Dark Secrets of College Basketball: The Washington State Offense

For most fans outside of Pullman, watching a Washington State basketball victory must feel a bit like this:



This week's game between Washington State and Gonzaga was a perfect example. Despite an intriguing matchup between two in-state rivals facing each other as top 20 teams for the first time, watching the overall play of this game was about as riveting as a 51-47 final score would indicate. Defense ruled the night, and often minutes would pass before either team got a basket. Perhaps it's because I'm a UNC fan, who has grown accustomed to Roy Williams' high-flying transition offense. However, at 12:30 am, this game wasn't particularly easy to watch. Chapel Hill thrives on "Biscuits" this time of year (discounts at Bojangles when the Tar Heels score 100+ points at home); if Tony Bennett were our coach, fans would riot if not for starvation.

However, this is how the Wazzu head coach has been winning games in the past one and a half seasons, bringing the Cougars from the dredges of the Pac-10 to national prominence. The slow, defensive-minded pace keeps games close, and Washington State's shooters come through in clutch situations. As a WSU outsider, however, I have to wonder, is this slow pace really the most effective strategy for Washington State to win, or are these Cougars simply incapable of scoring the stratospheric level of 65 points per game?

Perhaps the answer to that question has almost nothing to do with basketball...

----------------------------------------

(Scene: November 10th, 2006, Beasley Coliseum. Coach Bennett is laying out the final details of tonight's gameplan to his players, just 15 minutes prior to tipoff in their season opener against UAB.)


Coach: Okay, just so we're clear on this...Taylor, I want you and Kyle to push the ball up the court on as many possessions as possible, because I know you can outrun their guards!

Taylor Rochestie: (nods)

Coach: And then I want to drive into the lane, and if there's an open shot take it. If not, kick it out to Derrick or Kyle on the wings, who should be open for threes all night. Derrick, you'd better sink the ones they give you tonight...

Derrick Low: I will, coach.

Coach: Good! Now once you start hitting 'em, the defense is going to overreact to passes on the perimeter. If they do that, quickly pass the ball back inside, where Robbie and Aron should be open for easy layups in the paint. Baynes, lay off those pancakes! The way I've got this set up, a midget could play center!



Aron Baynes: But...but LOOK at them. They're so good.

Coach: Well, alright. I guess a few extra pounds never hurt anybody playing the five. Now Let's go give the Blazers their own forty minutes of hell!

Everyone: YEEEAAAAHHHH!!!

Coach: We're gonna give 'em a show tonight. I can feel it.

(Just as the team is about head for it's final shootaround, the locker room doors fly open. In comes some dude with a bulletproof vest who looks and acts like Keanu Reeves from Speed.)



Stranger: Stop! you cannot go out there tonight with your gameplan.

Coach: Well, why the hell not?

Stranger: Because dude, there is a BOMB inside this arena.

Team: (gasps)

Aron Baynes: DUHN-Duhn-duhhhhhhhhhhnnnnn!!! (dramatic sound effect)

Coach: Wait a second--who the hell are you and how do you expect us to believe this?

Stranger: I'm [****** **********], FBI and ATF. (For security purposes, we're not allowed to disclose the agent's name.)

Coach: Well, why the hell would there be a bomb in this place?

Stranger: Well, apparently the mob is on a manhunt for Tony Bennett, and those dudes are going to STOP. AT. NOTHING. to get him taken care of. What I want to know is, why the hell does Tony Bennett keep showing up at your games? Does he like to perform at college halftime shows or something?

Coach: Because Tony Bennett is their coach!

Stranger: Waaaaait a minute... you're gonna try and pull a fast one on me and tell me that You're Tony f------ Bennett?

Coach: (takes out his wallet, shows stranger his drivers license)

Stranger: Whoooaaa...dude, I sooooo need your plastic surgeon.

Taylor: Could you please get to your point?

Stranger: Oh, yeah...Because of the bomb, you can't use your current game plan tonight. The bookies estimate you scoring more than 87 points per game with your current personnel and gameplan, and they figure getting to that number, at home, against a mid-major would be far too easy for you. So they've rigged the bomb with the scoreboard to go off whenever your team reaches 78 points, of if they're leading by more than 20.

Baynes: DUHN-Duhn-duhhhhhhhhhhnnnnn!!!

Coach: So...then you're saying we have to throw the game. That's alright, we stunk last year, most people won't notice.

Stranger: NO!

Kyle Weaver: No?

Stranger: These guys are notorious for their temper. A few of them put big money on you, and if it looks like you're losing, they'll pull the trigger and cut their losses.

Derrick: So why even play a game if there's a bomb threat? Why not just evacuate the building and postpone the game?

Stranger: NO! We can't do that!

Coach: Oh COME ON, this is getting ridiculous!

Stranger: If they think we're on to them, they'll try and set off the bomb before anyone can escape.

Coach: Is that it?

Stranger: Yup.

Coach: So, lemme get this straight...if we score more than 77 points, everyone dies; if we lead by 20 or more, everyone dies; if we lose, everyone dies; and if we postpone the game, everyone dies?

Stranger: Exactly.

Derrick: Oh my God.

Baynes: DUHN-Duhn-duhhhhhhhhhhnnnnn!!!

Coach: WILL YOU CUT THAT S--- OUT, BAYNES?!?

Baynes: Sorry.

Coach: So...what options do we have left?

Stranger: Well, the way I see there's only one thing you can do. Force an ultra-slow, halfcourt game for 40 minutes, play great defense, keep it close the entire way, and do just enough to win in the end.

There's no time to explain, just follow these gameplans. (hands Coach a binder) Good luck, I'll be watching. If everything goes right, you'll save thousands of lives tonight.

(The strange FBI agent then walks out of the locker room, leaving the entire WSU team and staff speechless...except for one player.)

Baynes: D--

Coach: Don't. Even. Start.

----------------------------------------

And thus the Washington State offense was born. The Cougars saved the day by virtue of their 71-60 victory over the Blazers, and this team has been 34-8 since implementing their emergency strategy on that fateful night.

Hoop Night 12/7/2007

There is actually no nationally televised action for tonight, so we'll look at the weekend games instead.


Don't Miss

Kentucky at #15 Indiana - 4pm Saturday, CBS
Another meeting of all-time programs. This is one of those rare opportunities to gain a spot in the overall victory-rankings, which are dominated by the Wildcats, and you have to take those chances.


Watch it if You've Ever Eaten Cheese Curds

#14 Marquette at #23 Wisconsin - 6pm Saturday, ESPN2
Only Duke has been able to take down Marquette so far this season, and that was a close one all the way. Jerel McNeal and Dominic James are running a well-oiled machine in Milwaukee. However, this one is in Madison, so the Badgers might have their way. Of concern for the red and white is the fact that only Trevon Hughes and Brian Butch have been scoring consistently so far this season.


Tivo it and Watch Olive, The Other Reindeer

DePaul at #4 Kansas - 2pm Saturday, ESPN
The Chicago school has shown an ability to win this game (64-57 at home last year). Still, a home loss to North Carolina A&T already this season doesn't look good. Brandon Rush is rounding in to shape, and Darrell Arthur and the less-heralded Darnell Jackson form a potent inside tandem for the Jayhawks.


Also On:

Saturday

Arizona "at" Illinois - Noon, ESPN
Michigan at Duke - 2pm, CBS
Dayton at Louisville - 2pm, ESPN2
Pitt at Wash - 3pm, FSN
Purdue at Mizzou - 4pm, ESPN2
Michigan State at BYU - 4pm, Versus

Sunday

George Washington at Virginia Tech - 5:30pm, FSN
Boston College at Maryland - 7:30pm, FSN

Breaking News: Lute Olson Files For Divorce

Look like we finally have some idea as to what Lute Olson's "family issue" was that caused him to step down as Wildcat head coach.......it was his wife Christine Toretti.

According to the Tucson Citizen....

