Hoop Weekend attempts to keep up with the massive amount of college basketball played between Friday and Sunday each week. Here's the highlights.
Don't Miss
#24 Arizona at Houston - 3pm Saturday, ESPN2
I had a lot of pretty good games to pick from, so I had to resort to gut feeling to make the pick. This is one of the last non-conference tilts of any relevance, and the fact that AZ is taking it on the road to a C-USA hopeful is intriguing to me. It's the last chance for the Cougars to make an at-large statement that doesn't involve a highly-unlikely win over Memphis.
Watch if you Think Lincoln Only Supports Football
#3 Kansas at Nebraska - 9pm Saturday, ESPN
This matchup interests me because it's Kansas on the road in the Big 12, where anything can happen, and also because we get a chance to look at talented but undertelevised Aussie big man Aleks Maric. Oddly, the Huskers have only left home twice this season, but lost both. I guess they're glad this is a home game, then.
Tivo it and Watch for Ogilvy/Foster highlights Later
#12 Vanderbilt at Kentucky - 1:30pm Saturday, CBS
Another Aussie! Freshman A.J. Ogilvy is tearing it up, but it's Shan Foster who grabbed headlines this week with 32 points in 36 minutes to help Vandy put away a tournament-worthy UMass team. I wish Kentucky was playing up to par this season - this would have been a spectacular Don't Miss if they were.
Also On
Friday
Navy at Bucknell - 7pm, ESPNU
Siena at Niagara - 9pm, ESPNU
Saturday
NC State at #1 North Carolina - noon, ESPN
Texas Tech at Oklahoma State - 1:30pm, CBS
UConn at #8 Georgetown - 2pm, ESPN
Morehead State at Tennessee-Martin - 3pm, ESPNU
Cal at Oregon State - 4:30pm, FSN
Iowa State at Baylor - 6pm, ESPN Classic
Wyoming at TCU - 6pm, CSTV
#17 Villanova at Cincinnati - 7pm, ESPNU
Sunday
Syracuse at West Virginia - 2:30 pm, ESPNU
Illinois at #11 Indiana - 4:30pm, CBS
#23 Stanford at Oregon - 4:30pm, CBS (regional coverage)
Virginia at #7 Duke - 8pm, Fox
For a complete look at regional telecasts, check out the listings at Eye on Sports Media.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Hoop Weekend 1/11-1/13/2008
Saint Louis 20 - Holy Rosary 5th Grade Girl's Team 27
On the way home from an officiating assignment the stop was made for a quick cold one. The big screen TV flashed the score, George Washington 49 St.Louis 20. I thought Rick Majerus’ debut in the A-10 isn’t going too well. Giving up 49 at the half. Then a closer look told this was a final. Twenty points for the game. Reminded me of a girls CYO game I worked about a decade ago. A team took a 6-2 lead into the half, didn’t score the final half and won ! The final was 6-4.
I am very interested in and utilize statistical analysis in my college basketball coverage. When the score 49-20 flashed on the screen as a final, instantly the graphic (lowest offensive output since the shot clock institution in 1986) begged for analysis. Actually this offensive performance begs for statistical and maybe psychoanalysis (confidence ?).
The numbers show St.Louis had 54 possessions, a very slow pace. Even teams using the Princeton offense are in the sixties. Points divided by possessions give a .37 efficiency rating. We multiply that figure by 100 for a more workmanlike stat. In this case St.Louis was a 37 on offensive efficiency. The lowest I have encountered in two decades of research.
George Washington had 53 possessions and an efficiency index of 93. The 93 is fair. The high 90’s or 100 + is better to ensure a good chance of winning. Under 70 is extremely poor. A 37 is off the charts poor.
One silver lining… Should St.Louis go on a win streak and start to get complacent and take a little lax attitude in practice, Coach Majerus simply has to pull out the GW tape as a reminder.
STF Fan Rant: Washington State is Ready to Win the Pac-10
Today's fan rant is by reader Neil Joshi of the Sports Lounge. As someone who has seen the good, mediocre, and bad of Cougar hoops, Neil feels that his team is ready to serve notice and take the Pac-10 crown.
(editor's note: this piece was sent to me before the USC game was played, but we had internet outage issues that prevented it from being posted in time.)
by Neil Joshi
Scanning the top five of the college basketball rankings shows that the usual suspects are once again the cream of the crop. North Carolina, Memphis, and Kansas all made the Elite Eight last year, and UCLA has made back-to-back Final Fours. Who’s the fifth team, you ask? That would be the Washington State Cougars, who are one of only five undefeated teams left in college basketball.
Long a dormant and inferior college basketball program, the Cougars have been used to losing for a long time, but that culture is nonexistent now. Tony Bennett has turned the program in Pullman around in a hurry, tying a school record with 26 wins last year and starting this season with a 13-0 record. Other accomplishments from his first year at Washington State in 2006-07 were the team’s first national ranking since 1983, and its first tournament appearance since 1994. Next on the agenda for Bennett and his talented, yet largely unknown crew is the school’s first conference championship since 1941, and a second national championship following a 91-year drought.
Armed with many of their key contributors coming back from last year’s record setting team, the Cougars set lofty expectations for 2007-08 after a disappointing second round exit from the NCAA Tournament last year. Derrick Low and Kyle Weaver have been the trailblazers in leading this program back to prominence, and their leadership as seniors has allowed their teammates to blossom this season and make Wazzu more dangerous than ever.
Washington State’s fast start has been rewarded with a gaudy #4 ranking, and discussion about a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. But, the conversation of the best teams in America doesn’t involve the Cougars because of the lack of a truly quality victory. The best win on the resume was in Spokane against state rival Gonzaga in a rugged 51-47 victory. The Bulldogs have been truly difficult to beat at home, but they are not as good as some of their more talented teams of the past. Because of their lack of quality opposition early in the season, the Cougars have suffered in the early RPI rankings, coming out an appalling 30th. Everything is about to change.
Washington State’s first real test of the season comes as they head to Southern California for two crucial road conference games against USC and UCLA. The Trojans have started 0-2 in conference and are desperate to get off the shelf, and show the nation they deserve the hype. Playing the #4 team in the country at home in an early conference game will be quite a treat. The Trojans have shown to be an extremely streaky team, looking uninspired in losses to Mercer and Stanford, but looking downright dangerous in playing Kansas and Memphis down to the wire. That’s only the appetizer, though.
The main course comes on Saturday afternoon when the Cougars go to Pauley Pavilion to face #5 UCLA. Between the two teams, they have a combined 27-1 record. We know all about the Bruins, and their rise back to prominence under the tutelage of Ben Howland. The Cougars may be ranked higher, but they are not at the top of the Pac-10…yet. After getting swept a year ago, Washington State must beat UCLA before they can reach that summit. Saturday’s game should be a real treat for any college basketball fan. It will be an opportunity to watch two of the nation’s best take the court against each other, and provide a true gauge of how good Bennett’s club truly is.
Do you have a Fan Rant? If so, email us at stormingthefloor@gmail.com. We'll try to post one per week. Let your voice be heard!
STF Conference Reports: The ACC
All that means is that there is even less room for error this year and teams are going to have to grow up fast and adjust on the fly. Not necessarily the easiest things to do during conference play. Right now the ACC has 1 great team, 1 really good team, 2 pretty good teams and a bunch of others working out the kinks and finding their identity. So, in the coming weeks, expect plenty of upsets, plenty of great games, plenty of great individual performances and plenty of heart palpitations from me. I haven't seen everyone play enough to do a short break down of the teams, but after the first few games of the conference season, I will do a prediciton chart for the NCAA Tournament and give my thoughts on how each team is rounding out. Hopefully you will care! On to the Reports!!
Team of the Week: North Carolina
From that mighty comeback against a determined Clemson squad to the dunk heard round the world (and by world, I mean die hard ACC enthusiasts), the Heels are looking like a freight train headed into conference play. If Wayne "The Rain" Ellington and Danny Green keep knocking down threes and the rest of the guys step up on defense, it will be hard to derail Roy's Boys.
(Also, even though I hate Carolina, I would like to extend a heartfelt thought to UNC sophomore PF Alex Stephenson. We hope his father is doing well.)
