Run the Table???

Well, for those of you who didn't like The Maniac's stray away from hoops and (percieved) slight of the Colts' and their "intestinal fortitude" pulling their starters two weeks ago...here's another jab.

Should the opportunity arise for any collegiate team to run the table, you better believe they'll embrace it. Especially if the man in the position to do is Coach Cal and the Big Blue. And they actually could be.

Admittedly, this article is very premature and given our proclivity for cursing unsuspecting teams, possibly unwarranted; but it is time to address the possibility of Kentucky legitimately running the table heading into the NCAA Tournament.

Do I think they are the best team in the country? No. After watching every top team play the past few weeks they will likely be no higher than 3rd in Friday's Bracketeering (possibly fourth). For giggles though, take a look at the schedule IF they win at Gainesville this weekend...

@ Auburn, Arkansas, @South Carolina, Vandy at home, Mississippi at home, @LSU, Bama at home, Tennessee (they wear orange for a reason!! Zing! First of any well-deserved "inmate" cracks). And we'll pause there for now.

At South Carolina could be tricky, though I think the Gamecocks were over rated coming into 2009 and will miss the tourney again this year. Mississippi is the second best team in the SEC, but UK plays them only once and the game is at Rupp. 'Bama has some athletes, but do you really see that team winning in Rupp? And that brings us to Tennessee, the former leading challenger to Kentucky's dominance this season. What a bizarre and frankly scary situation (if you don't know, click here). It also makes the end of the year's trip to Knoxville a little less daunting.

Does it seem reasonable they are still unbeaten at this point? They will certainly be favored in every one of those games. Let's continue:

@ Mississippi St, @ Vandy.

Easily the toughest stretch of the season. Mississippi State has a good ballclub, good size and interior defense anchored by Varnado and his 4+ blocks per game. Vanderbilt is always a tough place to play, if for no other reason than the wacky sightlines playing on the elevated court with what feels like ten times more empty, unoccupied space around the edge of the floor than in a normal setting.

Should they survive that stretch, they close with: South Carolina (home), @ Tennessee, @ Georgia and home for F-L-O-R-IDA! I liked Billy Donovan's team a lot more before I watched them play NC State, Richmond and South Alabama. They beat Michigan State early and Florida State. The last month? They just really aren't that good.

Now - I wouldn't wager on any team running the table in 2010. No one has done it in 35 years, and for good reason. Not UNLV in 1990. Not UNC last year. And no one this year is even close to as good as either of those two teams. In conference play, anything can happen and parity reigns supreme.

However, I wanted to be the first, on record, to feed the Big Blue hype machine and lay out the potential. It is there.

Should it ever get to that point, let's hope Cal doesn't pull John Wall with 11 minutes to go in a tie game....

Nobody's done it since the Hoosiers...

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Welcome to 2010 Baby

New Year. New Decade. And an incredible slate of college hoops to start it off right. This weekend will give hoops fans an opportunity to most of the nation's best teams (except Texas, who did it last week) get tested.

The game of the day features more than just great hoops. It features the greatest intensifier of all; good old fashioned hate. Rick Pitino visits his old stompin' grounds of hallowed Rupp Arena tomorrow in a position his Cards haven't been in for several years; trying to spring the upset on the heavily favored 'Cats. To add even a little more spice to the day, Calipari was recently the target of some rather pointed criticism by Bobby Knight, while Rick Pitino's offseason read like a John Grisham novel. In fact, it prompted one of the best shirts I've ever seen; sported by a Card fan it read simply "at least our coach only cheats OFF the court." Twisted, but inspired to say the least...

Yes Rick, all eyes on you indeed...

Gotta love the passion down in the Bluegrass. Kentucky is favored by 8, and despite the margin it will be the best test of tournament-style intensity the Cats have faced this year. Carolina and UCONN were great wins, but the volume and magnitude of this game is a great introduction to the passion of March for freshman Bledsoe, Cousins and Wall. Should the Cats survive the Cards and a Jan 12th trip to Gainesville, expect the "undefeated" talk to really ratchet up a notch...

