension. Shouldn't that have happened after they made the Final Four (AOL Fanhouse)
- March Madness All Season take a look at last year's predictions (March Madness All Season)
- A preseason look at the CAA, which is going to loaded once again this season (CAA: Life as a Mid-Major)
- Not expecting much from Washington in a stacked Pac-10. Somewhere, Zach of TBP is crying (Andy Katz)
- Looks like Georgetown will be the next Big East team to build a new practice facility (HoyaSaxa)
- The absolute earliest bracket predictions that I've seen (Adonal Obsessed)
- Calipari says his locked into Memphis (Memphis Edge)
- A vote for the Pac-10 as the best conference in the nations (CSTV)

Got a college basketball related story or tip? Let's hear it at stormingthefloor@gmail.com

Cuse Get A Gift From Melo

No matter what you may think of Carmelo Anthony because of his various drug related altercations, his fight at MSG and his feud with Larry Brown on Team USA, who have to admit that the man is generous.

In 2006 alone, Anthony gave away close to 4.2 million to charities, placing him #8 in country according to The Giving Fund. That's not just 8th out of sports figures, that's 8th out of everyone the country. A bulk Anthony 's donations were to the Carmelo Anthony Youth Center in his hometown in Baltimore, aimed to help underprivileged youths.

While still giving back to his hometown, Melo is now focusing on giving back to his alma of Syracuse.

Yesterday, construction began on the Carmelo Anthony Basketball Center, made possible by a $3 million donation by Anthony earlier in the year. The center will house new practice facilities for the Orange men and women's teams.

"I just can't thank the Syracuse community enough for bringing me here," said Anthony, who as a freshman led the Orange to the 2003 NCAA national championship and then left school to sign with the NBA's Denver Nuggets. "I don't think anybody realizes how much this is going to do for the men's and women's teams."

Say what you will about Melo, just don't ever ever say that he doesn't care about others.

Crews Out For The Vols

As I've mentioned before, if your team is in the headlines this time of year, it's probably not a good thing. And this would definitely not qualify as good news for the Tennessee Volunteers. The team has suspended sophomore Duke Crews indefinitely for breaking a still undisclosed team rule.

“Duke is a very intelligent student-athlete but has made some poor decisions,” Pearl said in a statement. “It is in his, as well as the team’s, best interest that he is suspended at this time.”

This is not good news for the Vols, who were counting on Crews's rebounding and defense to compliment the scoring of Chris Lofton and Jamar Smith. This may actually be a bigger loss to the Vols than it appears on paper.

As a freshmen last season, Crews led the Vols with 32 blocked shots, was also second on the team with 5.1 rebounds per game, and fifth in scoring with 8.4 ppg. Still no idea what the suspension for or the length, but the lose of Crews, the team's main defensive weapon, would be a huge blow a team with Final Four aspirations.

Duke Fans Aren't The Only Ones Camping Out For Tickets

Looks like Duke fans aren't the only ones in the state of North Carolina camping out for tickets these days. Has to be UNC right? NC State maybe? Has to at least be Wake? Wrong on all three.

According to the Charlotte Observer, fans of Davidson were found camping outside the school's ticket office last week to buy tickets for upcoming games against North Carolina and Duke at Charlotte Bobcats Arena (Worst.Areana.Name.Ever). Davidson ended up selling all of its 800 tickets in under an hour.

The fans have good reason to wait. Davidson returns all five starters from last year's squad, including stud Stephan Curry, that almost knocked off Maryland in the first round of the tourney. Davidson is also expected to be ranked in the Top 25 to start the season and is a near unanimous pick to be everyone's preseason sleeper.

Tip Off Monday: Rating the Schedules

Appearing every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Tip Off is Storming the Floor's home to college hoops related links. With a mix of major media,blog stories, and other things I haven't thought of yet, Tip Off hopes to cover everything in the world of college basketball.


Media Links

Grading the off season schedules. Who isn't Memphis playing? (Andy Katz)
Coach Cal is recruiting in China. Not surprising at all. (NY Times)
In support of the text messaging ban (Seth Davis)Billy Gillipse is doing his best Saban impression at Kentucky (Sidelines)
Matta gets extension at Ohio State, which has now shelled out 5 million on coaches in 4 days (Yahoo!)


Blog Links

Forget March Madness, the Would You Do Tournament is back at the Big Picture (The Big Picture)
A guide to the Big 12 for all of the new head coaches (The Extrapolater)
Levance Fields gets tased, bro (Rush The Court)
New social site fore athletes and media to interact (AccessAthletes)


Got a college basketball story? Let me hear about it at stormingthefloor@gmail.com

The ACC is Set To Storm the Palestra

Reading Luke Winn's blog a few days ago about his dream scenario of the NCAA playing some regional games at a few the classic gyms in college basketball had me thinking; wha would it be like see one of the national powers coming into the mecca known as the Palestra (made my virgin trip tot he Palestra last season, certainly won't be the last)? Well it looks like that is going to become a reality this season, as both North Carolina and Virginia will be making trips to the mecca to play Penn. Virginia will invade the Palestra on November 23rd while UNC will visit on December 4th. For the Tar Heels, it will be there first trip to the Palestra since 1948.

The only downer to the Tar Heel visit? While it's very possible that UNC will be ranked #1 when they visit, this year's Penn team looks like it's going to be the weakest Quaker team in years. Ibrahim Jaaber, Steve Danely and Mark Zoller, the top three scorers from last season, are all gone and Penn isn't even the overall favorite in the Ivy League.

(Photo: Getty Images)

Well, There Goes Your Only Reason To Ever See A Colorado Basketball Game

Here is novel concept for the University of Colorado's basketball program: eliminate the one thing that could possibly persuade fans and students to attend a CU basketball game. That's right, CU is banning the sale of alcohol at basketball games for the upcoming season. I mean, it's not like they've had any problems by mixing alcohol and sports at Colorado before.

A similar ban has already been in effect for football games since 2004 and the Buffs were the only team in the Big 12 to allow sales at basketball games, but none of that actually takes into account how difficult it is to sit through an entire Colorado basketball game without booze.

The ban should do wonders for Colorado's already struggling attendance as the Buffs averaged only slightly above 5,000 fans per game, dead last in the Big 12. And the greatest irony in the ban, as pointed out by DC Scrap, is that the Buffs play their home games at the Coors Events Center.