Worst Team of the Week: Clemson
Poor Clemson. So close, so very, very close. Yet, you can't let home games in the ACC slip through your fingers like that. If there is a silver lining (and there never really is in a loss like that) it is the assurance that the Tigers are going to be a match-up nightmare for a lot of teams. Except Charlotte, who they inexplicably lost to a few days later. Talk about a let down. Oliver Purnell has a history of these letdowns with his club, so they need to toughen up for a very likely run at the Tournament.
Player of the Week:Wayne Ellington, UNC
A career high 36 (including the game winner) against Clemson. A stellar 19 against UNC-Asheville. He is turning into the long range threat the Heels were sorely lacking last year. And, if he understands that he can take over games when he is in the zone, it would be lights out for Tar Heel opponents. Really becoming an elite, all-around player. (Please don't tell him!!)
Games to Watch:
N.C. State at #1 UNC 1/12 (State NEEDS this game)
Florida State at Clemson 1/12 (Tigers need to bounce back strong)
Wake Forest at Maryland 1/15 (Two teams still trying to find themselves)
#7 Duke at Florida State 1/16 (Devils have a history of stumbles in Tallahassee)
STF Conference Reports: The Big 12 1/11/2008
Honestly, I almost didn't write this report this week because the Big 12 is doing as little as it can right now. There has been no conference action yet, and each team has been mopping up those last couple of buy games and resting up for the big slog ahead. So don't look for any big-time enthusiasm until the real action starts this weekend.
Team of the Week: Kansas. Primarily by virtue of remaining undefeated. The win over BC doesn't look like much at this point because the Eagles fell off a cliff two days later, losing to Robert Morris at home. A beatdown of Loyola (MD) probably actually lowered Kansas' at-large profile. But theyre winning, and that's what good teams do.
Close: Iowa State. After a grindingly bad 2007, the Cyclones are at least winning the games they are supposed to, and now sit at 10-5 after a three-game win streak.
Team with the worst week: Nobody really had an off week, but I'm going to hand this to Kansas State, simply because they had to prison-yard-beatdown Savannah State just to get the taste of a 103-77 loss to Xavier out of their mouths. They should be better than this.
Player of the Week: Texas' D.J. Augustin dropped 20 on TCU and then 30 on St. Mary's this week. In conference, he'll have to focus more on distribution, and those totals will likely drop a bit, but for now, he's riding high at 20ppg.
Close: Darnell Jackson. Last year, the starting job belonged to Sasha Kaun, and Jackson was toughness and rebounds off the bench. This season, the roles are reversed, and Jackson does what his team needs every night. This week, that meant 25 points at BC (7 of 8 from the stripe, where Kansas always, always struggles) and 9pts/9rebs in limited duty vs. Loyola.
Games to Watch:
#3 Kansas at Nebraska - 1/12
Oklahoma at #3 Kansas - 1/14
Oklahoma State at Baylor - 1/15
#10 Texas A&M at Texas Tech - 1/16
Bad Shooting Night For Saint Louis Would Be Putting It Lightly
Shawn King, Oral Roberts
Antoine Agudio, Hofstra
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Hoop Night 1/10/2008
STF Conference Reports: The Pac-10 1/10/08
It's been about a month since I last delivered a conference report here at STF. Lots of things have happened out West and it's only going to get better now that we're into conference season. I debated with myself over the last 24 hours whether or not to make this week a recap of the last month, or just the last week as what happens in conference is far more important. Unless your losing to team's like Oakland. The decision? Just the last week as I feel conference season is where it at. It's where you separate the legitimate from fraudulent.
Team Of The Week - Arizona State. It was either these guys or UCLA. Who you could argue won tougher games and did so on the road, but I figure how often will ASU have a shot to win this? They won't be hosting Arizona, Oregon, and Oregon State every week. If I were looking at the last month the Sun Devils are a slam dunk anyway. Having man-slapped Xavier by 22 on December 15th. The Sun Devils are beginning to look like a tournament team, but to get it done they'll need to win on the road. Something I'm not sure they can do just yet. If they get it done expect to see these guys instead of say... Oregon come march.
Player Of The Week - James Harden. Without all the hype of fellow in-state freshman Jerryd Bayless Harden has stepped in and immediately become his team's best player. Turning a team that won just two conference games last season into the "team no one wants to play." Over the past week Harden averaged almost 24 points and 7 rebounds in the three victories. Harden's repeated trips to the rim are creating opportunities for his teammates and are a big reason ASU is getting it done in the halfcourt.
Team With The Worst Week - USC. Oregon probably had the worst month overall, but as I said I'm all about what's happened in conference thus far. And for USC it wasn't a good start. They lost both of their games last week to Stanford and California. While both were roads games and both teams are expected to contend for tournament bids this USC team was supposed to be great. This is a team that almost knocked off Memphis (neutral floor) and they're struggling horribly against Cal? The biggest reasons for their struggles are OJ Mayo and Taj Gibson. I'm not even sure Taj is playing as he's failed to show up thus far and this team has no chance without him playing well. You may remember he was a big part of their success last season and in March when they slayed Kevin Durant's longhorns. As for Mayo, he needs to play under control for an entire game. He tends to get selfish and fire up bad shots in bunches. He needs to facilitate more and it'll lead to even more open shots for him as well. And one would expect with open shots would come a raise in his abysmal shooting percentage.
Games To Watch -
Tonight - Cal @ Oregon 8:30 EST, (4) Wash St. @ USC 11 EST on FSN
1/12 Arizona @ Houston, (4) Wash St. @ (5) UCLA
1/13 (23) Stanford @ Oregon
I'm recording USC/Wazzu tonight as I won't be home, but it should officially let us know if USC can live up to the hype. Game of the week is easily Wazzu and UCLA, should be a good one. Arizona's non-conference schedule has been psychotic and that continues with a trip to Houston on Saturday. A game they'll likely lose is Jerryd Bayless is still sitting on the bench in street clothes.
STF Conference Reports - Big Ten
Team with the Best Week - Ohio State. This one was kind of a toss-up between the Buckeyes and Penn State (no, seriously). Both squads collected wins against some of the subpar/horrible teams in the conference, which doesn't say a whole lot for their true talents, but it does however pad their records. The Buckeyes improved their record to 12-3 overall, 3-0 Big Ten after beating up on Iowa last night, 79-48. One week ago, the Buckeyes picked up another laugher win against Illinois with a 74-58 victory. No, Ohio State has not overwhelmed by any means this season, but with a down year in the Big Ten, its crucial for teams to pick up these sort of wins to stay alive in the conference.
Player of the Week - DJ White, Indiana. DJ looked like a 40-year-old man among boys Tuesday night against Michigan, what with his burly beard and his 21 point-22 rebound domination of the Wolverines. White has now racked up nine double-doubles in the last 10 games, after tallying just six in his first four seasons with the Hoosiers. This is what IU has finally been waiting for - an agile big man that can score inside, plays great defense and actually brings some intensity to the court, as opposed to a clunky big man that can somewhat score inside, plays horrible defense and doesn't know how to spell his last name (Google "Marco Killingsworth").
Team with the Worst Week - Michigan. I just love picking on the Wolverines. Michigan's most recent loss came at the hands of Eric "Air" Gordon and the Indiana Hoosiers on Tuesday night, which is understandable. But the Wolverines hold the honor for having the worst week for two reasons: 1) they simply could not shoot the ball (8-for-28 three-pointers, 31% from the field) and 2) ESPN spent more time talking about Lloyd Carr, Rich Rodriguez and the Michigan football team than they did their abomination of a basketball team. Lastly, I'll throw this out there: The "Maize Rage" = worst student section in college basketball?
Games to Watch - 1/10 Illinois @ No. 21 Wisconsin
1/12 Ohio State @ Purdue
1/12 Minnesota @ Penn State (the battle of the second tier teams)
1/13 Illinois @ Indiana (Bloomington, IN welcomes back its old friend, Mr. Weber)
Big Kenny Becomes A Household Name
You may or may not have noticed on the left-hand column that we have been keeping tabs on Kenny George (along with Ivory) all season. Last night against North Carolina, the world was introduced to Mr. George, in a very big way.
While he may ultimately be remembered for getting posterized by Tyler Hansbrough(who looks like a freakin' point guard on the play) in the YouTube clip below, we were much bigger fans of watching Big Kenny's "fastbreak" dunk in the same game. It took approximately 37 seconds for Kenny to get down the floor, which was obviously a ploy to throw the high-speed Heels off their game. Sadly, that could not be found on YouTube.