Divorce papers have been filed seeking to end the marriage of Arizona
basketball coach Lute Olson, a court spokesman said Friday. Court spokesman Dave
Ricker confirmed that a divorce petition was filed on Thursday in Pima County
Superior Court, the same day the 73-year-old Olson — already on an indefinite
leave of absence — said he would extend his leave through the end of the
season

As you may know, Toretti is Olson's second wife. His first wife, Bobbi, passed away from cancer in 2001. If a divorce is the reason that Lute has stepped down, looks like Toretti has cemented her place as the Yoko Ono of Arizona basketball.


All-time major hat tip to CSTV's David Scott (CSTV Hang Time)

Olson Files for Divorce (Tucson Citizen)

STF Conference Reports: Big Ten

As I said back in November, the Big Ten was bound for disappointment in this 2007-08 season. So far, my not-so-bold prediction has come to fruition. We've learned very quickly that the Big Ten is the NFC of college basketball. It's ugly, it's sluggish, but nonetheless, it often times resembles basketball. So far, Big Ten fans (the few but proud remaining) have witnessed just a few of the 11 squads rising to the surface and playing some decent-to-good ball. Here's a rundown of this past week:

Team of the Week - Indiana. Not many people can argue this one. IU is one of the aforementioned few teams in the Big Ten that is actually playing worthwhile basketball this season. Following a disappointing loss to Xavier, the Hoosiers rebounded with a big win against then-ranked Southern Illinois. Eric Gordon is firing on all cylinders, despite a bruised backside, and D.J. White seems to be regaining his swagger. Just in time too - Kentucky is up this weekend.

Player of the Week - D.J. White. This one just needed to go to somebody besides Eric Gordon. Gordon's senior big man teammate dropped a career high 29 points the other night against Tennessee State to go along with 13 boards and four blocks. White also tallied 18 in the Hoosiers' Big Ten/ACC win against Georgia Tech.

Team with the Worst Week - Michigan. Tommy Amaker, take a bow. You did it. You completely owned your former Wolverines squad. Come on, Michigan - did you seriously lose to Harvard? The Wolverines are in complete dismay right now and the season isn't even halfway gone.

Games to Watch - 12/8 Arizona @ Illinois
12/8 Kentucky @ Indiana
12/8 BYU @ Michigan State
12/8 Marquette @ Wisconsin

Stay tuned, folks - this weekend is chock full of some great Big Ten action. Hopefully we'll get a better indication of just how good (or bad) this conference really is.

STF Conference Reports: The ACC

Hey Everyone, its Corn. I will be doing my best to give you unbiased, elite access into the wonderful world of ACC basketball. Having grown up down the street from Wake Forest, doing some time at N.C. State, graduating from UNC and still being a life-long DUKE fan, I would say I might know a thing or two about ACC ball. I can safely say that you will get the 100% truth in my weekly column and, in case you didn't know, everything I say is the law! Just kidding. I hope everyone will enjoy my style and check out some of the great ACC action on tap... in January.

Team Of The Week: UNC (I guess).

They dominated both of their games (@ Kentucky, @ Penn). They played terrific team basketball. Plenty of people scored and Ty Lawson came back from his ankle injury to provide some great minutes. When this team is rolling, they are deep as Memphis, as tough as Kansas, and as skilled as UCLA. And, it makes me sick. But hey, the truth hurts sometimes.

Player Of The Week: Danny Green, UNC

Although I don't like it, as a Duke fan, Green had a marvelous game against Kentucky, going for 20, and adding another 19 against Penn at the Palestra. If he continues to consistently knock down threes (not to mention stepping up big for big games) he might be able to provide the Heels with enough 3 point firepower, along with Wayne Ellington, to really open things up more for Psycho T down low. That would be scary. Scary, indeed.

Team With The Worst Week: Maryland (Damn it feels good to say that in my first post).

Not only did the boys team throw up a donkey against a pretty tough VCU team (the one that knocked my Devils out of the tourney last year), but the women's team squandered a 10 point lead against favored Rutgers to lose in the Jimmy V Classic. If only I could just cut and paste this piece into every week's report, I would be a very happy man.

Games To Watch:

12/7 Longwood @ UVA (hey, it's all we got)
12/8 Michigan @ #6 Duke

12/8 Wake @ Georgia

12/9 BC @ Maryland (First Conference Game!!)

Tony Durant: All-McDonald's American

Remember how the basketball world was in an uproar a few months ago because Kevin Durant couldn't bench 185? Well, be careful what you wish for. Kevin's older brother Tony is a former McDonald's All-American who seems to have 12-ounce-curled his way to being a 6'7", 245-lb forward for the 3-5 Towson Tigers.

Tony played his first two years at Butler Community College in El Dorado, Kansas. The Towson website provides this quote in their story touting the signing of the then-225-lb forward who was averaging 16 ppg and 6 rpg:

"Tony has many good skills and he can do a number of different things," said Butler interim head coach Mike Bargen. "He's a wide body who can be a force underneath. He also has excellent passing skills. He's a good leader. His improvement from his freshman to sophomore year has been significant."

Imagine the excitement - a bad CAA team getting a commitment from a former McD All-American. Little did they know how seriously he took his commitment to the Golden Arches.

Durant is currently averaging 8 ppg, 4.5 rpg, and .5 bpg. He managed 4 points on 22% shooting, adding 5 rebounds in his 31 minutes of play at Temple last night. Were the Owls looking fondly at Durant's scowling, braided bowling ball of a head and remembering the good times with Anthony Ivory? Maybe. But that ship has sailed.

For now, Towson has a definite contender for the crabcake-eating championship of Baltimore. CAA player of the year? Not so much.

[Scott Van Pelt Style has a good take on this as well]

End of Era in The Desert? Lute Not Returning This Season

Breaking news out of Arizona....Lute Olson will not be returning to the Wildcats this season, extending his leave of absence through the end of season....

In a statement, Olson said he is extending his leave of absence "with great reluctance, because I care greatly about the University of Arizona, the basketball program and the players on this team.

"But there are personal issues within my family that need to be addressed, and I must devote my full energy to that. I plan to return to coach at the University of Arizona next year."

Can't say that I'm surprised that Lute isn't returning. The longer that he stayed away form the bench, the less likely it became that he was coming back. What is surprising is that in a world where you can do something stupid and have it on YouTube in seven minutes, no one still seems to have any idea what made Lute step down. I still have yet to here any speculation. Just a "family matter". While Lute says he will be coming back next season, I would be shocked if he did at this point. The man is 73 and has nothing to prove. Tough loss loss for the Zona community, as Lute was one of those rare coaches that defined an entire program.

Hoop Night 12/6/2007

Hoop Night is your evening roundup of what's on national TV.

Don't Miss

LSU at #21 Villanova - 9:30 pm, ESPN

Why is this a don't miss? Because that's our schtick at Hoop Night, and sometimes life hands you lemons. There haven't been many opportunities to see what 'Nova is all about, so we'll focus on that. LSU sans Big Baby is too greusome to contemplate, and I am not encouraged by their losses to Oklahoma State and Arizona State.

Watch if you Think 'Cocks vs. Friars is Funny

South Carolina at Providence - 7pm, ESPN2

Man. This SEC/Big East Invitational is starting off with a fizzle. All of South Carolina's four losses have come to power programs, and elvish guard Devan Downey could be very interesting to watch. Providence has only two losses, but are fresh off of a defeat at neighbor Rhode Island. The Friars have a dynamic Jeff/Geoff thing going, so I'd definitely check that action out.

Tivo it and Run Out for a Fresh Can of Skoal

Jacksonville State at Samford - 7:30pm, ESPNU

The game that ESPNU was made for - a 2-5 JSU team at 2-4 Samford. My favorite detail: Samford's leading scorer goes by the moniker Joe Ross Merritt, which has "Southern Gothic novel protagonist" written all over it. Second favorite: Jacksonville State lost to Central Arkansas twice in one week, ending the season series nice and early.

