X-tremely Unfair

I'm not sure Sportcenter will do it justice, but one of the worst officiating calls (within the rules...I know, kind of a conundrum of logic) I have ever witnessed in college hoops just took place in the Xavier - Butler game.

In no circumstance should time be taken OFF the clock, bringing a game that is NOT over to 0:00. Regardless of what the time should have been there is an undeniable principle that the game would have been played differently. To say a shot taken with 2 seconds ends the game because 2 less seconds should have been on the clock is patently absurd.

If there are thirty seconds on the clock and you are down one, you likely play for the final shot.

The same strategy holds true with twenty seconds on the clock. Or ten.

To retroactively subtract time and take away a team's final possession is a terrible terrible rule. If they had decided to take a full two seconds away and waive off Hayward's game winning basket, the travesty would have been even greater. At least Xavier was not guaranteed a win with the last possession.

Anyone else watch this game in real time? I think you had to to get a real feel for how badly the situation was mismanaged, or at least how absurd a rule that allows for seconds to be evaporated retroactively in an end-game situation.

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Saturday's Picks

The Maniac looks to continue a blistering start on a loaded college hoops Saturday. Quick Picks below. As always, we of course don't condone gambling in any manner. However, if one were to gamble, I'd like to point out we are over 65% ATS on the season...

Michigan +20 @ Kansas - Kansas hasn't been tested in a month, Michigan has failed every test in 2009's early going. It seems to point in the Jayhawks favor, but I think Michigan hangs around enough to cover.

Mississippi St -3 @ Houston - Missisippi State has quietly begun to find their stride. Houston has been good at times this season, but the Bulldogs are too talented to fall tonight.

North Carolina +6.5 @ Texas - It is difficult to say how either team will react to cavernous Cowboys Stadium, but I do feel confident that the Tarheels will not be overwhelmed by the environment. They have already played Ohio State and Syracuse in MSG, and played Kentucky at Rupp. Plus, the Heels are no jumpshot dependant, preferring to penetrate and take advantage of their quickness and the size of their deep frontline. I think Texas is a Final Four team, but I think UNC might be a little more ready at this juncture of the season.

Virginia Commonwealth -4 @ Tulane - I like VCU with ease, perhaps Vegas sees something in the Green Wave that The Maniac hasn't... Gimme the Rams to cover by double digits.

Temple +4.5 @ Georgetown - It is dangerous to pick all road teams with your picks, but I don't care. Seton Hall is this year's Providence; good in the early going with a great record built against inferior competition. Temple however has played as good a slate as anyone in the country and is sitting at 8-2. I think they not only cover, but get the win over Jeremy Hazell and the Pirates.

South Carolina -2 @ Wofford - Another road game, and I originally thought this line was a typo. It isn't. Jump on the Cocks ("ladies" said in my creepiest voice). Wofford is not terrible, but SC is in a whole different category in terms of offensive ability and athleticism.

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What Could Have Been and Shouldn't Be...

Tonight Memphis visits UMass in a game that ranks no better than 15-20th on the "best games of the day" list. It is two unranked opponents; Memphis expecting to get better and contend for their conference crown, UMass one of the bottom half of the A-10. So why would this game even raise an eyebrow when glancing over the schedule?

Because of the eyebrows both programs raised from NCAA in years past. UMass made the Final Four with Marcus Camby in 1996. Memphis played in one of the all-time classic Finals two years ago with Derrick Rose and Chris Douglas-Roberts. Of course, neither of those two events ever happened... that is if you consult the NCAA record book.

Both of those Final Four appearances have been "vacated" and money earned was order returned under penalty. Both of those teams were of course coached by John Calipari (who has never been directly implicated).

My question is, WHY schedule each other this year? There are over 300 Division I opponents to choose from. There is no natural geographic rivalry, no particular impetus to bolster strength of schedule with each other, so why open the inevitable comparison and remind fans and the country of just what was "lost"?

It just doesn't make sense to the Maniac...