With Kenny's new found fame, we have already named him to the inaugural All-STF Team. He, along with Ivory and Chief Kickingstallionsims will make up 3/5ths of that team. We are still looking for two more players to complete the lineup, preferably guards. If you have any suggestions , feel free to let us know at stormingthefloor@gmail.com. We are always looking for player's who beat the odds everyday by playing college basketball at it's highest level.
Remember My Name: Sometimes the Good of the Individual = The Good of the Team
Last week we looked at a coach in Remember My Name, and we may do so again in the future if a little-known candidate makes enough of a splash. But today, it's back to looking at the players.
I have a specific concept to explore today, and that's the statistical category leaders. Peeking at category leaders on BBState, two types of player dominate the listings (the guys you see without having to hit the "more" link): blue chip players at big-time universities, and one-man show types putting up big numbers at a small school while losing night after night.
But every once in a while, we find that real gem - a guy who's getting his within the team concept. What follows is a look at those lucky teams that are topping their conference standings with both a team effort and a star performer.
Maryland-Baltimore County, 10-5 (2-0 America East): UMBC has a couple of real dynamos leading their surprising run to the top of the AEC. Junior Guard Jay Greene sets them up with aplomb, dishing out an average of 7apg. He's topped double-digits in assists four times this season already. 6'8" Senior Forward Cavell Johnson (pictured) is a frequent recipient of Greene's largesse, averaging 14ppg and even making his threes (67%). He also starts the break frequently, pulling down nearly five defensive boards per contest.
Wagner Seahawks, 10-4 (3-0 NEC): Another squad with two statistically dominant players and a kick-ass team that backs them up. Durell Vinson and Mark Porter both score around 14ppg to lead the Seahawks, but each throws in a top-15 performance in another area as well. Vinson is rebounding at 11 per (including 10 in a loss at Kansas State), and Porter slings dimes like a guy trying to fill up a wishing well (6.4 per). Now if I could just quit calling them the Wagner Power Painters, everything would be going their way.
Cleveland State Vikings, 10-5 (3-0 Horizon): 6'2" Guard Cedric Jackson gets his team going with defense, averaging nearly 3 steals per game. The Vikings are a surprising leader in the loaded Horizon, with nationally-ranked Butler a 1/2 game back due to a loss vs. Wright State.
Cal State Northridge Matadors, 10-3 (2-0 Big West): For the Matadors, the big name is Josh Jenkins. His 6.5 assists per game have helped Cal State Northridge into a tie with Cal State Fullerton for the lead in the Big West. The teams meet twice in February.
Austin Peay Governers, 10-6 (6-0 Ohio Valley): Derek Wright is not a big scorer, averaging just 9ppg, but the 5'9" Senior Guard from Los Angeles is a master pickpocket, taking the ball from his opponent nearly three times per game. If it weren't for (6-1) SEMO, the Governors would have run away with the OVC already, booming out their delightful "Let's go Peay!" chant.
IUPUI Jaguars, 11-3 (3-0 Summit): Last but not least, the two-school-hybrid Jaguars are getting a torrid 52% from behind the arc via 6'2" Junior Guard George Hill. To top that off, Hill is also chipping in nearly 7rpg.
See, it pays to be just a little bit selfish sometimes. If it leads to wins, your teammates will thank you.
Breakfast of Champions 1/10: Rebels For Real
Just want to state that last night was my favorite night of college hoops this young season. Some tremulously intriguing match-ups for early January.
Game of the Night
Tennessee 85 Ole Miss 83
Even with the loss, I think that we can all collectively say that Ole Miss is no '07 Clemson fluke. They went on the road to play possible the hottest team in America and could have easily won if they could have hit one of four putbacks in the final :30 seconds. But they missed, and Tyler Smith hit a running lay-up with :04 seconds left to give the Vols the win. Great win for the hot Vols and great showing by the Rebels. Also happy that the Rebels didn't view the game as a moral victory.
Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy said ''Our guys are crushed. I've got grown men crying in there". Damn. I believe their is still some room left on the Rebel's bandwagon if you are interested.
Also Intriguing
Dayton 92 Rhode Island 83
America's hot conference opened up league play last night with two of its early season heavyweights squaring off in Dayton. The Flyers got 23 points from Brian Roberts as they beat the Rams. The Flyers shot 62% from the field and hit 19 threes. The shaky defense is why I believe URI will be the team to slide in the A10 as conference play continues.
Arizona State 64 Arizona 59 (OT)
I'm so terrible with dumb predictions on this site that I've honestly lost count, so when I'm right, I like to point it out. As I said on AOL, ASU is for real and James Harden is the most underrated freshmen/player in the nation. Great pic of reader Raff during a fantastic storming of the floor.
North Carolina 93 UNC-Asheville 81
You may have noticed Mr. George's name on our Project Watch a few months back. After last evening, it looks like our project has become a legend. Much more on this later.
Upset of the Evening
Cincinnati 74 Syracuse 66
I get the feeling many Cuse fans will remember this early January loss to Cincy when they are curled up on Selection Sunday screaming "Not again.....Not....again!".
Close
Charlotte 82 Clemson 72
SE Louisiana 61 Sam Houston State 58
Other Scores
Duke 74 Temple 64
Pitt 79 South Florida 66
Saint Joseph's 98 UMass 92
Delaware 73 George Mason 68
Drake 75 Indiana State 50
Finally, apologies for saying that the Dayton-URI wasn't on TV last night, it was actually on CSTV. Sorry bout that, we actually really like the guys over at CSTV.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Hoop Night 1/9/2008
Hoop Night is your daily preview of televised NCAA hoops. You'll be watching Duke/Temple on TV, Marco will be watching it in person. He promises to glare at Coach K really hard for us.
Don't Miss
UNC-Asheville at #1 North Carolina - 7pm, ESPNU
KENNY GEORGE ALERT!!! Yes, I am probably the only person not located in the state of North Carolina who considers this game to be a must-see. But hear me out. Kenny George, beloved 7'7" UNCA center, will be traveling to Chapel Hill. Even if the Tarheels find a way to shoot through, over, or around him, the visual will be a true sight to see. You may very well be seeing both of these teams in March, so check them out early. I guarantee at least a couple of blocks and a bushel-basket full of rebounds from Kenny G.
Watch if You've ever Wondered if a Panther could beat a Bull
#18 Pitt at South Florida - 7:30pm, ESPN2
Pitt is struggling to find chemistry in the wake of an injury-plagued fall from grace. Going on the road in-conference probably isn't the best way to do that, and USF (10-5) is playing fairly well behind the massive frame of Wooden Award nominee Kentrell Gransberry (15ppg, 12rpg). This could be another downer for the Panthers.
Tivo it and Read Marco's Game Story
#7 Duke at Temple - 7pm, ESPN
Some of you may know that Marco is our man inside the Temple SID's office. The afternoons spent setting up for men's tennis or women's fencing are finally paying off, as he gets to do the full insider schmear at this huge non-con game for the Owls. I mean, Temple's going to get their neuticles squashed, but at least Marco will be there to see it.
Not On, And We Can't Explain Why Not
#20 Rhode Island at #22 Dayton
Big East Report 1.9.08: A Day Late, and a Dollar Short
In the immortal words of Mase, “Welcome back, welcome back, welcome back.” It’s a little presumptious, and a smidge self-important, that I’m singing those timeless lyrics to myself, but sue me (by the way, in that song, when Mase says girls “wanna give him sosa, but I’m like don’ try,” is he referring to anal HGH injections?). It’s been a decently busy time in the Big East since we last appeared on STF, so let’s recap:
Team With the Best Month: Notre Dame
I can’t pick Georgetown here, even though their 12-1 overall, 2-0 Big East puts them atop the conference; they lost to Memphis right before Christmas in their only “big time” game so far, a contest that featured as many Roy Hibbert sightings as JD Salinger ones. Notre Dame, meanwhile, is 12-2 (2-0), and has beaten Big 12 sleeper darling Kansas State, as well as Eddie Sutton’s San Fran squad, not to mention West Virginia and Connecticut. The last two don’t sound like much, but it’s still Huggins and Calhoun. Luke Harangody, who looks like Chris Kaman spawned a child with Chunk from The Goonies, is going off to the tune of 18 and 9 a contest. Marko asked me the other week, in one of our porn-centric GMail conversations, “Who’s gonna win this league?” I think he was referring to the Big East, although things are hazy because I was drinking in the middle of the day. Regardless, if Harangody can neutralize Hibbert in a game at MSG, ND might have a surprise shot to win the conference.
