Rating Saturday's Top Games

The NFL playoffs start today, and the Maniac's beloved Bengals will host our (yep, I even say "our" like it is possible I'll make a tackle tomorrow) second playoff game in twenty years. As long time tortured season tickets holders, my whole family is super psyched.

That said, there is still some fantastic college hoops worth catching early, or DVR'ing for later.

FIVE STARS:

Purdue @ Wisconsin (1:30 EST - Big Ten Network)

Hardly anyone wins at the Kohl Center other than the Badgers. They have already dispatched a fantastic Duke team there this season, next up they'll try to do the same to the Boilermakers. A win for Wisconsin puts them solidly in the mix to win the Big Ten title and lurches them into the same sentance as Purdue and Michigan State. A win for the Boilers cements them, in my mind, as the clear conference favorite and a huge step towards capturing a #1 seed in March.

FOUR STARS:

Northern Iowa @ Illinois State (4 EST - ESPN)
One of the nation's best kept secrets travels to dangerous Illinois State and perhaps the conference's best player in Osiris Eldridge. The Valley is notorious for beating each other up all season long, preventing two or three teams to seperate from the pack and bolster their at-large chances. Today is an opportunity for Northern Iowa to do just that.

Mississippi @ Mississippi State - The two best teams in the SEC West lock up in a fantastic rival that should be amplified by both teams collective talent level this season. The winner gets an early jump on winning the West.

BYU @ UTEP (9 EST) - This game is a huge feather for both in their at-large profile, though it likely means more to UTEP with BYU a pretty solid lock for March unless they really falter in conference. C-USA is much improved while constant giant Memphis is down. This is the year they might snatch multiple NCAA bids, but it will be competitive with UAB, Houston, Tulsa and Memphis all jockeying. This one is huge for the Miners.

UConn @ Georgetown (Noon, ESPN) - Hard to say this one kills the loser, but it is a good chance to see two of the countries better team; though still very flawed teams, lock horns. Both could use a solid conference win in the uber-competitive BEast. Let's be honest, any game in that conference not involving DePaul, Rutgers, Providence or USF is at least a 3-star game.

Marquette @ Villanova (2 EST) - Marquette could very easily be 3-0 in conference, ranked nationally and be enjoying the media crush that has bestowed upon Pitt this week. Instead, they find theselves in a precarious spot; lose at Nova and they fall to 1-3 and become an early "bubble" candidate...

Wake Forest @ Miami -Two teams that can actually make a claim to being "underrated" despite very good records and playing in the ACC. The winner today can make a good case for being in the Top 15 in the country and gets a valable chip for late season jockeying through the middle of the ACC pecking order.

THREE STARS:

Florida @ Vanderbilt (Noon) - Think Florida's hot start wasn't a bit of a mirage? Vegas has the Gators as seven point dogs to the 'Dores

St John's @ Louisville (Noon) - St John's better get rolling soon or it is yet another empty postseason and bottom half BEast finish.

Niagara @ Siena - Two best MEAC teams go head to head

Duke @ Georgia Tech - great litmus test for the young Jackets

Kansas State @ Missouri - great chance for Mizzou to jump on radar, great chance for Cats to show they deserve a top ten ranking

Ohio State @ Minnesota - looking forward to seeing if Evan Turner is all the way back in a tricky road stop for the Bucks.

Georgia @ Kentucky - always a good rivalry, it will be interesting to see if the Cats play with the killer instinct needed to bury a lesser opponent.

Oklahoma @ Baylor - OK Sooners, you want to stay relevant in 2010, you need to start winning soon. Today at Baylor would be a good start.

Cincinnati @ Seton Hall - Both teams fancy themselves as tourney teams in 2010. The Pirate fall to 0-4 with a loss and will be buried pretty deep. Meanwhile the Cats need the road win to stop their skid and remain at .500 in conference play.

Tulsa @ Houston - A nice chance to get out to the front of C-USA pack in the conference opener.

West Virginia @ Notre Dame - A chance for the Irish to get their first big win of the season, and boy do they really need a few to bolster that resume.