The Official Bill Walker Crazy Watch

If you somehow haven't heard yet, Kansas State's Bill Walker is officially crazy. He contains all of the slightly off-the-wall intangibles displayed Gilbert Arenas and Clinton Portis, only Walker displays all of his craziness on the court (After reading the last sentence, Walker should really consider transferring to Maryland. It only makes sense). As much as everyone loves the eccentric style of Agent Zero, I still don't expect him to piss in a towel anytime soon. At this point, I'd be surprised if Bill Walker makes it though the season without taking a nap in the student section or dropping a deuce in the Gatorade jug.

With that said, I'm putting everyone in the Kansas/Big 12 area on the "Bill Walker Crazy Watch". Since I will be only watching K-State on the the occasional Big Monday tilt, I'm asking those of you who watch the Big 12 regularly to be STF's eyes in this matter of major college basketball importance. Once we get some STF merchandise (very soon), I'll use some of that as an incentive to anyone who can provide a crazy report.

It's not a matter of if with Bill Walker, it's when.

STF Conference Reports: The Pac-10

Salutations, I'm BD and despite living in the Midwest I'll be covering the Pac-10 here at STF this season. The main reason for that? I hate the Big Ten, and in my opinion the Pac-10 is where it's at on the hardwood. I'd just like to start by thanking my dish package for making this possible.

Team Of The Week - Washington State. If for no other reason than going into Mark Few's house and knocking off the Zags last night. The win keeps Wazzu undefeated and makes it clear that they'll once again be giving UCLA a run for the money this season. It was all about the D for the Cougars as they handed the Zags their first ever loss at home while ranked.

Player Of The Week - Jerryd Bayless (Arizona). The Arizona freshman may not be getting the pub of some others, but he's been filling it up so far this season. He picks up POTW honors this week for his performance against then #9 Texas A&M. Bayless took over late in the second half and racked up a career-high 26 points on 7-10 from the field. Including 10-10 from the charity stripe as the 'Cats finally picked up their first big win.

Team With The Worst Weak - USC. While it's hard to call this a bad week. The Trojans did manage two losses. Both by four points to to top 5 teams in Kansas and Memphis. Both games they should have probably won. Memphis especially, but OJ wouldn't have any of that. These losses may actually help in the long run though and they certainly have me feeling much better about my final four prediction.

Game To Watch -

12/8 Davidson @ UCLA

12/8 Arizona @ Illinois

12/8 #12 Pittsburgh @ Washington

12/9 Cal @ K-State

Not a whole lot going on out of conference this week, but Davidson/UCLA should be interesting as the Wildcats continue their juggernaut tour.

Some Suggested Conference Showdowns for 2008

With the Big East-SEC Invitational underway, sadly, we have our final conference showdown of the season. That doesn't mean that several new conference showdowns aren't in the works for the 2008 season.......


Big Ten/Division II Death Match

Rundown - After nearly a decade of trying, I think it's safe to say that the Big 10 should consider abandoning the ACC showdown. Maybe try something closer to their own level....how about a showdown with some of the top Division II programs in the country? Take the Top 11 teams from Division II (which includes past Big Ten slayers Grand Valley State and Findlay) to play the Big Ten in a much more competitive shootout than the ACC/B10 version. What better way to gain back some Big 10 respectability than a showdown with those pesky Division II schools that the conference has been having problems with this year. Sounds like some prime programming for the Big Ten Network at the very least.

Winner Gets- If the DII schools win, four Division II teams get to move up to the Big 10, while four B10 schools are demoted to DII, similar to English soccer.

Big Ten wins - We can't refer to the conference as "overrated" for an entire week.



CAA/Missouri Valley Mid-Major Throwdown


Rundown - For the love of Bally, I'm shocked this hasn't happened yet. The top two mid-major conferences are always complaining that no one is willing to play them, so why not play each other to have one final showdown of mid-major supremacy?

Winner Gets - The privilege of punching Billy Packer square in the teeth.


WAC/Mountain West Wrangle

Rundown - I'm sure that there is no love lost between these two conferences, as the Mountain West was formed out of former WAC charter members in 1999 who were fleeing the over-expanding conference. Was that really necessary? Not sure, considering I usually refer to the Mountain West as the WAC anyway. There is only room for one mid-level western conference in this heart.

Winner Gets - MWC Wins - They get to take Boise State (football purposes) and Hawaii (vacation purposes) from the WAC.

WAC wins - they get to reclaim the teams that succeeded to the MWC, while instituting a Reconstruction plan for the now pillaged Mountain West.



Robert E. Lee Southern Shootout (Big South, Southland, Southern, Southeastern, Southwestern Conferences)

Rundown - Way, way too many conferences that contain the word "South". Even hoop nerds like myself can confuse the Southland with SoCon. This round-robin will finally put the confusion to rest.

Winner Gets - To be officially be known as the "Southern Conference".



MAC/MAAC Attack

Rundown - MAC? MAAC? MAACC? Like filling out your bracket isn't confusing enough come tourney time. No more will you confuse the conference from New York State with the one from the Midwest that can never seem to secure an at-large bid.

Winner Gets - To be known as the official "MAC".



Ivy/Patriot Battle of The Minds

Rundown - Students of Patriot schools like to claim that their universities are "almost like Ivy". Here is the Ivy's chance to tell them to raise their SAT scores and shut the hell up.

Winner Gets - Prized internships at PricewaterhouseCoopers.


Horizon/Summit Generic Name Shootout

Rundown - The battle of conferences that sound more like ad agencies. College basketball only has room for one completely generically named conference.

Winner Gets - To keep it's name. Loser has to drop $20 million on a company probably named "Horizon" to come up with a new name and logo.


We are open to any other proposals that you might have for next season...

Breakfast of Champions 12/6 : Cougars Own the Northwest

Game of the Night

Washington State 51 Gonzaga 47

Those of you who thought the Cougars would fall back to reality this season after playing over their heads last year, keep waiting. The Cougars proved their value tonight, handing Gonzaga their first ever home loss while being ranked. Most impressive about the Cougars win had to be the defense, which held the Zags to 26% shooting on the night. The scoring balance was also mighty impressive for the Cougars, as little known center Aron Baynes led the team with 13 points. Even without Heytvelt playing for the Zags, one of the most impressive wins of the season by anyone not named Texas.


Also Intriguing

Georgetown 70 Alabama 60

Don't let the score fool you, this was a two point game with under two minuets to play. The Hoyas were far from impressive in this one, but they seem to have a knack for winning even when they aren't at their best. The Tide were led by an impressive performance by Richard Hendrix, who I can't believe is still in college. I completely missed that one. Wasn't he huge in the tournament like four years ago?


Xavier 79 Creighton 66

In the battle of underrated teams, the Musketeers took control late in the first half behind Drew Lavander's breakout 17 point game.


Syracuse 70 Virginia 68

The Cuse hand the Cavs only their second ever loss in the JPJ. They were led by Donte Green's 20 points and were aided by a severally ill Sean Singletary taking bad shots down the stretch.


Almost-Upset of the Evening

Pittsburgh 73 Duquesne 68

Sooo close. Have to admit, I was pulling heavily for the Dukes, a team that has gone through some tough times and isfinally o it's way to being being relevant for the first time in my lifetime. After falling behind 14-0 to start the game, the Dukes battled back to make it 63-62 game with 1:46 left, but Sam Young's three for Pitt finally put it away. Dukes may have won had they not shot 2-20 form beyond the arc. Still claiming a moral victory for the Dukes

Other Scores

Texas 88 North Texas 72

Clemson 82 East Carolina 67

Vanderbilt 83 Wake Forest 80

Kansas 85 Eastern Washington 47

Hoop Night 12/5/2007

Hoop Night is your evening roundup of televised NCAA action.

Don't Miss

#6 Washington State at #19 Gonzaga - 11pm, ESPNU
You read the interview, this is a big deal. Washington State beat up on a few regional patsies before proving their mettle on the road against a surprising Baylor team. Gonzaga just completed a triumphant road trip in which they handled St. Joe's and UConn while battling narcolepsy. This is one of the greatest basketball games eastern Washington has ever seen. You should make sure you see it, too.