Player of the Month: Donte Green, Syracuse
In honor of the return of The Wire for its final season, we’ll take another Baltimore product here (that city has been good to ‘Cuse, no?). Donte Green, a 6-11, 226 pound banger (say this sentence to this point in a Gus Johnson voice and it’s funny), is averaging 19 in the net and 7 off the backboard for a surging (read: outside shot to do damage in the Big East, especially since they traditionally beat Georgetown once a year) Orange team. He’s gone over 20 in four of his last six games. If Jim Boeheim was a character on The Wire, would he be an alcoholic?
Team with the Worst Month: Seton Hall
I was riding this team’s jock harder than Joe Buck on David Eckstein circa 2006 in my earlier reports, and now I’m throwing them completely under the bus. Why? Despite having the leading scorer in the Big East (Brian Laing), the team has lost both its conference games. Granted, one was to ranked Marquette, and the other was to “generally tough” (the most vague compliment I could come up with, given the time parameters) Connecticut, but still, Seton Hall is ready to break through this year - you’d think - but they ain’t showing us anything. They have Pittsburgh this weekend (Big L, likely) and then, while the schedule seemingly gets easier, things will fall apart and tend to shatter, in the words of The Roots. Don’t cry for South Orange. It’s already dead.
Games to Watch:
Saturday, January 12th - Seton Hall vs. Pittsburgh. Your city experiences urban blight too?
Saturday, January 12th - Georgetown vs. UConn. I knew yer daddy, boy.
Saturday, January 12th - Marquette vs. ND. Catholic girls are easy, brah.
Monday, January 14th - Pittsburgh vs. Georgetown. Aaron Gray just stopped convulsing from last year’s Big East title game.
Generally Irrelevant Family Guy Quote of the Week
(I’ve also been watching a lot of Law and Order: SVU recently, so I might need to add a concept for that)
“Joe: I uh I never picked up an illegal alien at Home Depot to take home and choke me while I touch myself.
Quagmire: Oh come on!”
There’s not a lot to do in New Brunswick, NJ when you’re 0-2 in conference, 8-7 overall. Maybe the Scarlet Knights are taking a page from the ol’ Giggidy Giggidy playbook. Could I get sued for saying that? Probably. It couldn’t be worse than the one time I actually partied at Rutgers (2001). I did karaoke to Madonna’s “Like a Prayer” with a girl who would probably call herself “medium build” on EHarmony. Around midnight, I was noted to remark, “What the hell am I doing in New Brunswick?” It’s a question that can haunt a man to his grave.
STF Conference Reports: The CAA 1/9/2008
But here's a dose of reality: Either team will have to run through the conference season at 15-3 or 16-2, and right now the CAA is the only conference in the nation--heck, in the world--in which every single team has at least one victory. Seven teams are 1-2. Look no farther than the top of the standings, where two teams (Delaware and JMU) who combined to go 7-29 last season are 5-1. It's any given night time in the CAA.
Just a little something to chew on, as you read:
BEST WEEK: Those aforementioned Fightin' Blue Hens of Monte Ross and the State of Delaware. Or is it Commonwealth? Only one team won both its games last week, and both Delaware victories were roadies. Impressive.
WORST WEEK: UNCW lost both its games, at Drexel and home to VCU. They didn't look good in either game. Head coach Benny Moss picked up two technical fouls and got the heave-ho from the officials for his heated review of their performance only six minutes into the VCU game. The wheels are a little wobbly right now and the Seahawks need its four seniors to be leaders.
MEDIOCRE WEEK: Each of the other 10 teams in the league went 1-1. Neither of us has the patience to run through the ups and downs. Next.
HOT STUFF: VCU regularly has nine players on the floor for at least 10 minutes per game. That gives the Rams seven options each night for the answer to the question: "Maynor, Shuler, and then who?" Also, JMU is for real. Above any on-court performance or statistic, Abdullai Jalloh gives the Dukes what they desperately missed: a leader with a swagger. Finally, Antoine Agudio has returned for Hofstra.
YOU MISSED A DOOZIE (IN THE ODD AND FUNNY MEANING): After slipping past VCU 62-61 on a Juwan James buzzer-beater, enthusiastic JMU coach Dean Keener picked up the Convocation Center PA microphone and issued a challenge to the Madison faithful about continuing to support the team the way they had that night. There was a scream, a screech, and then a slamming of the mic reminiscent of Arsenio Hall as the front man for Sexual Choclate in "Coming to America."
PLAYERS WE LOVE, NON-PRESEASON FIRST TEAM ALL CAA CLASS (THIS WEEK ONLY): Manny Adako, Northeastern; Leonard Mendez, Georgia State; Alphonso Dawson, Delaware; Junior Hairston, Towson; Dre Smith, George Mason.
GAMES TO WATCH
Never Thunk For First Place Bowl: George Mason at Delaware (Wednesday)
I've Been to the Crossroads: Hofstra at UNCW (Thursday)
Much Better Than You Think: Northeastern at George Mason (Saturday)
Standings Clogger Special: Old Dominion at Delaware (Saturday)
STF Q&A;: Jonah Keri
Here at STF, we like to talk to other basketball savants whenever possible. Jonah Keri is a renaissance man within the writing profession, equally at home with investment advice, sabermetrics, or ribald jokes on Deadspin. His writing has appeared wherever ink is spilled on newsprint (or pixels on flatscreens), including Investor's Business Daily, ESPN.com, Salon.com, and Baseball Prospectus. He also wrote a book about baseball called Baseball Between the Numbers, and picked up an enviable gig as the College Basketball Closer at Deadspin. So, in short, you should really read this.
STF: You've contributed to the mathy goodness of Baseball Prospectus. Yet you also cut up with aplomb on ESPN.com and as the Deadspin Basketball Closer. Is there a history of multiple personality disorder in your family?
STF: Most of us can point to a team that really started our love affair with college hoops. Which one did it for you?
JK: I had several, really. I mentioned this in the first edition of the Closer, but the first big college basketball game I can vividly remember watching was the '82 national championship game, and I rooted for Georgetown. Then the next year, I got sucked in by N.C. State and their Cinderella run, so I backed them for a while after that, through the Fire and Ice days, all that.
Years later, when we moved to L.A. so my wife could get her doctorate from USC, I became a big Trojans fan. It was obscene--we got tickets in the student section for every game in every sport for $100 a person. $100! Total! That meant seats right under the basket for every basketball game and on the 30-yard line for football games. We showed up in the Paul Hackett and Henry Bibby days, so there was some suffering involved before we got to enjoy the Carroll and Floyd eras.
I know all this makes me sound like a sports bigamist, but I went to university in my hometown of Montreal, where you didn't have 90,000 people and a horse and a giant band at football games, or 15,000 for a basketball game. For a long time, the experience of big-time U.S. collegiate sports was something I'd only experienced on TV.
STF: If we set aside Duke/UNC as a given, what are the other college basketball rivalry games you don't want to miss?
I'm also growing to like some of these new rivalries that spring up from made-for-TV home-and-home match-ups. Washington State-Gonzaga is one of my favorites right now on that front. I try my best to never miss a Wisconsin-Marquette game. I really like watching mid-majors too, though it's hard to point to one particular mid-major rivalry that leaps out at you. I'll watch any A-10 game these days, that conference has had a great turnaround, especially at the top.
STF: You've proclaimed your love for the New Hampshire Wildcats, but they're 4-9, so I can't really do anything with that. Instead, I'll ask you to make your informed prediction: which team will grab the auto-bid in the America East?
I've actually been impressed with the mighty Maryland-Baltimore County Retrievers, and not just because I like jaunty dogs who fetch sticks. They're 2-0 in conference and have already played Ohio State, West Virginia, George Washington and Wichita State. They're the early favorites to me.
They're just too young this year, having Young and Pruitt leave early killed them. Mayo's one-and-done, and the way the Pac-10 looks right now, there's a chance he might not even get to play in the NCAA tournament in his one year on campus. Blech. Almost makes me long for the days of Scalabrine.
STF: You've taken some heat from the commentariat at Deadspin for writing about the mid-majors. Defend their place in the universe.