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The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I am an unabashed lover of the college hoops so-called "pre-season." It is one of the rare sports that grants us a true gauge of exactly where so many teams are in regards to their ability to compete on a national scale. Even better, this weekend also has tremendous impact on where teams will seed into the greatest three weeks in American sports.

If anyone questions the bountiful harvest and splendor of December hoops, I challenge you to sit down and watch a handful of tomorrow's dozen-plus standout games.

Here is a quick rundown of the highlights. The fearless Maniac picks (22-13-1 ATS) will follow in a separate column.

NOON:
Michigan @ Kansas - The Wolverines have to rank among the nation's most disappointing teams so far in 2009. A win in Kansas would completely erase that disappointment. But they aren't getting it. John Beilein's squad will at least give Kansas a athletically competitive game, something they haven't had since the opener against Memphis.

2:00 PM:
North Carolina @ Texas - A matchup of two of the nation's elite teams in an intimate gathering of 80,000 of your closest friends. Cowboys Stadium hosts its inaugural basketball game in a tune-up for Final Fours to come. Both teams today could be visiting a Final Four much sooner; as in this year. This game is a great litmus test for the Longhorns and a fourth BIGtime game for the becoming-battle-tested Heels. Regardless of the score, it is an interesting way to gear up for a hopeful appearance in Indy this April playing in such a cavernous shooters backdrop.

Xavier @ Butler - Two of the best Non-BCS teams square off for the second year in a row at 2pm. Butler won last year at the Cintas Center. This year Xavier tries to return the favor in historic Hinkle Fieldhouse. A win would be big for both schools; avoiding a fourth pre-conference loss might mean even more.

UCLA @ Notre Dame - Um, this one ain't exactly Digger and Coach Wooden. UCLA is mired in one of the worst starts in school history, and certainly the worst start in the Ben Howland tenure. Notre Dame is 9-2, but their losses are to Northwestern (understandable) and Loyola Marymount (not understandable); both at home. Luke Harangody aimed to take the Irish back to the tourney in his senior campaign and can afford to give away few more games. UCLA however might struggle to win 10 games all year.

Stanford @ Northwestern - The Maniac's affinity for NW is long documented. This matchup means a ton to both teams, but the Wildcats have less room for error with a daunting Big Ten slate about to heat up. Regardless of the outcome, something tells me the kids on each team will turn out just fine...

Mississippi State @ Houston - This one is a really intriguing match-up. The Bulldogs have been playing well of late and are rounding into the team most polls had ranked Top 20 preseason. Houston gets a chance to earn some much needed respect for C-USA in their home gym. A really really good game most people will miss.

4:00 PM:
Gonzaga @ Duke - Another fantastic match-up, and a real treat for us true college hoops fans. Both of these programs represent everything that is right about college athletics, Duke the GIANT with even bigger academic requirements still remaining the model of consistency, and Gonzaga the out-of-nowhere school in the middle of nowhere emerging as a perennial power.

Say what you will about Coach K and The Dukies, but they duck no one on their schedule, even programs that have far more to gain from the experience than they do. Last year on this same weekend, Duke played host to another non-power conference power Xavier. This year, they welcome the Zags. Matt Boldin and Co. are hoping for a more favorable result than the drubbing the Muskies left with.

Portland State @ Washington St. - OK, not a classic great matchup, but an intersting game for Ken Bone's Cougars. Portland State has a history of upsetting bigger-name west coast foes. Last year they clipped Gonzaga, this year they nailed Portland fresh off their first Top 25 ranking in 40 years. Wazzou needs to bring their A-game.

6:30 PM:
Richmond @ Florida - Both teams grabbed some headlines with big wins early, both have settled back a bit with a loss. Richmond gets a huge opportunity to build a tourney at-large resume and increase the growing profile for the Atlantic-10. Florida isn't in a no-win situation; a win over the Spiders may not be sexy on Sportcenter, but could very well constitute an RPI Top 50 win in March.