Watch if you Own Orange Clothing

Syracuse at Virginia - 7:30, ESPN2
I live in Charlottesville, so I naively thought "I ought to get a ticket to that one". Well, suffice to say I don't feel like selling a kidney, no matter how good the game might be. The highways between Syracuse and Virginia will bleed Orange all day today and tomorrow as the faithful turn out in droves to watch Jonny Flynn and Sean Singletary go at it.


Tivo it and Make Reservations for the Meinike Car Care Bowl

#4 Georgetown at Alabama - 7pm, ESPN
'Bama sports losses to Belmont at home and Texas A&M on the road, and their tallest players top out at 6'9" and come off of the bench. To be fair, Gtown only has one guy over 6'9" - he just happens to be the odds-on favorite for Big East player of the year. It will be interesting to see if the Tide's Richard Hendrix can put up another double-double to go with the five he already has this season.


Also On:

#9 Pitt at Duquesne - 7pm, ESPNU
Georgia Tech at Georgia State - 9pm, ESPNU
West Virginia at Auburn - 9:30pm, ESPN2

STF Q&A; - John Blanchette: Spokane Spokesman-Review

From time to time, we here at STF like to talk to the beat writers who know a lot more about basketball than we do. Today, we talk to John Blanchette, the long-time sports columnist for the Spokane Spokesman-Review. He has seen the rise of local programs like Gonzaga and Washington State, and he agreed to talk to us about the evolution of those programs and the big meeting between them that will take place tonight.

STF: Being in Spokane, you probably see more Washington State and Gonzaga games than just about anyone else. Which team looks stronger this year?

In very different ways, they look about the same from the standpoint of potential.

Washington State is veteran, very guard-oriented, smart, tough-minded like you wouldn't believe -- but appears to have a short bench. Now there were times last year, too, when it seemed they weren't deep and Tony Bennett would go find a guy that would give him some great minutes. But there will be some games this year when foul trouble will cause them some problems, especially in the Pac-10. Of course, they'll win some on their ability and strength of will, too.

Gonzaga isn't extraordinarily deep right now, either, but that will change if they get Josh Heytvelt and Steven Gray back from injury later this month. If Heytvelt is whole, that's a 20-and-10 guy potentially, and even though just a freshman Gray was Mark Few's sixth or seventh man before he broke his hand. That gives them a lot of ways to play. They are thin at the guard spot if Jeremy Pargo can't stay in the game and you wonder about their perimeter shooting, although it was outstanding against Connecticut. And after losing to Texas Tech, their smarts and toughness might have been questioned -- but the way they played on the eastern road trip calms some of those doubts.

STF: The Zags are hosting the Cougars tonight, but the game is on ESPNU. Shouldn't this be a bigger deal?

It's a huge deal here. It's two nationally ranked teams, so it should be a fairly big deal across the country, you'd think. This is probably a question for ESPN, not the newspaper guy.

STF: Coach Tony Bennett has turned the Cougars around in convincing fashion. How did he pull off such an impressive feat?

He would tell you with a huge sacrifice by his father, Dick, and that's in good measure true.

Dick Bennett knows how to resurrect failing basketball programs, although he had no idea what he was getting himself into at Washington State -- not really. But he, with Tony's help, recruited solid, talented, tough-minded (and under-the-radar) kids who could weather the losing and struggle, and built them from the ground up with outstanding defensive concepts and smart offense. And after three years, Dick knew the kids needed a new voice and that Tony was ready to take over the program.

Tony added his own touches as well -- he took some of the reins off the offense. It wasn't like just being handed the keys to the store. He'd helped build the store. They have a very strong concept of the kind of player they want in their program, both from a standpoint of physical makeup and character, and they've been confident enough to go out and sell their vision.

STF: Kansas transfer Micah Downs is making more of an impact in Spokane this season. How has he stepped up his game, and where is his ceiling?

When Micah really grew his game was the latter part of last season, when Josh Heytvelt was suspended from the program and the Zags had to resort to a smaller lineup.

If you haven't seen Micah play and you look at his physical stature -- 6-8, maybe 180 -- you think "wing shooter" and not much else. He was in many ways the MVP of GU's late run -- he fought courageously on the glass, he defended better, he was willing to subjugate himself (his shots) for the good of the team when necessary and still made plays when he had to. He's extremely skilled. His progress this year has been a bit fitful, but you saw more of the same do-anything game from him against UConn.

I don't know if I can speak to a "ceiling" -- what Micah needs more than anything is a stable situation to allow him to grow as a player after his many travels as a high schooler and early in his college career. Give him another year in the program and then ask.

STF: On the other side of the Zags/Cougars matchup - how has the small school in Spokane kept Mark Few around?

By being willing to see his vision.

That's not just in the way he's paid -- he does quite well by Spokane standards, though his salary doesn't approach some of the megadeals nationally -- but in how the school has invested in the basketball program. The campus arena is obviously the biggest example, but there are many others -- paying the assistants well enough to maintain a stable staff, increasing academic resources for the program, improving the recruiting budget from the pittance it was 10 or more years ago. Gonzaga saw basketball as an entrée to both national and local prominence, and its profile as an institution has ballooned.

Mark really doesn't acknowledge limits to what his program can achieve. As long as Gonzaga wants to remain a player nationally in basketball, I think he'll be here -- his comfort level for his family and himself are too good to make it just be a money question.

STF: And beyond that, how has the WCC kept Gonzaga around? It seems like conference and team don't really fit one another any more.

Well, yes and no. They fit very well in most respects other than basketball. But I know Gonzaga basketball is a source of envy and consternation elsewhere in the conference.

My feeling about the West Coast Conference, having covered Gonzaga for 26 years, is that the school administrations would just as soon all the basketball teams went 14-14. Or perhaps that a shooting star could be tolerated once in a while -- a team on a 2-3 year run like Loyola Marymount made with the Gathers-Kimble teams, or Pepperdine did on a few occasions. But the Gonzaga beast has brought some heartburn, because now they have to answer why Gonzaga and not them.

It's a complicated question -- there are factors at Gonzaga that have helped its ascension, notably the fact that it's not in a major league market. But, again, the school administration has invested in basketball, too, to an extent that none of the other schools have been willing to match. That might be changing -- the recent (and unfortunate) coaching shakeups at Santa Clara and San Diego may be a response to that.

Gonzaga's recent relationship with the WCC has been fraught with some anxiety, to be sure, but where else does the school go? It's regionally limited for conference movement and doesn't have football for entrée anywhere else but halfway (or all the way) across the country. Its best option is to try and pull the league up.

STF: Any predictions for tonight's big game?

I predict the scalping prices will be astronomical by Spokane and eastern Washington standards. I predict our phone at the office will ring off the hook with complaints about the game being on ESPNU. I predict bars will do a huge business because of that. I predict the Kennel Club will chant something that offends somebody.

If you're looking forward to tonight's big game in the northwest as much as we are, read John Blanchette's coverage of both teams here. And for the love of all that is good and true, find yourself a sports bar showing ESPNU, so you don't miss this great matchup.

Remember My Name: Davidson's "Other Guys"

When discussion turns to mid-majors, we always hear the name Stephen Curry come up. The undersized sophomore guard from Davidson has earned his place in those conversations, leading his team in each scoring category. But savvy fans have seen a hundred one-man-shows go down in flames over the years, so we ask: Is Davidson a team, or are they just Steffin's caddies?.

So let's meet the men behind the phenom:

Jason Richards, 6'2" Senior G - Richards (pictured) is the primary constant on the floor for the Wildcats. His 33 minutes per game top even Curry. His scoring numbers are solid but unexceptional, but he distributes the ball like a good blackjack dealer slings cards. Richards has topped double figures in assists three times already, including a season-high eleven dimes vs. Duke. His lowest? Seven vs. Appalachian State. Call him Stephen's security blanket.