STF: When one is named a Closer, there are stylistic choices to be made. So fess up. Are you more of a Rollie Fingers type, or a Kyra Sedgwick?
Thanks, Jonah! We'll be reading the College Hoops Closer all season, though we should probably spend a little time with Investor's Business Daily, if we know what's good for us.
Brandan Wright All-Stars: ACC
Brandan Wright was a great player in his short time at Carolina. As half of one of the best 1-2 frontcourt punches in the nation, he led the ACC in field goal percentage, and was a big lift to a 12-deep UNC team which, when mentally in the game, could not be stopped.
However, Brandan had a weakness. Oh, did he have a weakness. His free throw shooting was terrible. The shooting motion was almost painful to watch, and Heels fans could hear the clang of the ball bouncing off the rim from the moment Wright drew a foul. It was especially painful when compared to Tyler Hansbrough, about an 80% free throw shooter. As great and talented a player as Brandan was, the one aspect of his Carolina career which I will always remember is OH MY GOD HE'S SHOOTING FREE THROWS RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!
So this is dedicated to the players who only shoot the ball smooth as silk when there's a hand in their face. The great shooters of each conference who can't hit a free throw to save their souls. These...are the Brandan Wright All-Stars of the ACC.
Center: Ryan Pettinella, Virginia. The 6-9 senior transfer from Penn has rapidly regressed in his free throw abilities during his college career. As a freshman, he shot 63.1 percent from the free throw line. Since then, the percentage has come down to 42%, to 24%, to an unbelievable 10% this season.
Read that again. Ten percent from the free throw line. Dave Leitao would get a better free throw percentage from a parapalegic with Tourettes in the student section. All of this despite shooting nearly 54% from the field.
Forward: Gani Lawal, Georgia Tech. The local freshman phenom from College Park is second in the ACC in field goal percentage (66.1), but is only 20 of 38 from the charity stripe, less than 53 percent.
Forward: Dwayne Collins, Miami(FL). The Hurricanes' sixth man has been a valuable part of their 13-1 start, shooting 59.1% off the bench. However, with a 46.3 shooting percentage from the stripe. expect to see him on the bench in the final minutes.
Guard: Rakim Sanders, Boston College. The Eagles' shooting guard, designated sharpshooter, and second leading scorer (behind the indispensable Tyrese Rice) is a paltry 36.4 percent from the line this season.
Guard: Cliff Hammonds, Clemson. You know I had to put a Clemson player on this list. While he was not involved in the Tiger's charity stripe breakdown against North Carolina, his free throw percentage is perhaps the worst among ACC starters (35%), despite being one of the conference's best 3-point shooters, 46.3% from beyond the arc.
So the next time your team is playing from behind late in a game, these are the players you need to foul.
(Dis)honorable mention: Brian Zoubek (Duke), Deon Thompson (UNC), Ismael Smith (Wake), The entire Clemson squad, except Terrence Oglesby, in their game against North Carolina.
Breakfast of Champions 1/9: Gators Grow Up
Game of the Night
Florida 90 Alabama 83
In the matter of one half, the Gators went from "Probably too young to compete on the road" to " Talented enough to challenge for the SEC". That's how impressive last night's comeback victory at Alabama was, on evening when the Tide seemed to control this game until the final seven minutes. it was an 11-0 run by the Gators late in the second half that finally put the Gators in control. Nick Calathes scored 21 for the Gators, while Jai Lucus added 19. Alonzo Gee was the balls of the Tide, scoring a career-high 32 in a game Bama probably should have won.
Indiana 78 Michigan 64
I'm at the point where I don't even care who the Hoosiers are playing, I'll watch just to get a glimpse of Eric Gordon. His shot is almost mesmerizing to me. Even on a night where he was in foul trouble for most of the evening, he still managed to amazing by repeatedly pulling up from 35-feet.
Southern Illinois 77 Bradley 64
Finally, some offense from SIU! Someone is going to end up winning the MVC, just don't ask me who. I have no friggin' idea.
Upset of the Evening
Wake Forest 79 BYU 62
How can you not smile when Wake pulls off an upset this season? I'm thinking that BYU may be a tad overrated, getting tons of respect for basically keeping it close against UNC and Michigan State.
Other Scores
Marquette 61 Seton Hall 56
Missouri State 71 Wichita State 47
Michigan State 78 Purdue 75
Fairfield 53 Siena 52
Kansas 90 Loyola (MD) 60
The Links
Excellent article by some "Eric Angevine" dude about the coaches who have to follow in their father's footsteps. (Chicago Sports Weekly)
Stock reports from the early season. (Seth Davis, SI)
Duke center Zoubek out for the season (ACC Now)
Some team benefiting greatly from transfers (Gary Parrish, CBS Sportsline)
Best wishes to Washington State guard Stephen Sauls, who collapsed and stop breathing at practice yesterday.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Hoop Night 1/8/2008
Hoop Night is your daily preview of televised NCAA hoops action. Imagine my disappointment when I saw that Alabama State doesn't put player names on their jerseys. There goes my plan to own a Kickingstallionsims shirt.
Don't Miss
Florida at Alabama - 9pm, ESPN
Calathes! Hendrix! It's the battle of teams people should be paying more attention to! This could be a good game, though no national rankings are on the line.
Watch if you Like to see Hoosiers in Red
#11 Indiana at Michigan - 7pm, ESPN
Earlier today, I proclaimed Eric Gordon to be the freshman sensation most likely to go far in March, so let's see how right I was. Michigan is 4-10, so watching the Hoosiers execute is the primary joy to be had from this matchup.
Tivo it and Write That Novel You've Been Going On About
Wichita State at Missouri State - 7pm, ESPN2
The MVC is all loopy this season, so a battle of 8-6 Wichita State and 8-7 Missouri State actually appeals to me far more than the once hotly anticipated Bradley/Southern Illinois tilt. Sad.
Also On:
#8 Georgetown at DePaul - 9pm, ESPNU
Bradley at Southern Illinois - 7pm, ESPNU
STF Top 25 + 10 Week 8
Each week, STF will give you our Top 25 (submitted weekly to the College Basketball Blogpoll) as well as another Top 10 from around th world of college basketball.
STF Top 25 Week 8
1. Memphis
2. North Carolina
3. Kansas
4. Washington State
5. UCLA
6. Michigan State
7. Tennessee
8. Duke
9. Georgetown
10. Dayton
11. Texas A&M
12. Indiana
13. Butler
14. Vanderbilt
15. Texas
16. Marquette
17. Ole Miss
18. Rhode Island
19. Wisconsin
20. Xavier
21. Clemson
22. Notre Dame
23. Stanford
24. Villanova
25. Nebraska
Close.....Miami (FL), Arizona State, Oklahoma, Pittsburgh, Sam Houston State
The +10
Top Schools Named After Dead Guys (In Honor of RMU's win over BC)
1. George Washington
2. George Mason
3. Sam Houston State
4. James Madison
5. Robert Morris
6. Stephen F. Austin
7. Oral Roberts
8. Austin Peay
9. Fairleigh Dickinson
10. William and Mary
STF Conference Reports: The Big West
Excuse me STF, but it's been four weeks since my last update. And in those four weeks, the Big West has taken it's lumps. Between a December 22nd to forget and some early upsets in conference play, the Big West has been thrown into chaos and the prospect of getting an at-large bid has totally gone out the window, not that there really was much hope anyway.
First things first, in my last update I mentioned that December 22nd would be a big day for the Big West. UCSB took on North Carolina, UC-Irvine got Texas A&M, Northridge had Washington, Cal Poly went to USC, Fullerton hosted Wright State and Pacific made the short trip to Fresno State. Could one of these teams pull an upset, or at least keep things close and bring a little pride to the conference?
Ummm...yeah...not exactly. The conference went 0-7 that day and lost by an average of 19 points. Fullerton was the only team to keep their score closer than 14 points losing by only four to the Raiders in front of a pathetic 543 fans. What home court advantage? Even the one game on the schedule that day that should've gone the Big West's way, UC Riverside versus Cal State Bakersfield (probably a future Big West squad that is in their first year of D1 basketball), turned out to be a stinker. The Roadrunners of Bakersfield came in and picked up their second victory of the season in front of, and I'm not kidding - this is their actual reported attendance, 206 rabid Highlanders fans.
Why do I love this league again? Oh yeah, conference season. Now let's get into that quagmire...
