Beasts with the Least

The Big East is the talk of college hoops, and rightly so. The conference appears to be loaded, even at the bottom (see Seton Hall over USC, USF's 2 pt. road loss at Virginia).

But it seems as though we may need to wait until March to find out who is REALLY a beast on a national level. From January through March, the conference will cannibalize itself, and depending upon parity, will send anywhere from 7 to a record-setting 9 teams to the Dance.

But take a look at some of these pre-conference schedules:

UCONN: Hartford, West Carolina, Deleware St, Bryant (huh?), Buffalo and Fairfield. They do have one game against Gonzaga that serves as the only legit game in 2008. (ed. note: I failed to credit them for their pre-season tourney games; add in wins of Miami and Wisconsin, and the schedule looks much better. Still no clue who the hell "Bryant" is, but I am guessing Kobe doesn't play there...)

Georgetown: Same ol' same ol' for the Hoyas. Brutal line-up in cludes: American, Florida Intl, Drexel, Jacksonville, Savannah St, and Wichita St. The Shockers are a reasonable foe, but only Memphis on 12/13 provides a reasonable early season test.

Syracuse: Looks like another season sweating it out on the Boeheim (or "bubble" to some of you). With a chance to rack up quality wins against foes like: Richmond (close win), Oakland, Colgate, Cornell and Canisuis... not exactly an RPI inflater. They do take on a few quality opponents in Virginia (weak, but at least a major conference) Florida, and Memphis. It's a start for the Orange, perhaps learning their lesson from two seasons of competing for the title of "being #66!!"

Pitt: Is there a reason this team goes "Pitt" every March? Look at this schedule: Fairleigh Dickenson, Vermont, Duquesne, Belmont, UMBC, but they DO take on Indiana... of Pennsylvania! Their lone 2 reasonable games include Texas Tech and Florida St.


The point? These teams should all cruise into conference play with one or less losses. Add in Notre Dame, Lousiville, Marquette, Villanova, Cincinnati and West Virginia - and you have a conference loaded with powerful teams. Therefor each conference win becomes a "big" win, and each loss becomes a "quality" loss.

But it is hard to gauge the extent of that quality until some of these teams step OUT of their tiny little...well, "bubble."

Champs need "tough-win earned" heart

bank is open.

X-clamation (3) Point!

First 2 PP of Story courtesy of http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/recap?gid=200811210620&prov=ap

Xavier’s buzzer-beater nips Va Tech 63-62 in OT

"SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP)—Dante Jackson’s buzzer-beater from beyond halfcourt lifted Xavier to a 63-62 win over Virginia Tech in overtime at the O’Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip Off on Friday.

After Virginia Tech went up 62-60 on Jeff Allen’s tip-in with 3 seconds left in overtime, Jackson took the inbounds pass, dribbled a few steps and made his only field goal of game. He had missed his first eight attempts for the Musketeers (4-0). -- end.

For the second straight day the Musketeers made up a lead of 7 or more points after the final TV time-out. The wins have been tenuous, but come March, all you will see is two RPI Top 100 (maybe 50) wins and a game coming up Sunday against #12 Memphis.

I know many content early season games do not matter much in college basketball. Yet those dame pundits will obsess over seeding come tournament time. So lets put this X win in perspective: A loss to Missouri yesterday = 2 more games against sub .500 RPI teams, and returning home with no quality wins on the young season.

The win? Well, followed by a subsequent Va Tech win catapults the strength of schedule factor and adds one more "name" win to the big board come selection Sunday. In short, it is the difference between a 3 & a 6 seed; the difference between a 5 & an 8.

How big a shot?? We'll find out on Selection Sunday.

It is a big win on a BIGGER shot. Next comes a true test; how will freshman Terrell Holloway and backcourt mates CJ Anderson, BJ Raymond and Dante Jackson handle the explosive quickness and pressure of Memphis?

A Beilein to Respectability

Michigan 55 (#4) UCLA 52

The first upset of the young season as UCLA looked absolutly LOST against the 1-4 zone (1-3-1 matchup more like...)

Michigan faces Duke tomorrow night in what appears to be a mismatch on paper, but then again, so did the UCLA game.

Could we be seeing these "Fab" Days Again Soon?

Hot Flashes

An early name to remember for your March "Bracketbusters". Al Fischer of Kent State.

The guard went for 35 in Wednesday's 2-point overtime win over Saint Louis. The Golden Flashes will content for the MAC crown, and you can expect some magic from Fischer along the way. More impressive than his 35 points, is the fact that 16 of them came in overtime.

That's gettin' it done.

UABominable

For those of you who caught the end of the Arizona - UAB game last night, you witnessed a true meltdown in non-game knowledge that Donavan McNabb would be impressed by!

After scoring the tying bucket with 22 seconds to go, Arizona freshman Kyle Fogg inexplicably rushed to immediately foul the inbound recipient from UAB. He thought they were still losing.

Oops. Perhaps he thought he was the Geico Caveman. Those newfangled scoreboards are tricky contraptions.

It gets better. Fogg's "strategy" prevailed, as UAB missed the front end of the 1&1, and Arizona corralled the rebound for a chance to win. After a Nic Wise missed jumper, Paul Delany rebounded and aimed for a 70-foot Hail Mary heave.

But was fouled. Intentionally. From behind with a full-extension lunging psuedo-tackle by Arizona's Jamelle Horne. The announcers attributed the loss to the confusion, perhaps because Lute Olsen's sudden retirement. They blamed the confusion on coaching.

That could be it. I am sure their replacement coach never bothered to instruct his players not to intentionally foul 70 feet away from the basket in the final second of a tied ballgame!

Bad coaching indeed. Wait... Maybe that is on the player! Ya' think?!?