Texas Tech @ Oklahoma State - Something tells me that only one of the these two teams find themselves on the favorable side of the bubble in ten weeks. A head-to-head win sure never hurts.

Gonzaga @ Portland - A big chance for Portland to get back to relevant. A nice chance for Gonzaga to smack back the uprising and show the WCC who is still boss.

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More Fun in the Valley

While most of college basketball is waiting a few days to get rolling in 2010, the Missouri Valley continues steaming ahead. The conference is not quite at the level of the glory year 0f 2006, but does have a great chance to improve on the 1-bid performance of last season.

Here's a quick rundown of tonight's games, and the first week of games past.

What's going on in Omaha? Creighton fell to 0-2 today in conference after losing to lightly-regarded Indiana State. All the big conference guys who got a "quality win" early over the Jays might be disappointed to find that it no longer qualifies as "quality." The Jays have played themselves into auto-bid only territory after their terrible start.

Southern Illinois squares off tonight with Bradley. The Salukis rose to national prominence several years ago reaching the Sweet 16 and being ranked most of the season, but they have fallen off a bit in past years. This season the Salukis are 8-2 and looking to rise into contention in the Valley. Meanwhile Bradley sits at 6-5, but does own a win over Illinois and several "good losses" to BYU and Oklahoma State. The Braves are not legit contenders in the Valley, but tonight might give a nice glimpse as to whether or not the Salukis might be.

Northern Iowa and Wichita State both figure to be factors in the MVC race all season; both have should-win home games tonight against Evansville and Drake respectively. Both teams have good records (11-1, 10-2) but neither has gaudy enough non-conference resumes to think they are dancing without 12-13 MVC wins. In short, every game counts for them both.

The game of the night is at 8:05 EST when 10-2 Illinois State travels to 11-1 Missouri State. Illinois State is fresh of a 15 point win over Wichita, while MoSU easily handled Evansville on the road. Illinois State raced off to an undefeated start last year, only to cool off quickly in conference play, just as national attention began to find them. The Redbirds finished with a disappointing first round NIT loss. This season, the Redbirds and MVC P.O.Y. candidate Osiris Eldridge know they have to win games like tonight if they want to get to the real dance this March.

Missouri State, with wins over Auburn and Tulsa was flirting with Top 25 status before a 66-62 loss to Arkansas cooled that notion. Still the Bears have a solid ballclub and have to be considered a Top 3 team in the underrated Valley. Tonight's game will give a nice look at two potentially tourney-bound teams.


SEASON OUTLOOK: Look for Wichita, No. Iowa and Mo State to battle for the league crown with some pressure from Illinois State and Southern Illinois, and I am always reluctant to bury Creighton, no matter how much it looks like we need to. Ultimately, it might once again be parity that costs the Valley multiple tourney bids, but I like the league to snag two spots in the NCAA and another two in the NIT.

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Wednesday's Pick

Wow, the Maniac is still reeling from the display Jodie Meeks put on last night. Highlights don't do it justice my friends...

As far as the Maniac last night, precient selections of the road wins notched by Kentucky and FSU, as well as sweating out his lock pick of TCU +15. The only loss was on lost-cause IU, suffering, along with the audience, on yet another nationally televised blowout.

Here are Wednesday's selections:

Michigan State travels to surprising Penn State. Talor Battle has been great for the Nittany Lions, who still remain an outside candidate to sneak into the Big Dance. However, Michigan State has gelled of late and the talent discrepency is really large between them. I like Penn State, but no way they cover tonight.

Maniac's Pick: Michigan State -5 1/2 (LOCK)

Syracuse begins their four-game gauntlet tonight with a trip to the nation's capital to take on Greg Monroe and the Hoyas. These two teams always sem to lock up in tough battles, I expect tonight to be no different. I like the Hoyas, but will take the Orange with the points.

Maniac's Pick: Syracuse +6

Florida heads to Auburn tonight to take on the Tigers. Auburn has athleticism and rebounding, but lacks playmakers and shooting. It sees like the type of matchup that bodes well for the Gators, provided they can take care of the basketball and get on the defensive glass. Year Two of the "Baby Gators" has not been quite as successful as some hoped, but tonight's win would be a good positive step to returning the the NCAA Touney.