Kansas plays their first real game of the year and gets a chance to finally shut The Maniac up about their soft road thus far. The Jayhawks travel to Philly to face red-hot Temple (5:30 EST) and their tempo-controlling style. The 'Hawks have more talent, but how will they handle their first true test outside of the Phogg? If the Owls can pull one of the first legit "upsets" of this young season (sidenote: Saw a headline on a major sports site, claiming "Bearcats STUN #10 UConn at the buzzer" Holy hyperbole Batman!) they can start looking at a Top 10 ranking and begin thinking Top 4 seed in March...

UConn and Syracuse have quality ballgames, though it might constitute an "off game" by brutal Big East standards. Both play at home, hosting Notre Dame and Pitt respectivly. Meanwhile Villanova takes a tricky trip to Marquette, who will be trying to regroup after gagging one up in West Virginia earler this week. Every day is a good day in the Big East. Don't be surprised if one, or all, of these games is closer than expected.

UAB has an interesting trip to Arkansas Saturday. Should the Hogs beat them, the Blazers will have dropped back-to-backers to UVA and Arkansas; two of the bottom teams in the BCS conferences. That wouldn't bode particularly well for Conference USA, especially after Houston lost to Texas-San Antonio tonight at home.

Big Ten play continues as well after an already-eventful start when Michigan State heads to Northwestern. Should Northwestern fall, they can kiss their brief time in the Top 25 goodbye...and also might begin to worry about their tourney prospects with their schedule not relenting anytime soon (and an 0-2 Big Ten start).

Tomorrow also features a real bevy of late, quality, non-conference tilts. Baylor at South Carolina is a nice matchup of bubble-caliber teams from good, multi-bid leagues. Gonzaga at Illinois is yet another stiff test for the Zags. They looked great last night hammering Oklahoma, but will they have enough gas in the tank against an Illini squad that can ill-afford another setback?

Oklahoma State takes a daring trip to Rhode Island tomorrow evening. Kudos to the Cowboys for playing a game like this against a smaller-name, very solid A-10 team. The A-10 has quite a day lined up with some Big Six foes. Charlotte will be hosting ACC Georgia Tech to round out the trifecta. It will be interesting to see how all three handle the opportunity.

I,m not sure if any cable outlet in America will be providing the 4pm game between William & Mary and Hofstra, but at this point I feel obligated to keep you updated on the Tribe. They are seeking to follow up their Maryland road win with another tough, albeit less glamorous, road win. This is a classic trap game, with Hofstra not expected to be among the CAA elite, but the kind of game you need to win if you want to be a serious at-large contender. By the way, not sure it means much right now (and of course it will drop as conference play lowers their strength of schedule) but W&M is 6th in the RPI as the calendar flips to 2010. Just thought you'd like to know.

Home of the nation's #6 team?? It's pretty early to look at RPI's...but still worth taking notice

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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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Wall to Wall Hysteria

Relax Big Blue.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Relax.

It is neither the second coming, nor a 2012-like disaster (not the preciction, the movie...was the script for National Treasure 3 just not finished yet??)

Kentucky faithful, and there are many faithful, split in two chaotic directions today. The first camp, proclaiming John Wall the national player of the year after hitting the game winning shot last night in his first game as a Wildcat. And the other camp, those panicking because a game winning shot was necessary in Rupp again the Redhawks of Miami (OH).

Wall is good. He is real real good. Like lottery pick good. But he made a bevy of freshman mistakes last night, turnovers, over penetrating, leaving his feet to pass only to be bailed out by UK's superior athleticism. Give him a few weeks to settle in, but last night was nowhere close to a POY performance.

Give the Cats a few weeks too. With only Patterson a big time returning contributer there is still a huge feeling out process for the Cats while everyone discovers their role and place in Calipari's dribble drive offense.

For one night, let the demons of VMI sleep along with the rooftop of banners.

It is going to be one heck of an exciting season in the Bluegrass. Hopefully Cat fans can relax long enough to enjoy the frantic ride.

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Maniac Picks - Dec 10th

A slate of good games today - some under the radar (Dayton @ Creighton is a gem) and others on TV only for the strong-of-stomach (TCU @ Indiana). Here's how the Maniac sees them going down.

Oh - by the way, we are 59% A.T.S. so far on the young season...