7:00 PM:
Temple @ Seton Hall - Speaking of the A-10, how about the work the Owls have done so far. They get another shot tomorrow night at unbeaten Seton Hall. The Pirates have yet to lose, but haven't played anywhere near the competition that Temple has. Of course they'll get their chance when conference play starts, but something tells me they won't quite yet be ready for what Temple is bringing tomorrow night.

Old Dominion @ Georgetown - ODU has played a brutal schedule so far, and has suffered some losses. THey entered as a trendy pick to win the CAA, but it looks more like VCU is the team to beat (or William & Mary). Meanwhile the Hoyas have looked fantastic as Greg Monroe has continued to develop and their guards have played steady basketball. The Hoyas didn't look past Butler, and I doubt they'll overlook the Monarchs either.

8:45 PM:
Kansas State @ Alabama - Frank Martin's Wildcats have been one of the pleasant surprises of the young 2009 season. They were expected to be good, but they have exceeded even those expectations en route to a 9-1 start. Alabama is thought to be a second tier SEC team, but ask Purdue about the fight they'll give you on their home court. This shapes up to be one of the best games on a LOADED Saturday slate.

Creighton @ New Mexico - If KSU is one of the season's more pleasant surprises, than perhaps Steve Alford's Lobos are THE most pleasant. New Mexico hosts a struggling Creighton squad that is used to getting accolades that are beginning to go New Mexico's way this year. It will be interesting to see how the Jays hold up in The Pit.

10:00 PM:
Portland @ Washington - Will the PAC-10 please beat someone this preseason? Suffice it to say if the 3rd or 4th best team in the WCC takes down the Pac-10 favorite in their own gym things will have reached new conference lows. Not that a Huskie loss is out of the question. The Pilots decimated UCLA and took down a good Minnesota team before heightened expectations seemed to take a toll on them. Now that the Pilots are back playing the role of David it will interesting to see how they handle U-Dub's Golliath.

Today is a great day to have four tv's or at least some serious PiP or TiVo! Enjoy - and check back for some fearless pics against the number.

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This One's for You Knight

Quick thinking now. Tomorrow Memphis plays at UMass at 6:30pm. What two things do these teams have in common?

"Yet he's still allowed to coach...it doesn't make sense to me."
Knight today on Coach Cal's previous school's NCAA penalties

If you said "vacated Final Four appearances" and "Coach Calipari" you'd be right. I'm probably way off base here, but I wonder if that is what precipitated the random Bobby Knight blast...

No word yet on if the winner of tomorrow's game gets to choke-slam Neil Reid.

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Wednesday's Highlights

There were a couple interesting games last night, and a few resume building wins. Here's a quick sweep on a few you might have missed.

NIGHT IN REVIEW:

UAB validated it's 8-1 record with an exclamation point win over former C-USA rival Cincinnati. The Maniac took a pretty big swipe across C-USA's bow earlier this week, but readily tips his cap to the Blazers' Wednesday night effort. The 64-47 win places them solidly in at-large consideration with a second place conference finish. It is an especialy big win when considering their other "big" wins were Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Georgia. With only chances against Butler (quality), Virgina and Arkansas (not so much...) remaining before conference play this win will be enormous when the Blazers are thrown up on the big board.

For the Bearcats, it is a disappointing response following a tough double-OT loss to crosstown rival Xavier on Sunday night. For Bearcat fans, there has to be some trepidation following another tourney miss-season that began very similarly to this one. I think the Bearcats are still an NCAA Tourney team, especially as Stevenson blossoms, but things need to get on track quickly. There final two non-conference games are minor tuneups, but the BEast begins soon and appears to be nearly as tough as last year.

Louisville stopped their steep slide with a hammering win over Oral Roberts. Granted, they weren't exactly tacking UNLV 1990, but the 94-57 win is a good sign Pitino's Cards realize they can't look past anyone this season any longer...