Boris Meno, 6'8" Senior F - Savoir-faire is everywhere, as the Paris-born Meno tracks down rebounds and starts the offensive break. Meno is averaging 7.7 boards per game, with the majority coming under the other team's basket. Big B can be a bit laissez-faire, as when he scored only 4 points vs. Carolina, and aside from an early exit at Western Michigan, he is never in foul trouble - a very Euro (nee soft) stat line for a big man.

Thomas Sander, 6'8" Senior F - It's hard to say what Sander really does well, except that he's terribly efficient at it. He shoots 54%, rarely breaks double figures in anything, and has the same un-aggressive foul totals as Meno (thanks for undermining my Euro stereotype, Sander). Sander is on the floor for 3/4 of every game, though, so he's... consistent. Just like I said.

Max Paulhus Gosselin, 6'6" Junior G - If Bill Simmons hadn't taken all the fun out of it, I'd make a Saved by the Bell joke here. But smarmy pop-culture references have jumped the shark (damn, did it again), so let's move on. Here's another guy I can't figure out. The Canadian hasn't scored more than five points in any contest all year long. His high-water mark came against North Carolina... Central. He's 0-12 from behind the arc. And yet he plays over twenty minutes per game. Pourquoi?

Andrew Lovedale, 6'8" Junior F - The Nigerian-born Lovedale is tall but slender, going just 215. He seems to have a bit more of a rebounding knack than some of the other guys, pulling in six against the Tar Heels, and is averaging close to a block per game, including two in the recent run-in with Duke.

William Archambault, 6'6" Sophomore F - Another French-Canadian with little statistical relevance. Doesn't score, doesn't rebound, can't hit the trey (17%!). His overall FG% is just 28%. He has a 75% free throw mark, but they all came in one game vs. NC-Central.

There are a few other guys who play even less. Bryant Barr is the regulation-issue effective three-point bomber off of the bench, but nobody really carries their weight beyond Curry and Richardson. And this is not really a change from last year - the epic battle of Terrapins and Wildcats in last year's first round reflects this analysis to the letter, aside from a bigger night by Archambault (9 points).

I'm afraid the jury is in on this one. Lacking any beef up front, the Wildcats are getting the results we might expect if we weren't blinded by Curry power. With one great and one very good player, they can win the SoCon. But they will continue to struggle in their quixotic quest to topple an ACC windmill until they can add just one effective post player. Until then, we'll enjoy the guard play and the Davidson faithful giving their all for their beloved 'Cats.

STF Conference Reports: The CAA

Si...no mas...uno, dos, tres. (I'm a follower, you know?)

CAAHoops checking in with your weekly Big 12 report. Right. We'll actually cover the CAA because that's what we do. And by "we" I mean "me." I'd like to say I'll also provide updates on Tuesday or early Wednesday--conference games are WED/SAT so that's how I define my week--but it's really up to Marco and Extra P.

Enough of the lame stuff, at least for a moment:

TEAM OF THE WEEK

James Madison: It sounds funny just typing those words, but the Dukes won as many road games this week (2) as they won all of last season. Dean Keener has the weapons everyone knew were coming playing well early (Abdullai Jalloh, Terence Carter, Pierre Curtis, Juwan James) but it was the contributions of a young man named Heiden Ratner that carried James Madison. Ratner was named CAA Rookie of the Week but was on nobody's radar as anything but water-hander at the beginning of the season. James Madison is 5-1. That's almost as many TOTAL victories as last season. Plus, their football coach made two horrific decisions that cost them a 1-AA playoff game. They need the love.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Jamal Shuler, VCU - Yeah, I know. Homer pick, right? Junior Hairston is a double-double machine at Towson and TJ Carter was phenomenal at Hofstra (eight assists, zero turnovers). But here's the deciding vote: Shuler scored 19 points in the first half while Eric Maynor was stuck in DC traffic to keep VCU with Maryland. Coming off a loss to Hampton, VCU could've tucked tail. But Shuler rallied the team in its most important half of the season.

TEAM WITH THE WORST WEEK

Uh, Drexel.

George Mason 85, Drexel 38.

Creighton 72, Drexel 48.

Nuf Ced.

GAMES TO WATCH

12/5: UNCW at Missouri State (Unofficial CAA/Valley Challenge Game)

12/6: Northeastern at Connecticut (We Pretend to Love Calhoun Game)

12/8: George Mason at Kent State (Somebody is Angry, and His Name is Larranaga)

Breakfast of Champions 12/5: Freshmen Showcase Goes Up In Flames

Game of the Night

Memphis 62 USC 58 (OT)

Don't let the score fool you here, this game was not pretty. The entire contest was marred by turnovers (42 total) and poor shooting (28% for USC) . And even the freshmen showdown that everyone was excited to see turned out to be a dud (Rose 9, Mayo 16). But in a way, both teams left MSG feeling good about something. For Memphis, they showed that on a night when they couldn't hold on to the basketball or hit a shot or foul shot (7-18), they found a way to win against a very quality opponent. For USC, they played terrific defense against a Top 5 team for the second time in three days and were a Hackett free throw with under :10 seconds left away from winning this game.


Also Intriguing

Notre Dame 68 Kansas State 59

Man, what happened tot he freshmen in the Garden? Michael Beasley come out strong, scoring 17 points in the first half, but stumbled down the stretch becasue of ND's swarming D, scoring just with 2 second half points. And Bill Walker did nothing crazy. That's a bad night for K-State. Huge win for the Irish behind a monster night from Luke Harangody (19 points, 14 boards). They needed this game much more than the Wildcats after stumbling in the Virgin Islands.

Michigan State 66 Bradley 61

Extra P was tracking this one all night, and it looked like the Braves would use eight three-pointers to upset the Spartans at home. But Sparty used a 7-0 run, sparked by Drew Neitzel, in the final five minutes to put away the Braves in Peoria.


Rhode Island 77 Providence 60

Statement win for the Rams. They stated their case in a big way to be the second best team in the suddenly improving A10.


Upset of the Evening

Holy Cross 71 Saint Joseph's 66

Very impressive win by the Crusaders. Holy Corss is now 7-1, with wins over Ohio and Hofstra. Zero teams will want to play the Crusaders in March. And someone better tell Saint Joe's that need to win a couple of these close games.


Other Scores

North Carolina 106 Penn 71

Tennessee 76 Chattanooga 70

New Mexico State 71 New Mexico 62

The Links

The increasing strange tale of Kentucky guard Alex Legion (SI)

Whose mother apparently once said God told her that her son would take the Wildcats to the Final Four (Deadspin)

Fantastic tale about JV basketball, Fran Dunphy and the Palestra (Kieran Darcy, ESPN)

More on the Battle of the Ocean State (College Hoops Journal)

Prepare yourself for the battle of the Crawfords! (Inside the Hall)

Hoop Night 12/4/2007

Hoop Night is your nightly look at televised NCAA hoops. With value judgments.


Don't Miss

USC "at" #2 Memphis - 9pm, ESPN
I am a Kansas fan, and I am very much of the opinion that USC could have drubbed the Jayhawks on Sunday. The Trojans played tough defense and got Kansas to take bad outside shots from time to time - those shots simply went in often enough for Kansas to win. I suspect that USC won't settle for a moral victory in this one, but Memphis' talent and home court advantage might be too much. Keep an eye on the development of USC's Davon Jefferson, who has come on strong of late.


Watch if you've Ever Ordered a Cheese Cup

#1 North Carolina at Penn - 7pm, ESPN2
You have no idea how badly I want to be at this game. It really is astonishing how the Palestra gets under your skin. It's like the mothership. The game won't be very competitive, but watching superior athletes in Carolina-blue unis take to that hallowed floor will be something of value. Here's hoping the Quakers are within ten at the half so I'll have an excuse to keep watching. [Follow the game via Mike White's Live-Blog here]

Tivo it and Launder Bill Walker's Towels

Kansas State "at" Notre Dame - 7pm, ESPN
If Kansas State is matter, Notre Dame is anti-matter. The Leprechauns' five freshmen play an average of 2.7 minutes per game. At K-State, that number is at 21.8, and that's including Fred Brown, who is dragging down the average with his 5.7 per. Both teams are 5-2. Brace for annihilation.