Team of the Month: Cal State Northridge
I was fully prepared to put UC Santa Barbara here despite their 35 point loss to North Carolina provided that they took care of business in the first two conference games against Long Beach State (check) and Cal State Northridge (uh-oh). But the Matadors once again took away the Gaucho's thunder stealing the game and the team of the month.
It was tournament quality intensity at UCSB's Thunderdome on Saturday night. Both teams battled back and forth in the first half and thanks to 17 points from Chris Devine, the Gauchos took a 43-37 lead to the locker room. They extended their lead to 12 at the 11:35 mark of the second half but the Matador's Deon Tresvant took over the game scoring 23 points in the second half to finish with 31 on the night, giving the Matadors an 88-84 surprise victory.
As I mentioned last month, the Matadors were picked to finish sixth in the Big West but they have already knocked off the #1 and #2 preseason picks - they beat #2 Cal Poly 80-59 on Thursday night. This is a very deep, very balanced and very talented team that didn't play that poorly at either Gonzaga or Washington. They are going to be a very tough out the rest of the season, they have a lot of weapons.
Player of the Month: Alex Harris (UC Santa Barbara)
Quite honestly, Harris wins this one by default. No individual player other than Fullerton's Josh Akognon and Harris have put together consistent numbers this season. Pacific's Steffan Johnson is a player to watch as is Long Beach State's Donovan Morris, but for pure individual talent, it doesn't get any better than Harris. He is the cheese to the Gaucho's macaroni now that UCSB's troubling lack of depth has been exposed. His play was the only thing that kept the Gauchos in the Northridge game during the final ten minutes. Problem is, he has scored below his average in three of his last four games and at times looks lost. In fact, during the Matadors game when I wasn't thinking clearly, I leaned over to my wife after a particularly ugly play and asked her "who is #12 and why is he out there?" Well, #12 is Harris, and if he doesn't start dominating the way he can, his Gauchos are going to be hurting big time.
Team With the Worst Month: Cal Poly
This is the team that was picked to finish second in the Big West this year? Since my last update, the Mustangs have gone 2-4 losing to heavyweights like Portland State (eh, 9-7 so far) and Southern Utah (bad, 4-11). And losing that conference opener to Northridge exposed that this is a very overrated team. They don't have any players averaging in double digits and preseason all-conference pick Dawin Whiten is, at best, an average Big West player. His 8.1 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists just isn't going to cut it.
Games To Watch:
1/10 - Cal Poly @ Fullerton
1/10 - UC Davis @ Northridge
1/12 - UCSB @ Fullerton
1/12 - Pacific @ Northridge
1/17 - Fullerton @ Pacific
1/19 - UCSB @ Cal Poly
Welcome Back To College Basketball, Here's What You've Missed
The Real Year of the Freshmen: Remember all of the fuss about how Greg Oden and Kevin Durant made 2007 the year of the freshmen? No discredit to how outstanding they both were last season, but the depth of this year’s freshmen class is remarkable and more deserving of the year of the freshmen label. How deep is this class? I could name five freshmen first team All-Americans (Indiana’s Eric Gordon, UCLA’s Kevin Love, Kansas State’s Michael Beasley, USC’s OJ Mayo , Memphis’s Derrick Rose) and only Tyler Hansbrough and Brian Roberts would have a legitimate gripe. Hell, you could even field the second team between Duke’s Kyle Singler, Vanderbilt’s AJ Ogilvy, Arizona’s Jerryd Bayless, Arizona State’s James Harden, Syracuse’s Donte Green and Jonny Flynn, Ole Miss’s Chris Warren, Texas A&M’s DeAndre Jordan, Oklahoma’s Blake Griffin, NC States JJ Hickson, Saint's Mary's Patty Mills, Villanova’s Malcolm Grant, Pitt’s DeJuan Blair and USC’s Devon Jefferson. Damn, that's a shitload of names.
The Rise of The Atlantic 10: Seemingly relegated to mid-majordom since John Chaney and John Calipari stopped strangling each other at Temple and UMass in the 1990s, the A10 is in the midst of a renaissance this season. Xavier has spent a majority of the season in the Top 25, Rhode Island is 14-1 with an outstanding one-two punch of Will Daniels and Jimmy Baron. Dayton made headlines with upsets of Pitt and Louisville while Brian Roberts is becoming a Sportscenter regular. Even UMass has impressive victories over Houston and Syracuse and an RPI of 16. We asked friend of the program Joe Lunardi (sometimes we like to namedrop) a few weeks back how many teams the A-10 can realistically expect come March?
“Looking ahead, three bids is realistic. Probably equal chances that it drops to two or jumps to four,” he said. Again, this was asked before Dayton thrashing of Pitt and Xavier resurgence, but I still think they end up with four.
It’s Going To Be a Looong Season: Here’s the good news for Kentucky, Louisville, Illinois and Maryland fans; Unlike college football, your season isn’t over just because you lost a few games early in the season. The bad news? Your teams suck. Harsh reality, but fans of these traditional Final Four mainstays should go ahead and make some alternate plans for March. Kentucky is off to a historically bad start, losing at home to Gardner-Webb and San Diego and was not even competitive in games against North Carolina and Indiana. Louisville is in the running for most disappointing team in America, losing to a god-awful Cincinnati team. Illinois is on a four-game home losing streak to the likes of Tennessee State and Penn State. Maryland’s home losses to American and Ohio have Gary Williams on the verge of Brittany Spears-type meltdown.
Wait, We Have a Basketball Team? - Need something to take your mind off that soul-crushingly depressing football season? Some schools that are coming off their worst seasons in their football histories may actually have something to cheer about on the hardwood. Schools such as Nebraska, Miami (FL) and Ole Miss, places that usually refer to basketball as “that sport to keep you in shape for football” are off to some of the most surprising starts in the nation. The Cornhuskers are 11-2 with impressive wins over Oregon and Arizona State. The Hurricanes will enter ACC play at 13-1, beating VCU, Providence and Mississippi State. But the Rebels of Ole Miss have everyone beat by going 13-0. Not sure who can keep it going through conference play, but it’s always nice to see some life in dormant programs.
Broken Glass Slipper: In reality, is a team really a Cinderella if we are talking about them in October? Not so much. And many of the most talked about mid-majors in the preseason have had a hard time getting off the ground. Davidson, the mid-major hype king of the preseason, overscheduled itself out of an at-large bid. The Wildcats played hard, but lost to North Carolina, Duke, UCLA, NC State and Charlotte. Southern Illinois, the Valley’s mainstay in the tourney for seven straight seasons, is 6-8 and couldn’t score on a 7-foot rim at this point. And out of the CAA, the two previous tournament darlings, VCU and George Mason, have basically killed their at-large chances by dropping a combined 8 games already.
Five Questions We'll be Asking As Conference Play Gets Underway (From Eric)
Can Memphis remain unbeaten?
The Tigers took out Georgetown in one of the biggest tests of the early going. The most likely team to challenge them in the limp C-USA is a Houston team that is just not good quite enough to pull the upset. Still... this is college basketball. Games aren't won on paper.
Which mid-major conference will build the best at-large profile?
The CAA and the MVC grabbed every bid the money conferences failed to nail down over the past few seasons, but seem to be struggling with coaching turnover or league-wide parity this season. Since I have a hard time calling the A-10 a mid-major, my true pick is the Horizon, with dangerous teams like Butler, Valpo, Wright State and a plucky Illinois-Chicago bunch - currently the most efficient 3-point shooting team in America. The Horizon could, if the cards fall right, get three teams in, though the parity effect could mean that each mid goes to bed a little bit hungry in March.
Who can/will win the ponderous Big East?
There are 16 teams, so some anonymous middle-of-the-pack squad will probably show up in February and blow everything up anyway. But it cannot be denied that the preseason top teams have disappointed so far. Georgetown has no quality wins to ameliorate the sting of losing to a blazing Memphis squad. Syracuse and Pitt have suffered injuries and succumbed to some tough losses as a result. Villanova lacks experience. Louisville, once considered a Final Four contender, has fallen into a nasty slump.
On the other hand, Notre Dame is on an eleven-game winning streak. Marquette is solid, and West Virginia might-could start feeling sassy. Only DePaul and Cincinnati were bad enough to garner losing records in the early going, so only conference play will tell the true story here.
Can last year's dangerous mids prove that they have staying power?
