When #1 Duke and #3 Kansas State take the floor tonight in Kansas City it will be the nation's first big-time anticipated matchup of the season. Both squads will be still be adjusting to life without their All-American caliber point guards of 2009. John Scheyer and Denis Clemente have both graduated and moved on, leaving big shoes to fill.. Splendid as Scheyer's senior campaign was, it is hard to argue either one more important to their team's success last season. The difference between Duke and K-State is in how they have recovered from the point guard loss.
Kansas State has an interesting situation; the best point guard on their team is also their best scoring guard, the 'bearded' man of 'Fear the Beard' fame, Jacob Pullen. Frank Martin's 'Cats have at times looked a little listless offensively, still struggling to find the right balance offensively, as well as balancing Pullen's minutes controlling and playing off the ball.
Pete Gillen once famously quipped, in exasperation after another humbling defeat at the hands of the Blue Devils, "Duke is Duke." It sounded better in his heavily affected NYC garble... But Gillen was certainly on to something. It must be splendid for Coach K when you have the fortune of replacing your All-American point guard... with an All-American caliber point guard (freshman Kyrie Irving). Irving has looked splendidly comfortable assuming the reigns of the Duke high-octane offense, freeing Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler up to inflict damage both shooting and slashing to the hoop. The ball rarely touches the floor when the Devils get out on the break which leads to easy layups and wide open looks from behind the arc. Kyrie Irving has been the engine amping up the Devils' potent attack.
Tonight we find out if he is ready to slide as effortlessly into Scheyer's role as he has made it look so far this season.
What Kansas State's inside players might lack in offensive refinement, they make up for with length and tremendous bounce. It's a quick and explosive group of rebounders and defenders who have the ability to make life frustrating for the Blue Devils as they try to get out in transition. They also have the potential to punish Duke on the offensive glass. Good offensive rebounding is a panacea for a lot of ills, including a few turnovers or less-than-stellar perimeter shooting. This game will serve as a nice test to find out if Mason Plumlee's huge strides of improvement are as truly long as they have appeared.
In the end, I think Duke is a better, and much more complete team. Their tremendous ball pressure will be taxing for a K-State team still tinkering and experimenting to discover their primary ballhandler. However, one BIG factor is tipping heavily in State's favor. This game, while technically considered a "neutral" floor, will be anything but "neutral." Tonight Kansas City will be comprised of a sea of purple, fans frothing at the opportunity to legitimize their place on the throne of college basketball's elite teams. Both teams are ranked high. Both teams have better than average chance at earning #1 seed come March. But the game will just mean a little bit more to the Wildcats and their faithful.
After all, "Duke is Duke."
Xavier to Face Old Dominion in Paradise Jam Final
It hasn't always been pretty, but the Muskies have made it to 4-0, heading into the Paradise Jam final against fellow don't call us "mid" major, Old Dominion.
Both teams have NCAA aspirations that don't hinge simply on winning their league tournaments in March, and picking up the win tomorrow would be a nice chip in each team's pile. The Monarchs advanced after narrowly edging Clemson, 61-60, while Xavier survived an unbalanced offensive night and held off the Seton Hall Pirates 57-52.
Xavier got just 25 points from players NOT named Tu (formerly, Terrell) Holloway. The same group combined for 10 of 28 shooting. Holloway has shown early on this season that he should have been included on the 50-man Naismith Watch List, averaging 27 points, 6 board and more than 5 assists. While Holloway's play has been unquestionably superb, if Xavier can't find someone else to help carry the offensive load this season, it's hard to see them winning games when their schedule begins to escalate, which it will VERY quickly.
The obvious candidates is sophomore Mark Lyons, though he is hampered somewhat by the similaraities in his and Tu's game, as well as some poor shot selection. Junior seven footer Kenny Frease's game has improved each season, but is still far from a reliable consistent post scoring option. Dante Jackson is more of a defensive player and occassional spot up shooter and Jamel McLean is a freakish athlete, but limited on what he can do with the ball. If one of the above doesn't begin making more significant offensive contributions, Chris Mack might have to experiment deeper on the bench to find some offensive balance.