Also On:

#10 Michigan State at Bradley - 9pm, ESPNU
#12 Tennessee at Chattanooga - 7pm, ESPNU

Not On, But Should Be:

Maryland-Baltimore County at Wichita State

Top 25 +10 Week 3

Each week, we'll give you the STF Top 25 (submitted weekly to the College Basketball Blogpoll) as well as another Top 10 from around the world of college basketball.

(Poll is submitted on Tuesday).

Top 25 + 10

STF Top 25

1. North Carolina (3)
2. Texas (9)
3. Memphis (1)
4. Kansas (4)
5. Duke (7)
6. UCLA (2)
7. Washington State (6)
8. Butler (10)
9. Georgetown (5)
10. Clemson (11)
11. Gonzaga (21)
12. Miami (FL) (12)
13. Louisville (13)
14. Marquette (14)
15. Texas A&M (8)
16. Oregon (17)
17. Michigan State (16)
18. Indiana (15)
19. Tennessee (19)
20. Xavier (NR)
21. Pittsburgh (20)
22. Villanova (22)
23. Saint Mary’s (NR)
24. USC (NR)
25. BYU (NR)

Close: Vanderbilt, Southern Illinois, Ole Miss, Arizona, Cal


The +10

Top 10 Under-The-Radar Mid-Majors

1. Texas-Arlington (7-0) Southland
2. Sam Houston State (6-0) Southland
3. UC Santa Barbara (7-1) Big West
4. Maryland Baltimore County (6-1) America East
5. Georgia Southern (7-1) SoCon
6. IUPUI (5-2) Summit
7. Drake (5-1) The Valley
8. James Madison (5-1) CAA
9. Robert Morris (5-2) NEC
10. Northern Colorado (4-2) Big Sky

STF Q&A; Jonathan Tannenwald: Philly.com and Soft Pretzel Logic

From time to time, we here at STF like to talk to college basketball writers who know a lot more about college basketball than we do. Today, we talk to Jonathan Tannenwald, a producer at Philly.com and author of Soft Pretzel Logic, a fantastic Big 5/College Basketball Blog on Philly.com. Yes, I'm as shocked as you are that a major media outlet has a good and reliable college hoops blog. But Jonathan gets it done with SPL. He was kind enough to sit down with me at an extremely crowded Borders in Center City for an interview.


STF Q&A - Jonathan Tannewald: Philly.com


STF: What was your inspiration for the Soft Pretzel Logic?

JT: I knew that were many college basketball fans in the area, but felt that the college hoops scene was being underserved by the Inquirer and Daily News. I mean, it gets covered well, but nothing like the collective coverage that you see for the Phillies and Eagles. I had a suspicion that there were plenty of college basketball fans that would enjoy something like this. I knew going in that it was going to be a niche audience, but I wanted to be smart and funny, not just bashing players and teams, something that is common in the Philly media.



STF: Anything that you would like to add to the Soft Pretzel Logic or plan on doing for the rest of the college basketball season?


JT: Yeah, I'd love to get more readers! I've been at this since December of last year. in that time, I've had 225 comments. The Phillies blog, going since March, has over 2900. But that's fine, because the Phillies are the Phillies. I know that I have a bit of niche audience and I know most of the people who read the blog on a regular basis. But I would like to get more readers, more traffic. I think that I have accomplish my biggest goal when I set out to start the Soft Pretzel Logic, and that was to be accepted by media for the Big 6 schools. But it's hard sometimes, because at Philly.com, you are not officially the newspaper. But they are understand that it's multimedia, and the press is good for them. but I don't want to be considered a "blogger". I like to consider this a beat reporter's blog without a beat.


STF: Did it take any convincing on your part to have Philly.com run a college hoops blog?

JT: They knew when I got hired that I had covered college hoops. I suspect that they felt that they were underserving the college sports readership on Philly.com . The Soft Pretzel Logic was something I wanted to do and they encouraged it. They had a podcast before this that I was involved in, but I offered to get the blog off the ground.

STF: You grew up in Washington DC, What was it like experiencing Big 5 basketball for the first time?

JT: When I got here, I had never even heard of the Big 5 or the Palestra. I was always a big soccer fan. I started going to the Palestra without really knowing anything about it. The game that really hooked me was the Penn-St. Joe's game in 2002-2003. After that, I was hooked. It was an atmosphere unlike anything I had ever seen before. Full house, split right down the middle. Everyone was screaming at the top of their lungs for the entire game. It was the closest thing I had seen to a soccer crowd at an American sporting event.

STF: How can you explain Big 5 basketball to people about the country who don't know much about it?

JT: There is nothing really quite like it. The only thing that is even close to it is the Triangle in North Carolina. Louisville-Kentucky doesn't compare because it's only one game. UCLA-USC is the same way. And the Triangle, as glorified as it is, still doesn't even compare because all the teams are in the same conference. What really makes the Big 5 different is that you have teams from three different conferences (four if you include Drexel) that need to agree to play each other every year. It's really quite remarkable. I would offer any fan of Carolina and Duke to come to the Palestra for a proper Big 5 game when the crowd is split down the middle.



STF: In your opinion, what is the best rivalry in the Big 5?

JT: The Holy War (Villanova-Saint Joseph’s) when it’s played at the Palestra. The best game that I can remember was in 2006. Both teams were 3-0 going into the game, so this was for the Big 5 championship. It was the 50th anniversary of the Big 5, the crowd was split right down the middle, both sides cheering and doing chants the entire game. It was a huge deal. And at the beginning of the second half, as the crowd was warming itself up, Dan Baker, who is the Phillies PA guy, was guesting on the mic that night. The you hear him start talking, and the moment you hear the first syllable come out of his mouth, the whole place goes silent. He announced that a set of car keys had been left at the scorer’s table. I’m like holy cow, because a) this whole place went silent because of the announcement of a set of lost car keys, and b) at what other gym of any consequence, where a Big East team was playing an Atlantic 10 team, could you have the kind of environment where you could go to the scorer’s table to pick up your car keys.


STF: Do you think that major media outlets do a good job in covering college basketball online?


JT: I think they rightly devout their resources to professional sports. Which is fine. There not many metropolitan newspapers that can cover college basketball extensively. The Chicago Tribune, LA Time, Washington Post, yeah, they have enough teams. Can the Boston Globe? No, they only have one team worth covering, and it’s not Harvard. Although I do think that Tommy Amaker can make it work there. Do we talk about LaSalle everyday? No. Do we talk about Temple, Villanova, Drexel, Saint Joe’s and Penn? Yes, because they are doing stuff. We try to cover everyone, but we can only do so much. We try to touch on the national scene when we can. If there is a team out there with a Philly guy like Virginia or North Carolina, we'll cover it.

That said, there are several blogs out there that I like to read and inspire me. First one is the DC Sports Bog. I happen to know Dan Steinberg, and I have no idea how he does what he does.The other ones are The Soccer Insider, the Washington Post's soccer blog, and the Nationals Journal. Those are tow blogs that i hold as examples of blogs have a community of readers that come to every post and comment on every post, and that's what I want to happen with this blog. Also Kyle and the Mid-Majority, I really have no idea what he does what he does.

Thanks Jonathan! And be sure to check out the Soft Pretzel Logic for Big 5 news.

STF Big East Report: Rundown Numero Uno

STF Conference Report: Big East


Hola, mis amigos (just keeping with the Spanish theme for lack of anything remotely more original). My name's Ted, and you might remember me from such failed blogs as "A Price Above Bip Roberts" - and for those of you who traipse outside the sports blogsphere, the education-and-more chronicle "Donna Martin Graduates."

Despite hefty blogosphere faceplants, I'm here for the crew at STF, covering the Big East this season. As a proud alumnus of a Big East program - read: when I was there, we were awful and declined an invitation to the NIT, if that gives you a hint of where I wasted four years on drinking, obese girls, and poorly structured male friendships - I'm happy to chronicle the comings and goings of the league that the witty banter of Sean McDonough and company regularly makes relevant on Monday evenings.