Maniac's Pick: Florida -3

Arkansas has notched two of the most impressive non-conference wins of anyone in the country, beating Oklahoma and Texas. SO why are they two point dogs tonight at Mississippi? Because the SEC is full of parity; good, yet few (if any) very good teams. Mississippi entered the season with SEC West title aspirations, though they took a hit when Chris Warren got hurt. Arkansas has a lot of talent most people have never heard of. A loss tonight puts a tarnish on their two big wins. I think John Pelphrey will make sure his Hogs know that.

Maniac's Pick: Arkansas +2

Last year's darlings of the Valley travel to this year's hopefuls when Drake visits Illinois State. We were real high on the Redbirds and their unbeaten start until MVC parity reared it's ugly head. It is that same parity that makes it crazy to lay 9 on anyone in this league. Gimme Drake and the points.

Maniac's Pick: Drake +9 (LOCK)

Wake visits BC in the proverbial "trap game." Fresh off their emotional fantastic victory over UNC they would seem ripe for the plucking. Just like...exactly, BC versus Harvard. Don't think that won't come up several hundred times in tonight's pregame locker room talk. Wake shows some maturity and poise tonight, and handles their business over a less-talented BC team.

Maniac's Pick: Wake -4 (LOCK)

Utah @ Air Force - Interesting game, gimme Air Force at home, if only becuase getting 8 is like getting 15 for a team that plays a normal tempo.

Maniac's Pick: Air Force +8

Eye Openers for Tuesday Jan 6th

Some really great games and some interesting results from around the country. Here is a quick recap.

UConn pulled away late to nip West Virginia in Morgantown 61-55. The loss will likely drop the Mountaineers out of the next polls. Who cares. They are a good ballclub who will be dancing with a nervous partner in some 7-10 game in March. The Huskies look really solid after their conference opening defeat to Georgetown. They are about 5th to 7th in most polls, but are still a Top 3 team using the eye test.

UCF beat Holy Cross to move to 9-4. Are they tourney worthy? Certainly not, barring a miracle conference tourney run. But Jermaine Taylor is the best player you have NEVER heard of, averaging over 23 a contest. If the Knights can eke out 10 or 11 conference wins, he could be C-USA's player of the year (though I imagine it will go to bigger name (and ass...) Robert Vaden)

Ohio State lost at Michigan State by a dozen or so to fall to 0-3 in conference. Ohio State is on the ropes big time, after looking like a Top 10 team just three weeks ago. If you seeded today, seven Big Ten teams dance, and they are NOT one of them. Meanwhile Michigan State very quietly looks like one of the best teams in the country. Put that 35 point loss to Carolina out of your heads. I have an interesting theory I am cooking up on WHY that loss happened... Read it on the site, and tell me if you agree/disagree....

Kansas held off a feisty Siena team by 7. Col Alderich is way better than you think and is an early candidate for the Eric Montross retro white-guy flattop of the year award. Siena is a pesty club I would be wary of in the inevitable 14 seed they will earn in March.

Stop the fight, we have a winner!

Villanova earned a nice road win over a pesky Seton Hall club. Scottie Reynolds tossed in 40 in the OT thriller.

Creighton and Illinois State lost to Northern Iowa and Bradley respectivly. Great for the victors, but disaster for the conference. Parity does not get multiple bids for non-BCS conferences. You need two to four giants to amass gaudy records in top-heavy leagues. Computers and RPI's don't watch basketball games. Hell, after Arizona State got left out last year I am not sure the committe does either.

Arkansas continues it's Southwestern Confernce Trail of Tears, scalping another former conference mate and top ten Little 12 team in Texas. The Hogs got 'em 67-61 and add them to Oklahoma in the impressive trophy closet. Think those two wins move you up three or four lines come tourney seeding time?? You better believe it. They remind me a lot of the 18-11 Maryland team in 2003 who went from bubble to #4 seed in the span of three good ACC Tourney wins. Sometime WHO you beat matters most.