For Old Dominion, the Paradise Jam Final represents another important chance to stack an automatic bid-worthy chip in their favor. Their first opportunity narrowly slipped away as they lost their opener to Georgetown (who won their tournament, beating Vandy and Minnesota).
The game tips tomorrow night around 8:30 tomorrow and can be found on MOST Fox Sports affiliates.
Both teams have NCAA aspirations that don't hinge simply on winning their league tournaments in March, and picking up the win tomorrow would be a nice chip in each team's pile. The Monarchs advanced after narrowly edging Clemson, 61-60, while Xavier survived an unbalanced offensive night and held off the Seton Hall Pirates 57-52.
Xavier got just 25 points from players NOT named Tu (formerly, Terrell) Holloway. The same group combined for 10 of 28 shooting. Holloway has shown early on this season that he should have been included on the 50-man Naismith Watch List, averaging 27 points, 6 board and more than 5 assists. While Holloway's play has been unquestionably superb, if Xavier can't find someone else to help carry the offensive load this season, it's hard to see them winning games when their schedule begins to escalate, which it will VERY quickly.
| Call me "Tu" but give me three. |
For Old Dominion, the Paradise Jam Final represents another important chance to stack an automatic bid-worthy chip in their favor. Their first opportunity narrowly slipped away as they lost their opener to Georgetown (who won their tournament, beating Vandy and Minnesota).
The game tips tomorrow night around 8:30 tomorrow and can be found on MOST Fox Sports affiliates.
OId Spice, Maui and Preseason NIT Headline a Great Hoops Week
Here's some quick links to the best of the preseason tourneys this week.
Maui Classic
http://www.mauiinvitational.com/index.asp
Favorites: Michigan State, Kentucky
Sleeper: Wichita State, Washington, UConn
Favorite: Villanova
Sleepers: UCLA, Virginia Commonwealth
Who Knows? Tennessee
Favorite: Wisconsin, Temple
Sleepers: Texas A&M, Georgia
Other Teams: Notre Dame, Cal, Manhattan, Boston College
Maui Classic
http://www.mauiinvitational.com/index.asp
Favorites: Michigan State, Kentucky
Sleeper: Wichita State, Washington, UConn
Preseason NIT
http://www.ncaa.com/sports/m-baskbl/champpage/m-baskbl-nit-index.htmlFavorite: Villanova
Sleepers: UCLA, Virginia Commonwealth
Who Knows? Tennessee
Old Spice Classic (Orlando, FL)
http://www.oldspiceclassic.com/home/Favorite: Wisconsin, Temple
Sleepers: Texas A&M, Georgia
Other Teams: Notre Dame, Cal, Manhattan, Boston College
Early Highs & Lows
As the saying goes, You can't win 'em all. Especially when you are the big boy on the block with a big target on your back for most of your non-conference games as smaller schools ramp up for one of the precious few chances to get some national attention. Every year several mid or low majors jump up and pick off one of the big boys, and just a short week into the season, this year is proving no exception.
Here's a quick rundown of what you might have missed in the opening week; five teams that have underwhelmed and a few more that have impressed. With about a half-dozen preseason tournaments going on this weekend, this list is sure to grow rapidly. The Maniac will provide another solid recap on Monday, as well as issuing some "Upset Alerts" for this weekend, so be sure to check back tonight and tomorrow
.
Five Underwhelmers:
2. LSU - It seems like the Tigers seem to find their way into the Maniac's doghouse every Winter. Usually it's for their dreadful non-conference schedule. This year, it's for their dreadful schedule AND getting blasted at home by Nichols State. This Sunday's date with Memphis will be a good indication as to whether it was just a rough night or the start of a rough season.