The Butler Bulldogs whooped Old Dominion and Maryland before bowing to the champion Gators last year. They lost their coach but kept on rolling, losing only to arch-nemisis Wright State on their way to a top-25 ranking in 2008. So far, they're the only mid-major darling to build on their March '07 success.
Gutsy, scary Davidson displayed the sin of hubris, overscheduling their way to a 6-6 mark and a record littered with ACC foes who proved to be too strong (not to mention UCLA and two disappointing losses to Western Michigan and Charlotte). Southern Illinois has all of the pieces but can't figure out how to put them together, falling to 6-8 after following a similar path to ruin. Only Virginia Commonwealth - expected to thrive after Eric Maynor's dagger slew Duke last year - has pulled out of their tailspin, rolling up five straight victories after dropping three winnable games in November, notching wins at Maryland and at Bradley. A recent loss to James Madison may have brought them back to earth. All three need a good conference run in order to insulate themselves against any possible conference-tourney loss.
Which freshman phenom will come through when it counts?
With so many talented players to choose from in this class of frosh, it falls to us to wonder "which ones can get it done in March?" Marco and I agree that Michael Beasley at Kansas State is probably the best, but he doesn't seem to be able to single-handedly overcome the shortcomings of his team thus far. Flynn and Green will continue to amaze at Syracuse, but injuries to everyone else on the team have likely doomed their freshman campaign.
Derrick Rose at Memphis is a good bet to continue his excellent play, and his team is capable of covering for him on an off night, but he still commits way too many turnovers. Vandy's Andrew Ogilvy has injected a major dose of hope into the Commodores, and has yet to have a real off night. His countryman Patrick Mills at St. Mary's ain't exactly chopped vegemite, either. But the player who is truly indispensable to his team, and most likely to stay that way, is Indiana's Eric Gordon.
Now everyone's caught up. Let's go knock some heads in-conference!
Upset Spotlight: The Robert Morris Colonials
I follow a general rule of thumb when it comes to schools named after people I've never heard of. If you're in the south, odds are it's a Civil War reference. If you're in the northeast, it's probably a name from the American Revolution. With Robert Morris, this rule holds true, and the team nickname of Colonials kind of rams the point home.
Since the Colonials upset the ACC's Boston College last night, winning 57-51 on the road, everyone is asking "who the hell is Robert Morris?" Dear friends, I am always the man to answer that question for you. Look no further.
In historical terms, Robert Morris was an American patriot and signer of the Declaration of Independence, as well as the Articles of Confederation, and the U.S. Constitution. He was born in England, but came to Maryland at the age of 13. He used his experience as a merchant to help finance the American Revolution, always finding a way to get a little money here, a little money there, to tide George Washington's troops over until the next battle. He made quite a bit of cash by financing privateering ships that seized English goods on the high seas and sold them for profit. Pretty swashbuckling for an accountant, eh?
Anyway, that little-money-goes-a-long-way spirit might come in handy for the Colonial basketball program. They rank in the bottom third of basketball expenditures, and haven't been to the NCAA tournament since 1992. They have been decent since the turn of the century, averaging 13 wins, but have only advanced to the NEC championship game twice since 2000, losing handily both times.
Things look a little different so far this year, and it's tempting to point to the 2007 hiring of former Pitt assistant Mike Rice as a step in the right direction. Rice didn't have to move to take the job - Robert Morris is located in Moon Township, PA, which is essentially the Pittsburgh suburbs. Marco and I saw the new head coach's team lose to Drexel in the Philly Classic this year, but came away impressed with his demeanor in the post-game interview. Rice was honest about his team's shortcomings, but came off as upbeat and positive about the future at Robert Morris. He seems like a guy who can get the job done at some point in the near future.
An 11-5 start to the year, along with a 2-1 mark in the NEC and a signature road upset of a strong ACC team would seem to presage good things. On the court, the Colonials are led by guards Jeremy Chappel and Tony Lee, with undersized frontcourt player A.J. Jackson and third guard Jimmy Langhurst also averaging in double figures. Against BC, the Colonials won despite clear deficits in shooting percentage, rebounding, and assists. They hit 33% of their threes, vs. 15% for the Eagles, and goaded the Chestnut Hill regulars into two technical fouls that no doubt helped maintain the lead.
Where Robert Morris goes from here is anybody's guess. They will plunge into the regular season and hope to continue their winning ways. Garnering a high seed in the NEC tournament will go a long way toward earning Mike Rice and his underdog Colonials a shot at the NCAA big-time. Only three of the players on the current roster are Rice recruits, so a continued successful season should help in attracting players. An NEC championship would be huge.
STF Conference Reports: SEC
As a UK fan that's used to being the start and finish of all SEC discussions, it's kind of a weird time for me. As we all know, UK is struggling mightily right now and enters SEC play of--gasp--not being one of the favorites. In fact, the Wildcats of Kentucky will need at least at 10-6 SEC campaign, followed by a strong SEC Tournament showing to even start thinking about an NCAA Tournament appearance. Of course, if the Louisville game was anything to go by, UK won't be 10-6 in the SEC...
Anyway, as the pre-conference season winds down, it's apparent some prognostications may have to be changed. Is Tennessee still the clear-cut favorite in the SEC East or will Vanderbilt be a thorn in their sides all season long? Is Ole Miss for real? Can they maintain their incredibly hot start as the SEC tips off?
Because this week signifies the start of the SEC, I'm going to do some things a little different this week, but don't worry, I'll be back in the standard format after today:
Hottest Team Going Into Conference Play - Vanderbilt
With their surprising 15-0 start to the season, the Commodores look like they are capable of challenging for the outright SEC title. Head coach Kevin Stallings has a better-than-advertised roster, led by Shan Foster and potential newcomer of the year, A.J. Ogilvy. Foster, with already three SEC Player of the Week awards, is also a favorite for the SEC Player of Year award.
Besides Vanderbilt, Tennessee has 12-1 record and has been playing well of late. Recent victories over Xavier and Gonzaga indicate Coach Pearl and his Vols are ready for conference play. Florida also boasts a 13-2 record but young teams often struggle when the conference kicks off. Can Florida avoid these pitfalls?
In the West, be sure to watch out for the aforementioned Ole Miss (13-0???? Who knew?) and Arkansas (11-3). Auburn and Alabama have also had decent non-SEC results and look to challenge in a wide-open SEC West.
Hottest Player - Shan Foster, Vanderbilt
Where, oh where are thou, Chris Lofton. Surely you won't let a Vandy guard beat you for SEC POY honors... As mentioned above, Foster already has three SEC POW awards and is the only SEC player who has repeated in this selection so far.
Coldest Team - KENTUCKY!!!11!1!!1!1!!
That's right folks, the flagship school of the SEC (look it up if you doubt me) is in need of a huge conference showing, but it doesn't look like the Cats have the horses to do so. Teams like Vandy and Tennessee appear to be clearly better than UK, as the Cats struggle to adjust to Billy Gillispie's approach. UK gets a immediate chance to hush some of their critics this coming Saturday when they host the undefeated Commodores. It's probably not going to be pretty as the Cats will, in all likelihood, lose their fifth straight against Kevin Stallings and company.
Besides UK, LSU enters conference play needing to make a splash as well. However, unlike Kentucky, at least Louisiana State can boast that they are still hovering right at the .500 mark. UK is the only team in the SEC to start conference play with a losing record...
Games To Watch
There are a lot of them this week, so stay tuned:
1/8 Florida at Alabama - ESPN, 7:00
1/9 Georgia Tech at Georgia
1/9 Mississippi State at LSU
1/9 South Carolina at Vanderbilt
1/9 Ole Miss at Tennessee
1/10 Arkansas at Auburn - ESPN 2, 8:00
1/12 Auburn at Florida
1/12 Vanderbilt at Kentucky - CBS, 1:30
1/12 Georgia at Mississippi State
1/12 LSU at Ole Miss
1/12 Tennessee at South Carolina
OK folks, that's it for me this week. Enjoy all the college roundball you can get your hands on. See you all next time.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Hoop Night 1/7/2008
Hoop Night is your daily preview of televised NCAA action. You can call these schools low-majors if you want, but at least they have the cojones to go up against the mythical national championship game in prime-time.
Don't Miss
South Alabama at Jackson State - 7pm, ESPNU
On a night like tonight, when college basketball is - for the last time this season - deferring to big-time college football, I have to play a game called "find the story".