Ole Miss continued their daring ways, erasing a ten point deficit in the final five minutes to force OT and earn a 91-81 win over UTEP. The Maniac was also critical of UTEP's early light schedule, but admits to being impressed with them in defeat. Derrick Caracter will add an inside presence that few in C-USA will be able to match.

Don't look now, but the Kevin Coble-less Northwestern Wildcats are putting themselves in fine position to earn the school's first ever NCAA Tourney invite. They are 9-1, with wins over Notre Dame, Iowa State, and NC State. Their lone loss is against a top 15 Butler team that will likely be a top-4 seed come March. If they win their final two non-conference games (Saturday's Stanford game is a tricky one) they can go 8-10 in the loaded Big Ten and get some consideration. 9-9 would make them a near lock.

How about the hammering South Carolina laid on Richmond last night? The Spiders had looked good early this season and felt like a potential sleeper in the A-10. South Carolina, led by Devin Downey in what feels like his twenty second year of eligibilty, are going to have a great opportunity to contend for an at-large bid in the loaded SEC East. The good thing about sharing the East with Kentucky, Tennessee, Florida, and Vandy is that all five will get eight opportunities for quality wins.

For Richmond, all is not lost. They still have quality wins over Mississippi State, Old Dominion and Missouri in their hip pocket and their three losses to William & Mary, VCU and the Gamecocks should all be Top 100, if not Top 50 RPI losses in March. It does however make this weekends trip to Gainesville an interesting litmus test of the Spiders' legitimacy.

Finally Oklahoma State rebounded from their humbling loss to Tulsa with a nice 71-70 win over Stanford. The Cardinal have now lost to Kentucky in OT, and Oklahoma State by 1. So someone explain to be the 83-81 loss to Oral Roberts? Regardless, on their good days the Cardinal appear to be strong enough to challenge for third in the Pac 10. And, yes, that is meant more as an insult to the beleaguered Pac-10.

Not too much going on in college hoops tonight. Enjoy the Colts going for 14-0, and a serious, somber RIP to Chris Henry.

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A-Plus

The Atlantic Ten has long resisted the mid-major label. However since the magical 2004 St.Joe's squad there has been little national relevance outside of Xavier.

It seems the A-10 is intent on changing that in 09-10. This weekend was a bit of a coming out party for the conference as the notched wins over Villanova, Boston College and Cincinnati respectivly. The wins; by Temple, Rhode Island and Xavier, are just the latest by a conference that is making a strong case for a solid sixth best league in the nation.

With the undeniable plummet of the Pac10 and some of the middling dissappontments early in the Big Ten and SEC, there could be as many as six to eight typical "big 6" bids up for grabs in March.

Here's a quick glance at some teams who could snatch them.

Temple: The 75-65 win over Villanova grabs the attention, but dig through the schedule and you'll find quality wins over Siena, Virginia Tech, and Penn State. Their losses are a 46-45 squeaker to Georgetown and a 55-48 loss to early season "big leap" candidate St. Johns. One thing is obvious, win or lose the Owls are gonna defend for 40 minutes.

Dayton: The preseason favorite to unseat Xavier began the season ranked but fell off the radar after early season losses to Villanova and Kansas St. However they have already picked up wins over GA Tech and Old Dominion and have to be regarded as a threat to win the A10, OR pick up an at-large bid.

Xavier: From this season's favorite to the perennial favorite. The Muskies struggled early adjusting to the early departures of Derrick Brown and Coach Sean Miller as well as the graduation of some of the winningest seniors in school history. Their three losses aren't killers; Marquette, Kansas St, and Baylor (the weakest of the three). The win this weekend over Cincinnati steadies tottering at large hopes. Upcoming games with Butler, Wake Forest and LSU will determine how much wiggle room the Muskies have for error in a deeper, stronger conference that the one they treaded lightly over the past three years.

Charlotte: If your only view of the 49ers is their season opening 101-59 trouncing from Duke, you are sleeping on a pretty solid ballclub. Just ask Rick Pitino after Charlotte came in and pasted his Cards by 22. The Niners are now 8-1 and gaining momentum and respect.