3. Wake Forest - Perhaps no team in the country has been hit harder by early NBA entrants than the Deacons. Kentucky may have lost more players, but at least there it is sort of expected. It's also far easier to reload in the Bluegrass than it is in the pale shadow of Duke and UNC. It's an excuse for the Deacons to be down this season. It's not an excuse for opening with a home loss to Atlantic Sun also-ran Stetson . Following it up with a 90-69 drubbing, again at home, to Virginia Commonwealth has it looking like Wake could be near the bottom of a down ACC.
With one of the nation's toughest non-conference schedules (Wofford, Iowa, Butler, Gonzaga, Georgia, LSU, Cincinnati and Wake Forest - plus possible meetings with either Old Dominion/Clemson or Seton Hall/Alabama) the Muskies better see some improvement quickly or it could be more than their Sweet 16 streak in jeopardy, it could be their tourney appearance streak as well...
5. South Florida - Last year the Bulls became media darlings of sorts as they made a daring run towards the NCAA Tournament despite being projected 14th or 15th in preseason BEast coaches polls. The Bulls came up just short, but entered this season with high expectations, despite Dominique James leaving early for the NBA. With losses to Southern Miss and UCF, the Bulls are not only digging a nearly-impossible to climb out of ditch, they would also be in last place in Conference USA.
And a Few Pleasant Surprises...
* Gardner Webb - Yes, they got boat raced down in Tallahassee, but the opening win over Charlotte was impressive. With upcoming dates with Michigan, Oklahoma, Arizona State and Louisville the Bulldogs will get a few more chances to add another profile win. Don't laugh, one of those wins could be the difference between a #13 and a virtually unwinnable #15 or #16 seed in March.
* Georgia - Florida, Kentucky, and Tennessee enter the season ranked and Vanderbilt is considered a fringe tournament team by most. However, don't sleep on Georgia in the slightly overrated SEC East. Their win over Colorado is a better win that it appears at first blush, and the 'Dawgs handled them with relative ease. A Thanksgiving date with Notre Dame and early December hookups with Georgia Tech and UAB will give the 'Dawgs a chance to build a solid profile before conference play.
* St Mary's - They've played two non D-1 throwaways, but the 76-71 win over an improved St John's squad could be a nice chip to pile in March. Omar Samham is gone, but don't make the mistake of overlooking the Gaels. They'll get their chance on December 1st to do something conference rival Gonzaga could not; beat San Diego State.
* San Diego State - Speaking of which, the Aztecs might be the best mid-major in the country this season. Their road win in the Kennel is as impressive a win as a team has notched so far in this young season. If "best" seems like hyperbole, it isn't. They have to be considered no worse than co-favorite with BYU to win the Mountain West, and appear to be ahead of Gonzaga, Memphis, Xavier, Butler and the other usual suspects.
And the recap wouldn't be complete without a tip of the beanie to the Yale Bulldogs, despite losses to Quinnipiac and Providence, they were still able to go into Chestnut Hill and pull off the stunner.
Tweet it!!
Memo to BC - STOP Scheduling Ivy League Schools!
Stop me if you've read this article before on MarchManiacs... do not adjust your monitor. It IS a new article.
This time it's even worse as BC is felled on their home floor by titans of the Ivy... Yale. The Eagles dropped the contest 75-67 in front of just under 4,000 stunned fans.
Last year, at least Harvard had future NBA player Jeremy Lin on the roster. No such story for the Yalies. Tough loss for the Eagles, who better recoup quickly with Texas A&M, Indiana, UMass, Providence and Maryland all coming up in the next three weeks.
. Tweet
This time it's even worse as BC is felled on their home floor by titans of the Ivy... Yale. The Eagles dropped the contest 75-67 in front of just under 4,000 stunned fans.
Last year, at least Harvard had future NBA player Jeremy Lin on the roster. No such story for the Yalies. Tough loss for the Eagles, who better recoup quickly with Texas A&M, Indiana, UMass, Providence and Maryland all coming up in the next three weeks.
. Tweet
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)