Lastly, to balance the praise of the SEC with some reality, how about the shitsandwich LSU served up in Utah tonight, losing 91-61 to the Utes. Utah is now 10-5 with losses to Utah State, Idaho State, and ....wait for it.... Southwest Baptist. You would think a loss like that and even JOHN the Baptist couldn't resurrect your season's soul, but LSU attempted to prove otherwise.

Enjoy a good week of hoops! Oh, and Geaux Tigers!!

For the Birds: Illinois State Hammers Creighton in "Show-Me" Game

It is now official. Illinois State is for real and here to stay, so get to know the Redbirds. There is a good chance you'll be writing their name once, twice...thrice in your brackets come March.

In consecutive games to open the MVC, the Redbirds validated their somewhat soft 11-0 non conference record by thrashing Evansville 80-50 and following it up with a sound 86-64 victory over conference kingpin Creighton.

Saturday's Best Games - Jan 3rd.

In between bowl fever and the start of the NFL playoffs, it is easy for college hoops to get lost in the sportsfan's shuffle. However, Saturday is chock full of games worth tuning in for. Here is a rundown on Saturday's finest.

FIVE STARS:

12pm Pitt @ Georgetown - Can Georgetown take down the top two teams in the conference (and two of the top three in the nation) in the same week? They'll be on their home floor, and it is obvious Greg Monroe will not be afraid of Pitt's interior defenders, seeing how he didn't bat an eye at Hasheem Thabeet.

8pm Wake Forest @ BYU - Must be "east coast bias." I can't think of any other reason why the Lee Cummard and the Cougs aren't ranked (ditto for UNLV), but these two teams enter the game a combined 23-1. The winner puts a huge feather in their cap come Selection Sunday.

8pm Creighton @ Illinois State - I might be becoming a bit of an MVC honk, but I honestly think this is the 2nd best game of the day. Creighton (12-2) has been the big kid on the block for years while Illinois State (13-0) has been the low bird on the totem pole. We will find out tomorrow night how much (if any) things have changed.

FOUR STARS:

12pm Ohio State @ Minnesota - Ohio St skidded past Iowa coming off their first loss throttling by WVA. Minnesota came into Big Ten play unbleminshed...then got their doors blown off by Michigan State. Tubby's Gophers don't want an 0-2 start to blemish all the positives of 2008.

2pm Tennessee @ Kansas - Two good teams square off in one of the nation's toughest places to win. Kansas is not ranked, but a win a the Phog never hurts the resume.

THREE STARS:

2pm Penn State @ Wisconsin - Don't look now, but Bo Ryan's Badgers appear to be a force once again in the Big Ten after an opening dismantling of Michigan (who beat UCLA and Duke). Penn State is off to a 12-2 start, but a win in Madison might be asking a bit much.

4pm NC State @ Florida - The Gators haven't made the strides that many expected so far in 2008-09. A home loss to the Pack would be another tough obstacle to overcome heading into a balanced, if not great, SEC.

4pm Wyoming @ Utah - The Ute's a fresh off a big win over Gonzaga...but I suppose a lot of teams can boast that this year. Meanwhile Wyoming (11-3) needs as many wins as they can get to make up for a less-than-stellar non conference schedule. The MWC is really deep and good this year. It will be interesting to see if Wyoming is one of the teams that can make noise.

TWO STARS:

2pm Xavier @ Virginia - The Muskies look to stop a 2-game skid in Charlottesville. The Cavs would love a big win before entering a ACC that appears to be a cut above their 2009 talent level.

4pm East Carolina @ Clemson - I had ECU on the Maniac Radar earlier this season. Then they lost by 41 to Wake. Expect Clemson to cruise to 14-0, though the Pirates do have the talent to compete for a 2nd to 4th finish in C-USA.

4pm Indiana @ Iowa - Let the carnage begin. The Hoosiers travel to Iowa to deliver the "bye week" in person. The Hoosiers enter off a home loss to Lipscomb (google it.) and are clearly Number Eleven in the Big Ten.