As such, these reports will generally be filed on Tuesdays, to give us a chance to detox from the weekend and suck in a healthy gasp of Big Monday. Or something like that. Hell if I know.

Here we go with a debut edition:

TEAM OF THE WEEK

Pittsburgh - Although Pittsburgh's schedule to date is about as daunting as, well, facing Pittsburgh's pro baseball team, they're still 7-0 overall and rolling with a Top 15 ranking. Frosh DeJuan Blair basically told Robert Frost to suck it, claimed he could go home again (he's a Pitt native), and is putting off solid numbers off the bat for the Panthers (10.3 PPG, 8.3 RPG). A nice sidebar to Pittsburgh's early success is that their newly minted AD is Steve Pederson, who used to be there but then left for the flaming-bag-of-fecal-matter-on-your-doorstep known as 'Huskers football under Bill Callahan.' Pederson has thus provided over his school's main rival not reaching the football title game, and an undefeated start for the hoops side of things. Tight. It gets a lot looser on December 20th, when Pittsburgh collides with Duke, who figures to put up more of a fight than Houston Baptist.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Brian Laing, G/F, Seton Hall - I once tried to kick it to the daughter of a high-ranking Seton Hall administrator (and failed miserably), although that's not why Laing gets the nod here. He leads the Big East in scoring through six games for the Pirates, at just over 20 per. He's also hauling in close to 10 rebounds a game, as South Orange storms out of the gate to the tune of a 6-1 record. It's a far cry from the days of Ty Shine and Eddie Griffin giving each black eyes in the back. Crap, was that joke too soon? Probably. Laing's opponents in pursuit of these numbers have been decent - he dropped 25 in a 14-point win over Virginia - and he's got a few more chances to pad his line with upcoming wars against James Madison, Delaware State, and Morgan State.

TEAM WITH THE WORST WEEK

Cincinnati - You know those hippie shirts that say 'give hugs, not drugs?' I agree with that sentiment completely, except for between the ages of 17 and 24. Anyway, I digress. In the Skyline City, the shirt should read, 'Never give away Huggs, or it looks like you're on drugs.' DUI arrest and questionable persona on occasion aside, Huggs knows what's up on the court - reference WVU's 5-1 record at present - and these guys currently have no clue. They're playing shakier than Lindsay Lohan in the waiting room of a free clinic, dropping games to Belmont, Bowling Green, and recently by 19 to UAB. Mike Davis is a massive failure on an epic scale usually reserved for 'Waterworld' references, and you shouldn't lose to his squads by near 20.

GAMES TO WATCH

Georgetown @ Alabama - Wednesday, 12/5.
Syracuse @ Virginia - Wednesday, 12/5.
Villanova @ LSU - Thursday, 12/6.
Pittsburgh @ Washington - Saturday, 12/8.
Marquette @ Wisconsin - Saturday, 12/8.


GENERALLY IRRELEVANT FAMILY GUY REFERENCE OF THE WEEK
Stewie: "Did you hear that Meg? Guys can marry other guys now. So...this is awkward, but I mean, if they can do that, that is pretty much it for you, isn't it? I mean you as well pack it in. Game over."

This is akin to how DePaul should feel about its role in the Big East at present. Although, we do speculate Draelon Burns will get a few references in this report moving forward. He's the incumbent Big East Player of the Week.

BIG EAST PLAYER WE WISH WOULD COME BACK TO COLLEGE

Steve Logan - At this point, our man is trolling in Poland and Israel, crossing over guys for a shot at a grainy YouTube video. Time was, Logan was an All-American, the second leader scorer in 'Nati history behind the Big O, and a guy that once caused my Bearcats-obsessed junior year roommate to mimic his crossover so violently, he hit his wrist on the exposed part of the futon. It's a good life when Huggy Bear lets you run (just ask Justin Fargas!), and we know Logan wishes he was back balling in the city 'Traffic' made seem glamorous on a thrice-weekly basis.

Breakfast of Champions 12/4: A State Holds Its Collective Breath

Game of the Night

Indiana 84 Tennessee State 72

I think every Hoosier fan had a mild heart attack when Eric Gordon hit the floor towards the end of the first half. He left the game and did not return, suffering a hip injury. Doesn't sound too serious, so don't expect him to miss much time. Without Gordon, DJ White stepped up in a big way, scoring a career high 29 points to hold off a pesky TSU team.


Also Intriguing

Florida 88 Jacksonville 72

I thought this game had upset potential. Jacksonville was the preseason favorite out of the trendy A-Sun, and I still wasn't exactly sure what Florida had outside of some talented freshmen. But 41 combined points from two of the talented freshmen in Nick Calathes and Chandler Parsons led the Gators to the win.

Wisconsin 80 Wofford 43

Outside of Wisconsin's cool retro uniforms, I still cannot come up with one good reason as to why this game was on ESPN2 last night.



The Links

Carolina's rising star Wayne Ellington gets some hometown love from the Philly paper (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Bama's coach back on the bench for Gtown game despite surgery on Sunday night. Damn, I'm impressed (RollTide.com)

A call to lay off UCLA despite the loss to Texas (Fox Sports)

Kansas player Darnell Jackson was not impressed by OJ Mayo (AOL Fanhouse by BP Zach)

Just a glorious clip of UK's Pat Patterson eating boogers (Rush The Court)

Hoop Night 12/3/2007

Hoop Night is your nightly preview of televised NCAA hoops action. Plaudits to Sooze for making the most of baseball's offseason - she's been creating images for this site ever since it started, and our Hoop Night banner, debuted above, is some of her fine work, as is the site logo.


Don't Miss

Wofford College at #23 Wisconsin - 9pm, ESPN2.
From the conference that brought you Appy State and Davidson: SoCon productions presents... THE WOFFORD COLLEGE TERRIERS!!!!!! OK, it's a buy game, but it's on TV. Wofford has lost to Arkansas and beat Toccoa, Lees McRae, and Virginia (at Wise). Wisconsin, on the other hand, is a big, bad, nasty Big Ten team. So the oddsmakers say... pick 'em.


Watch if you Have a Sattelite Dish and No Life

Tennessee State at Indiana - 7pm, Big Ten Network
TSU has pioneered an amazing zero-gravity basketball team. At least, that's what it looks like. If you look at ESPN's roster page, you'll see several players are, in fact, weightless. That's going to play havoc with the Hoosiers' game plan, I don't care how good they are.


Tivo it and Watch your DVD of "Fargo"

North Dakota State at Minnesota - 9pm, Big Ten Network
You may have noticed I've been forced to turn to games that aren't even on national TV, and which you probably wouldn't watch even if they were. That's our karmic kick-back for the pure, unadulterated joy of the last weekend. The North Dakota State Bison will come at Tubby's Gophers with players named Lubarski, Sussenquth, and Winkelman. Which is pretty amusing, if you think about it.

But not forty-minutes-plus-timeouts-and-halftime funny.


OK, conference play needs to start real soon. I miss Big Monday.

Checking Out Ole Miss

One of the most surprising teams of the young season has been Oxford's Finest - better known as Ole Miss. Yes, they had 21 wins last season and played in the NIT, but they had a mass exodus of players following the postseason, and were expected to struggle mightily. Right now, in defiance of conventional wisdom, they sit at 6-0 and just missed making the STF Top 25.

Who are these guys?

For starters, the frontcourt is a constant for the cardinal and navy. Senior center Dwayne Curtis (right) and Senior forward Kenny Williams bring the beef up front, combining for a half-ton of inside muscle. Curtis brings to mind a certain Round Mound of Rebound, standing about 6'8" but still putting up 14 per game and pulling down 8.3. Next to him, the 240-lb. Williams looks petite, but still fills the stat sheet with 10 and 9 per contest. He also managed three blocks in the Rebels' most impressive outing to date - an 85-77 win over previously unbeaten New Mexico. The team overall is a tad short, which could be an issue down the line.