The story of these two SWAC teams isn't very compelling on its own - the home team is 3-11 (1-0), and 'Bama State is atop the Southwestern standings with a gaudy 5-6 (1-0) mark. That puts them both in the running for the play-in game in March, but other than that - nada.
So... where's the story? The secret, my friends, is in the roster. Jackson State has a player sporting the first name Kay, but he hasn't played this season. And looking at the Alabama State roster.... SWEET FANCY MOSES!!!!! THERE'S A GUY NAMED CHIEF KICKINGSTALLIONSIMS!!!!!
I won't lie, I live for moments like this. I love the game of basketball for its substance, but it's fantastic details like this one that really make it all breathe. First name Chief. Last name Kickingstallionsims. Wow. Alert Soda Pop and Ponyboy.
You'll not find a more mysterious character, though. His official bio at Alabama State is lean on details, other than to note that the 7'1" Junior Center was born in Boynton Beach, FL, and plans a future in Recreational Therapy. He previously attended Stetson University, where he failed to make much of an impact, but his 9.4ppg and 1bpg after sitting out a transfer year bespeak a more useful player, if not yet a star. His game is erratic, with only one double-digit rebounding performance (against UAB, of all things), and some off nights against lesser competition. In his last game, against winless Grambling State, he managed only 8 points and 3 rebounds in 16 minutes.
You might think I'm being juvenile, focusing on the guy's name, but I'll bet you fifty cents the announcing team spends at least 10% of their time talking about this guy. Not that that helps my case.
So.... yeah... enjoy the game!
Also On
Some dude in a sweater vest.
First Rule of Advertising: Know Your Audience
Because I live in ACC country, my sattelite provider gives me access to a channel that goes by the succinct acronym of CSNMA. It's Comcast's mid-atlantic regional channel, and it allows me the opportunity to see the likes of Dan Steinberg of the D.C. Sports Bog in living color.
It also brings me many of the ACC sporting events that national networks decline to cover, and last night that meant the thrilling UNC/Clemson brawl. Earlier this season, I was also able to catch most of the UNC/Valpo game, and having watched the 2008 telecasts twice now, I can confirm one of the strangest marketing decisions ever made: CSNMA's in-game reports are sponsored by the online role-playing game World of Warcraft.
Now, I love video games, so I'm not going to make fun of people for getting buried in WoW. South Park and the Simpsons have skewered that sub-culture (and sports culture) far better than any of us ever could. Honestly, when it comes to not showering and immersing oneself to the point of delirium, I'm not sure us March-Madness-o-philes have a leg to stand on.
What I will question is the effectiveness of this particular marketing choice. Oftentimes, we'll see that two rabid subcultures can meld well together. For instance, those who yearn for quality fan belts and oil filters also clearly enjoy NCAA basketball, as O'Reilly Auto Parts has figured out. But do animated wizards mix well with the descendants of the Wizard of Westwood? Does the WoW design team expect to see a surge in subscriptions from people who already spend all of their free time arguing the relative Selection Sunday merits of Wake Forest or Boston College?
But maybe the gamers are taking the long view. Maybe they've seen our haggard faces after the first week of April, as we wonder how we'll fill the minutes, hours, days, weeks, months until round-ball tips off again. Maybe the subliminal message will pay off as we sit, bereft, on our couches in early spring. I don't know about you, but I'm going to give my ogre Tyler Hansbrough's body and Gene Keady's comb-over.
Monday Madness 1/7: Irish Eyes Are Smiling, Eddie Sutton Shouldn't Be
Monday Madness is STF's weekly recap of the week that was in college basketball. Expect it to appear every Monday around noon.
Super Awesome Team of the Week
Notre Dame
I could have easily gone with Xavier here, but I figured I would end the A10’s reign on the weekly honors and give it to the Irish. Flying completely below the radar despite last season’s 24-8 campaign, the Irish began Big East play with impressive victories over West Virginia and UConn. The Irish are on an 11 game win steak and are riding a 30-game home winning streak. Luke Harangody may the single most underrated player in America. He’s almost like the white version of Michal Beasley, averaging 18.6 ppg and 9.8 rpg. And with the Big East looking more cluttered than ever, the Irish just may be your surprising conference champions at season's end.
Close: Xavier (Wins over BCS schools K-State, UVA and Aubrun) Kansas (Still rolling despite getting little attention) UCLA (Quality road wins to kick off Pac-10 play) Penn State (2-0 start to B10 play) Arizona State (already equaled last year’s conference win total), Illinois State (3-0 in the Valley)
Bad, Bad Week
Illinois
I’ve already asked about Maryland’s grace period with Gary Williams, but how about Bruce Weber at IU? The Illini are 8-7 (with a loss to Tennessee State) and are now 0-2 in the Big Ten with losses to Ohio State and Penn State at home. Yikes. That’s now three consecutive losses at the once intimidating Assembly Hall. How bad has Illini basketball been this season? The highlight the year has been recruiting certifiably insane Alex Legion. Have fun.
Close: Arizona (loss to Oregon, close call to horrible OSU) , USC (Road losses vs Cal and Stanford), George Mason (puzzling loss to Georgia State), Southern Illinois (1-2 in the Valley)
Upset of the Week
Savannah State 61 Southern Miss 56
Here’s guessing that no matter how drunk Larry Eustachy is when Southern Miss is filling out the non-conference schedule for next season, Savannah State will not be on it. For the second consecutive season, the Tigers beat the Golden Eagles. Yes, that’s the same Savannah State that is just three seasons removed from an 0-28 campaign. With an athletics budget that ranks dead last in Division I and no conference tie-in, it’s a major upset when Savannah State beats anyone in DI, let alone someone from Conference USA.
Close: Georgia State 62 George Mason 61, Penn State 68 Illinois 64,
Mid-Major Spotlight Cornell Big Red
For the first time since 1883, it appears as if someone other than Penn or Princeton will win the Ivy league. So who is going to fill that slot in the bracket? It looks like the Big Red of Cornell are as good a bet as any. The Big Red are 6-5 and put a serious scare into Duke at Cameron on Sunday. Scoring in bunches for the Ivy League (77.8 ppg) and led by guard Ryan Wittman, they could be the favorite in one of the most wide-open Ivy races in years.
The "Billy Gillespie Memorial" Coach Who May Be Burned at The Stake By His Fanbase
Eddie Sutton, San Fransisco
This really should be Bruce Weber, but I’m going to use this space to highlight the classless move by Eddie Sutton and San Francisco. As expected, Sutton will only coach the Dons for the remainder of the season, basically using the school like a one-night stand so he can pick his 800th victory (He’s currently at 799). I’m not sure who to dislike more in this situation; Sutton for using the school for the pointless record or USF for forcing the resignation of then-coach Jessie Evans to gain three minutes of national attention. Here’s hoping that Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s put up 120 each on the Dons this season.
Close: Bruce Weber, Billy Gillespie (of course).
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.
ASU cheerleader Lauren Thompson
Seriously, screw everyone who I’ve highlighted in this spot before. Every player I’ve mentioned (five in total) has yet to accept me as a friend. Well they can all go screw themselves, because I’m pretty sure that I’d have a much better time partying with ASU cheerleader Lauren Thompson (Found via SI Campus Clicks) anyway. I’ve been to Tempe before, and Lauren is a prime example of the “talent” at ASU.
Student Section of the Week
Clemson
I’ve always been impressed with the Clemson students at Littlejohn. It just looked like an incredibly uncomfortable place for the the opposition to be playing at a so-called “football school”. They didn’t disappoint against UNC last night, too bad they were kicked in the nuts by their team once again.
Freshmen of the Week
Chris Warren, Ole Miss
We’ll know alot more about Ole Miss after their visit to Tennessee, but freshmen Chris Warren deserves to get some pub. He leads the Rebels in scoring with 15.2 ppg and is a major reason for their jump to the national spotlight. He's also been remarkable consistent for a freshmen, scoring in double figures in every game of his career. Again, we'll know more after Wednesday, but keep your eye on Warren.
This One Might Sting For Awhile
Damn, that was an all-time nut-kick loss by Clemson. Numerous opportunities to knock-off the #1 team in the country and they just continued to slip through the Tiger's hands. But how about the clutch performance by Wayne Ellington? The Tar Heels chances of making it to San Antonio increased 1000% with the emergence of Ellington as a go-to threat at the end of the game.