UPSET ALERT:

These three teams need to be on the watch for upset-minded foes who just might be capable of shooting their way to a big upset win.

* West Virgina @ Seton Hall
* Butler @ Valparaiso
* Wake Forest @ BYU

Recognize the Redbirds!

13-0.

A new record for victories at the start of the season for Illinois State. More importantly, their 30 point win over Evansville last night served notice their is a new force to be reckoned with in the MVC.

The past three years have seen a burgeoning popularity and acclaim for the conference, comprised of smaller, midwestern schools that don't field D1 football teams (or FBS, or FCS or DUH, whatever acronym they are using now). Creighton has become pretty recognizable with their recent half decade of success. Drake became national darlings for a few weeks last year, and could have been longer had it not been for a Western Kentucky tourney buzzer beater. Wichita St. made it acceptable for fans to talk about "the Shockers" without evoking bad images of Dane Cook during their 2006 tourney run. Heck, we even know Indiana State thanks to Larry Legend.

But Illinois State?? Never heard of them.

Well, get to know the Redbirds, because they could be the next MVC team to wreck havoc come March.

In some ways, they are your typical MVC upstart; they have balanced scoring, four players hoisting more than four 3-pt attemps a night, a total of 22 per game as a team...and no one is on NBA scouts current radar. No one in their rotation stands taller than 6'8'', their three guards are under 6'3''.

Now let me give you some facts to remember come March. They are shooting nearly 40% as a team from distance, and aren't adraid to chuck it up. Who springs upsets? Teams that get hot from the perimeter. Who else? Teams that are smart, patient with veteran, poised guards. The Redbirds start 3 seinors and two juniors. Their three leading scorers are all guards, so no true point of attack to deny with ball pressure. No one to focus on when you have to have a big stop.

In short, a solid, well-rounded ballclub with the kind of grit that makes MVC teams a tough out in March. 13-0 and counting. Next up? A terrific ballgame with Creighton Saturday night.

Best Foot Forward - Impessive Conference Debuts

The new year marks the advent of conference play, and here is where some of the separation between the contenders and pretenders begins. Several teams served notice the are here to play in 2009.

Impressive Debuts:

Illinois - A win on the road at preseason conference favorite Purdue is a nice way to open Big 10 play. The Illini are two points away (@Clemson) from being undefeated. It looks like Bruce Webber has his team poised to return to the tourney.

Georgetown - With the stumbles of Louisville and Notre Dame and the win at UConn, it is hard to say Georgetown isn't the top team in the nation's best conference at this point.

Illinois St. - They entered last night's game undefeated, yet most still pegged Creighton, Drake or Evansville as the team to beat in the MVC. The Redbirds 80-50 thumping of Evansville just added a fourth name to the discussion.

Arkansas - Yes, they had to hold on for dear life, but the Hogs took it too Oklahoma and Blake Griffin Tuesday night. As much as I have ripped the SEC, it is not unreasonable to think that both they and LSU could make five teams dancing for the conference come March.

Dissapointments:

Lousiville - Another tough loss, this one at home to UNLV. The loss accentuated one of the Cards fatal flaws; with 12 seconds to go, they have no clue who is supposed to have the ball. Their lack of a point guard and offensive creativity could make for a very underwhelming year in the Commenwealth.

Gonzaga - The UConn loss was probably the best game played this season in college basketball. The Arizona loss was not great, but excusable. The Portland State loss was a classic "hangover game." So, please give me some ratioanle for last night's Utah loss? If they weren't "Gonzaga", at 8-4 in a mid-major league, would you think this team is a lock to dance? Most certainly not.

The Zags have left themselves some surprising work to do in conference play. With Portland, San Diego and St. Mary's, it may not be as automatic as most people think.

Minnesota - Don't get me wrong, the Gophers and Tubby Smith have a lot to be happy about. However, a home drubbing in the conference opener by the Spartans indicate things haven't changed quite as much as Minnesota might have hoped.

St. Joe's - The Hawks entered the season with aspirations of returning to the tourney. After consecutive losses to Siena and Drexel dropped them to 5-7, NIT aspirations seem lofty.