The guard rotation, on the other hand, has been built on the fly for this season. Sophomore guard Eniel Polynice (no relation to Olden, sadly) is 6'5" but handles the ball well. When fellow soph David Huertas showed a tendency to cough up the ball early on, he began sharing minutes with Freshman gunner Trevor Gaskins (top), who boasts a 3.25 A/T ratio, and shoots 57% from behind the arc.

The real revelation, however, has been Chris Warren, a recruit out of Orlando, Florida. The 5'11" guard played 16 minutes in his first game in Oxford, and has never looked back, scoring in double figures every night to run his average to nearly 15 per game. Truly impressive, however, has been his court vision. After flirting with the double-double in early November, the new kid finally broke through, adding 10 assists to his 24 points vs. Troy last week. That earned the phenom a season-high 35 minutes against New Mexico, in which he acquitted himself well.

Second-year Coach Andy Kennedy has obviously proved his mettle, not allowing inexperience to be an excuse for losing at Ole Miss. He also did his kids some favors in the scheduling department, as their two toughest tests of the remaining non-conference games will be at home - Winthrop comes in on Dec. 13th, and a ranked Clemson squad will take the floor at Tad Smith Coliseum on the 22nd. If the Rebs manage to win one or both of those games, they look very good coming into the SEC West season.

The bad news is, if you want to get a look at Ole Miss for yourself, they aren't scheduled to be on ESPN until March 4, though there are a handful of FSN games on the schedule. Until then, we'll have to content ourselves with highlights and keep our ears to the ground.

Monday Madness: 12/3

After watching another BCS shitstorm, it really just makes me appreciate how good we have it in college basketball. Seriously, we got it great here in the college hoops world. We have the greatest playoff system in the world in the NCAA Tournament. We have a system where anyone has a chance to win the championship, unlike football where you have to be in a BCS conference to win the championship (even then, it’s shaky). We have a system not entirely dependent on pollsters who can’t possibly watch every game. We have a system in place so that Ohio State’s season isn’t over already despite the fact that it took a chance and got trampled on by Butler. And last time I checked, I don’t think that regular season has become “useless’ because of it. Need more? Well, we also have guys who pee in towels. Didn’t see that one in college football yet.


Super Awesome Team of the Week

North Carolina Tar Heels



Usually this award doesn’t go to a team ranked so high, but the Tar Heels just completed one of the most impressive weeks of the young season. On Tuesday, the Heels walked into to Columbus and knocked off a game Ohio State squad, without starting point guard and catalyst Ty Lawson. Then on Saturday, they beat Kentucky at Rupp Arena behind 20 points from reserve guard Danny Green. The Heels are now off to a 7-0 (of mostly road games), their best start since 1998.

Outside of the fantastic start, do you know what must have Heel fans giddy? The defense (held OSU to 38% shooting) and the emergence of Wayne Ellington (averaging 18 ppg) as a star player. If Ellington continues to play this well in combination to Lawson and Hansbrough, the Heels will cut the nets down.


Close: Gonzaga (wins at Saint Joe's and UConn on East Coast swing), Butler (blowout of Ohio State), Texas (win at UCLA is best of the season by anyone) Washington State (tough win at Baylor), Dayton (wins over Miami (OH) and Holy Cross) , Ole Miss (win over NM, remain unbeaten)

Bad, Bad Week

Drexel Dragons

Figures, after I sing the Dragons praises following the Philly Classic, the Dragons go out and lose to George Mason and Creighton by a combined score of 157-86 . It’s still early, but the ugly losses may have killed any shot the Dragons may have had at an at-large bid. The Dragons were killed this week by turnovers (27 against CU alone), and Frank Elegar's inability to stay out of foul trouble.

Close: Ohio State (Blown out at Butler, loss to UNC) Michigan (horrible loss at Harvard), Iowa (lost to La-Monroe in own tournament), Washington (once again failed to gain big vs OK State), Bucknell (lost to St. Francis, Marist), DC schools at BB&T Classic (both Maryland and George Mason lost).


Upset of the Week

Centenary 70 Texas Tech 66

I love this upset for several reasons.

1) With 1,040 undergraduate students, Centenary is the smallest school in Division I basketball.
2) Their nickname is the Gentlemen, quite possibly the least intimidating nickname in college sports.
3) Think Knight wants to shoot his son right now? He took over the game when Bobby went down with the flu.


Close: East Carolina 68 George Mason 65, Louisiana-Monroe 66 Iowa 62


Mid-Major Spotlight

Maryland-Baltimore County Retrievers (America East)

What a great start for the school that sounds exactly like a community college. At 6-1, the Retrievers have quality wins over George Washington, Richmond, and American and might be the team to beat in the America East. And four players scoring at least 15 ppg, I’m not sure anyone is going to want to play UMBC in March.


Coach Who May Be Burned at The Stake By His Fanbase

Bob Knight, Texas Tech



If you want to go around shooting your neighbors, fine. Leave the game because you have the flu? Sure. Just don’t do it in the same week/day that you drop one to the smallest school in DI.



Player I'd Like To Party With

Each week, I’ll pick a player that I think it would be fun to party with. As part of the gimmick, I’ll also ask them to be friends on Facebook. And maybe someday, I will actually get to party with them.


Bill Walker, Kansas State

This is not even close. In just one year, all the evidence points to the fact that Bill Walker is 45 kinds of crazy. Just as we were starting to get over Bill eating popcorn on the bench of an NIT game (Damn! Video has been taken off YouTube), we get this gem from Thursday night game Oregon. Yes, that is Bill Walker peeing into a towel. Yes, the game was still in progress. Yes, he’s standing on the court. (Isn’t the locker room like 75 feet away?). I don’t even know how you can top that, but Bill now has two bizarre on-court incidents in his last 8 games, so I don’t think he’s even close to finished. You can watch K-State for Beasley, I’m watching for Walker.


The Jonny Flynn Campus Legend of the Week

DJ Augustin, Texas

The announcers during the UCLA game said that Augustin spent part of the summer learning from Steve Nash, which must explain why Augustin's game looks exactly like that of Nash. He was constantly weaving his way through the Bruin defense, either hitting wide open teammates when the defenders closed on him, or taking the lay-up when the D played off. One of the most impressive single player performances of the season so far. Not to mention that this was all against All-American candidate in Darren Collison. Kevin who?


Student Section of the Week

Harvard



After visiting Harvard a few times while living in Boston, I always kinda felt bad for Harvard students. No joke, I saw a woman taking a picture of student studying with her laptop at a Starbucks, then whispered to her daughter “She must be really smart”. You couldn’t do anything without a tourist ogling you, thinking about how smart you might be. It’s almost like being an animal at a zoo.

So I was pretty excited to see the students at Harvard have some previously untapped college basketball spirit. After the stunning home upset win over Michigan, Harvard's fans rightfully stormed the floor (seen in background). With Amaker on board and the Ivy in a down year, this might not be the last time we see a floor storming from Crimson fans.


Ivory Update
Your weekly update on The Big Man

Big Ant fans, I have failed you. I was extremely disappointed to learn that Ivory was playing at Madison Square Garden over the weekend as part of the Big Apple Classic. Trust me, had I known early, I would have been there. Not only that, but Big Ant was ejected from the game for a fight in front of the Bowie bench! Unbelievable! Big thanks to Whelliston for pointing this out over the Mid-Majority, but I'm still pissed I missed it.


Freshmen of the Week

Devon Jefferson, USC

Lost in the shuffle among the many talented freshmen around the country and on his own team with OJ Mayo, but the Trojans have another talented freshmen in Devon Jefferson. He had a fantastic game against the Jayhawks, scoring 17 points, including many down the stretch to keep the Trojans close. He also scored 20 against SUI and 23 against Oklahoma. He doesn’t have the outside game like Mayo, but he could be just as valuable if the Trojans are to make a run at the Pac-10 title.


Any ideas or stories for Monday Madness? Send them to stormingthefloor@gmail.com