MANIAC PICKS:

Ohio +16 @ Xavier - Muskies win, but still have some point guard issues to resolve before they run anyone out of the Cintas Center. They best figure them out before Saturday with the high-pressure UC Bearcats looming seven miles down the road.

Cal +6 @ Utah - A good game. Cal can win this straight-up. Take the security of the six points.

Butler -2 @ Bradley - They're Baaaaa-aaack. Take the tough Bulldogs on the road.

Dayton +6.5 @ Creighton - This line seems like Vegas saw the name on the jersey and the home court and ran with it. Dayton is the better club this season, and gets a chance to prove it tonight. I'll make this my LOCK of the night.

Gonzaga @ Washington St. +4.5 - Give me the rivalry factor, plus the the grind of having so many big games stacked back to back to back to...(you get the point) working against the Zags. Wazzou might not steal the win, but expect a really tough, well played game. Washington St. might be the most under appreciated program in the country over the past 2 seasons.

Under the radar? Not if they steal a win over the Zags...

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Best Games You Might Not Be Able to See...

A look at some of the top tilts that may not be broadcast in your neck of the woods. Don't worry - the Maniac has you covered.

Tuesday:

Miami (OH) @ Ohio St - Yes, the Redhawks are 2-3, but their losses are UCLA, Pitt & Xavier. Only the Pitt game wasn;t competitive. Don't be surprised if the 'Hawks get a big-name win Tuesday night.

Georgia @ Western KY - Felton returns home to find a team fresh off a Sweet 16 appearance and a dismantling of #3 Louisville.

Wednesday:

Winthrop @ VMI - VMI has already beaten Kentucky. Winthrop has become kind of "Butler-lite" over the past three years, but is off to a 1-5 start. They need to right the ship quickly to keep their NCAA tourney appearance streak running.

DePaul @ Cal - DePaul is one of the Big East's forgotten sons, lost in the "nine-bid" hype (I heard one ESPN pundit claim 10 is possible. Of course, he is a dipshit...) but the Demons can not afford any missteps pre-conference and keep slim tourney hopes a flutter. Cal is 5-1 and gearing up for a very up-for-grabs middle of the Pac-10 pack.

Walking in Memphis

Oh What Could Have Been...

The celebration flowed like sweet jazz until the early morning on Beale Street. The "dream team" had done what no other Memphis squad ever could. Bring a title home to the city.

John Calipari had claimed from the outset that foul foul-shooting would not deter his squad from reaching college basketball's loftiest perch. "They'll make 'em when they need to." he said over and over. Monday night they did just (barely) that. Despite a few late missed attempts the Tigers made enough of them early and often, including 4 straight by All-American Chris Douglas-Roberts with several minutes to go in the contest.

The real turning point in the game was when Kansas coach Bill Self elected to go to a box-and-1 defense on Douglass-Roberts. This was all the opening Freshman sensation Derrick Rose needed to assert himself and take over the game. Rose, the Final Four MOP said, "I took the challange. They decided to focus on CDR, and I knew my team needed me to make something happen."

Make something happen he did, scoring a quick seven points and changing the tenor of the game back to Memphis's style. The Jayhawks never recovered.

Bill Self, arguably now the front-runner for title of Best Coach to Never Win A Championship (along with UCLA's Ben Howland) was classy, yet despondant after the game. When asked if the Oklahoma State rumors had any impact on his team, he replied flatly, "None. None at all. My focus was on MY team, and on finding a way to beat Memphis. They just executed and made a few more plays. It was their night."

Perhaps the most important execution of the night came on the final play when Calipari elected to have Douglass-Roberts foul Mario Chalmers with 3.2 seconds remaining. The Tigers, clinging to a three point lead wanted to prevent Kansas from attempting a game-tying three point shot. Chalmers calmly sank the first free throw, and intentionally missed the second. Dozier corralled the hard rebound and fired the outlet pass to Rose who threw the ball jubilantly towards the rafters. With that toss, Memphis capped off a dominant tournament run in which they beat Michigan State, Texas, UCLA and Kansas with the school's first national championship.

The sweet sounds of victory flowed from campus to dowtown, a title in Memphis, the Tigers, walking with their feet ten feet off of Beale...