Arizona boasts one of the nation's longest streak of consecutive NCAA tourney appearances at 19. Many speculated that streak is in jeopardy this year. I disagree. Chase Buddinger has improved a ton mentally...but he is going to need some smarter play around him to salvage a season very early on the brink.

"Help me help you. Help ME Help YOU."

lousy video quality - but can be viewed here

Puerto Rico Shootout

One of the best preseason tourneys that no one is talking about tips off in Puerto Rico tomorrow afternoon. It lacks the glamor of a traditional powerhouse outside of Memphis, but features a handful of teams that should be NCAA Tourney caliber come March.

USC returns a legit stud in Taj Gibson, and added freshman-of-the year talent in Demar DeRozan. Xavier has overcome the losses of three seniors with a great recruiting class and an emerging NBA-caliber talent in Derrick Brown.

Both have the potential to be Top 15-20 type teams all year. Add an improved Missouri and a suddenly tourney-experienced VA Tech program and you have the makings of a good early season tourney.

For Full Bracket, click here

MANIAC PICKS!

Va Tech, Xavier, Memphis, USC in Round One


Xavier and USC (upsetting Memphis) advancing to the Final

Xavier over USC by 4 in the championship.

I'm looking forward to a good tourney - and for those of you with ESPNU, enjoy the first two rounds. For the rest of us, the championship is on ESPN2 on Nov 24th.

Oh, and gimme Seton Hall to take 5th, winning the loser's bracket.

Maniac Picks - Nov 18th

A New feature to March Maniacs - our fearless spread-friendly picks for some of the most intriguing games in the country. Of course we would NEVER endorse gambling - our picks are merely utilizing the spread to...um... make things more challenging! Yeah - that's it!

MANIAC PICKS!

Richmond @ Syracuse -15.5: The 'Cuse exorcise the demons of their historic tourney loss 17 years ago. Only in a lot less exciting fashion. Donte' Green has taken his first step towards D-League greatness, but the Orange have plenty in the fold. Johnny Flynn is NBA-good and Devendorf keeps defenses honest from long range. Plus that match-up zone is nightmares for non-conference opponents (perhaps because Boeheim hasn't scheduled a legit one in 20 years...)

PICK: Syracuse -15.5


Kentucky @ UNC -16.5: UNC begins their quest to capture the title many felt they should have grabbed last season. Hansbrough will sit, but the Heels have plenty of talent to make up for the POY's absence. Indiana's Luke Zeller shined in Hansbrough's absence in game one. (I guess Kelvin Sampson ran out of texts... how did this kid get away?) Kentucky looked abysmal losing to VMI, but the Cats will regroup. Patterson will enjoy the lack of Psycho-T inside and will score often. Can the Cat's guard handle the ball well enough to withstand Carolina's pressure? My guess is not enough to win, but just well enough to cover.

PICK: BIG BLEW +16.5



Davidson @ Oklahoma-4: I love college hoops. I really do. You get games like this once or twice in the first few months of football season. In hoops, you get them all November long. Davidson looks to build on the most spectacular tourney run since George Mason (more interesting because of the emergence of Steph Curry) by notching a big scalp in Oklahoma.

Take a look at the Wildcats early schedule this year: Oklahoma, Winthrop (always tough), West Virginia, NC St., Purdue (best team in Big 10 - write it down), and DUKE. Gotta love the aggressive scheduling and you can bet it will pay dividends come March.

But not tonight. Davidson has no answer for the strength, size and quickness of Blake Griffin, a Top-3 pick in next year's draft. Curry may go for 30, but I'd be surprised if Griffin doesn't nearly match him. And Blake has a little more help around him. Davidson is a good ballclub, and Steph Curry is absolutely dynamic. His 4-game tourney run last March was honestly transcendent. Everyone is a Steph Curry fan now...including Vegas. 4 points is not enough, Oklahoma is just a better team overall. (But I'm rooting for Davidson - like everyone else...)

PICK: Oklahoma-4

Yes We Kent!

Best line you didn't see:

Tyrone Kent (Toledo), 37 points, 39 minutes.

Xavier won the game comfortably, but MAC teams better know where Kent is on the floor, as he can fill it up, and definitely isn't afraid to put 'em up! (11-21 from the floor, 10-10 from the line).

Me oh My, V-M-I

Ouch.

For my first column of the season, I was just going to google some columns from last year's UK v. Garder-Webb game and cut and paste it. I am pretty sure that is what Billy G. did for his somber, yet not-nearly-somber-enough press conference.

The loss similar, the timing; the same. The ramifications? Much different.

This is year two of the Billy Gillespie era at Kentucky, a school that chronicles coaching eras the same way people chronicle presidential terms. For example, the Pitino era restored Kentucky basketball to glory, the Adolph Rupp era ushered in the now-assumed heir of excellence. The Tubby Smith era... hmmm, interesting... the Tubby Smith Era.

It's looking a little better in retrospect, isn't it Cats Fans? Sure, there are some some of you who will cast him as the Tyrone Willingham-esque cataslyst for the catclysm. However it is hard to argue with his overall tenure. I assure you the Golden Gopher fans are grateful for Tubby's "decision" to move on to the next stop.

Which brings us to the Billy Gilespie Era. The North Carolina loss is certainly impending, and the fans can allow you that. Consider the November 29th, and December 6th & 13th tilts against Kansas St, Miami and Indiana, respectivly to be fulcrum games. Win all three, and the likely losses to UNC and Lousiville are buried along with the opeing night VMI debacle. Lose all three and you will rue the day Acie Law signed with you A&M, coniving Cat Nation into seeing you as a candidat as viable as Jay Wright (my personal pick), Tom Crean, Sean Miller and a handful of other coaches ripe for the picking.

It is a program measured in coaching eras. The only question is how long wil this one last?

Looks just like Rupp, right boys?