Rhode Island: The Maniac championed the Rams' at large merit last season, only to watch them lay an egg in their final week and limp into the NIT. This year they may not need my whinning on their behalf. With wins at Providence and Boston College they have two legit wins in their pile and a 82-80 loss at VCU won't hurt much. At 8-1 they are in good position to contend for a bid.

Richmond: The sleeper of the bunch, I wouldn't be surprised to see the spiders creep into NCAA discussions. They have wins over Old Dominion and Missouri as well as a 63-62 win over Ole Miss. Their loss against VCU, as with Rhode Island shouldn't prove too damaging.

The A-10 doesn't have the Top Ten team of years past, but they do have one of the most balanced and deep leagues in the country. Expect the six above and possibley even a few below to battle for three, possibly even four bids this March.

For a conference like the A10, it will be a Major accomplishment.

Others to watch:
Duquesne - The Dukes blew a golden opportunity losing to Pitt in double OT but can play with anyone in the conference. It's going to take 11-12 wins to get in tourney discussion but that isn't out of the realm of possibility

St Joes - Yeah, they are 3-6, but the losses are against Villanova, Purdue, Minnesota, DePaul, Cornell and Rider. OK, Rider and DePaul are bad - the other four will dance...

LaSalle, GW and UMass will give teams tough ball games on a nightly basis.

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Teams of the Weekend

What a great weekend past in college hoops. Kentucky continued their steady, and scary, improvement, passing their first road test with flying colors in Assembly Hall. Kansas and Texas continued to cruise and the Cuse held the rope after yet another marquee win (this time over Florida) earlier in the week. Purdue capped an impressive week for the Top 5 with an impressive hard-fought road win in Tuscaloosa.

So the Maniac's (and finally the national pollsters have caught up) top teams remain unchanged.

To me, the more interesting stories happened outside the storied big name programs.

Not to beat a deadhorse, but big ups to the A-10. Xavier notched a desperatly needed win over UC in the always tempestous Crosstown Shootout. Rhode Island took down BC by 11 in Chesnut Hill and finally Temple knocked off Villanova, moving to 8-1 (lone loss? 46-45 to Georgetown).

Perhaps Sean Miller was right saying Xavier is not a Mid-Major, and neither was the A-10. He believed it so much he left for Arizona and a conference that can only be constitued as a major disaster. The Maniac apologized for Zona early but is ready to toss them in with the rest of the dumpster fire that is the Pac 10. The latest ego crusher? Washington's less than competitive loss to Georgetown in national TV.

At this point it would be foolish to wager the Pac 10 has more dancing than the A10 in March...

How about Western Carolina and Loyola Marymount? Neither program has had much to cheer about since Kevin Martin and Hank Gathers respectivly (yes, admitting the "Kevin Martin Era" looks a tad better with ex post facto history). However both notched wins on the road at Big East tourney-"hopefuls".

Western hammered L'Ville while LMU won at Notre Dame. The attention will be focused more on the losers, but both programs deserve a tip of the cap for their weekend efforts.

Wisconsin has had a roller coaster of a week. They beat Duke and Marquette. Sandwhiched in beeween? A surprising OT loss to Wisconsin Milwaukee of the Horizon League.

Speaking of the Horizon, Butler got a needed, but falsly described "big" win. Ohio State in their first game minus Evan Turner will not fully erase the Committee's memory of their early season inadequacies. They have a big game this weekend with a Xavier squad in a similar situation.

The SEC took a beating last year, but very quietly is shaping up to be an upper-tier league again. Everyone knows Kentucky. Florida has been an early season surprise and Tennessee is a top ten team. However Ole Miss and Mississippi State are looking like tourney teams in the West and Alabama looked great for 36 minutes against a final four caliber Purdue squad.

Finally, the two best teams no one has been watching; Kansas State and New Mexico. Both picked up another quality win this weekend and are in great shape for March as the head into conference play.




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