After nearly two weeks devoid of quality college hoops, today finally offers a bevy of quality games to get one last look at a lot of teams before the enter conference play. If you are a night-owl, you are doubly in luck, with quality games airing at 11pm and 1AM EST tonight.
Harvard @ UConn -13: The Huskies are a surprise at #4 in the country and undefeated. It is possible they sleepwalk through this game, it has certainly been the Huskies mantra over past seasons to play to the level of their competition. However, I think the men will be focused on not wanting to cede all the holiday attention to their record-breaking lady counterparts. Plus, Jeremy Lin is gone and this Harvard team just isn't very good. Gimme the Huskies big.
UCF -3.5 @ UMass: If anyone is ripe for a let-down game it is the Knights. After winning two of the biggest games in school history, defeating instate rivals Florida and Miami en route to their first ever appearance in the national rankings (#24 AP) the Knights look to keep their perfection alive visiting a reeling UMass squad. UMass started the year 7-0 before dropping their last three contests to Boston College, Maine and a 25-point blowout to struggling Seton Hall.
This line reflects a lot of the residual name recognition from the Marcus Camby-era Minutemen as well as the relative anonymity of the Knights basketball. I can understand the potential for a letdown, but objectivly the Knights are 10-12 points better on a neutral floor. I think they bring their A-game, win easily tonight, and enter C-USA play as one of the nation's only undefeated teams.
Texas @ Michigan State -6.5: Texas is one of my sleeper teams to watch in March. They are long and athletic and have dynamite freshman talent in Corey Joseph. Michigan State just seems to be a little off in the early part of the season. Knowing Tom Izzo, all those ills will be long forgotten by March, but here in December six and a half feels like way to many to lay in a game they could very well lose straight up. Gimme the Longhorns and the points.
Dayton @ Seton Hall -7.5: Is this line a typo?? I looked at four different sites to make sure I wasn't reading it wrong. It's one of those games that made me wish I wagered for real instead of simply prognosticating for pride and column width... Gimme the Flyers straight up, but the 7.5 makes it even cushier. This is my first lock of the year.
Drexel @ Syracuse -13.5: Don't sleep on the Dragons. They've already knocked off Louisville in their beatiful and cavernous new YUM Center. They won't be intimidated by the Carrier Dome. Drexel is a legit tourney team and will compete with VCU, Old Dominion and George Mason in the better-than-advertised Colonial League. I think the 'Cuse win at home, but I'll take the 13.5 going Drexel's way.
For the final selections, we'll tackle the wonderful trio of games tipping off at 11PM EST. For those of us who start their Christmas Break tomorrow, it's a good night to wrap some presents and watch some Christmas Hoops!
Butler -8 @ Utah, Kansas -10 @ Cal, Xavier +5 @ Gonzaga
Maniac's Record to Date: 12-8-1
Diamond Head Classic Quiet Christmas Gem
Lost amidst football bowl season, NBA Christmas festvities and NFL playoff pushes is a quiet college basketball gem in Honolulu. None of the teams in this year's Diamond Head Classic field make your eyes pop out, but with the possible exception of a very down San Diego squad, none will make you quickly avert your eyes from the screen either.
The favorites would have to be Baylor in the top half of the bracket, and Butler and Florida State in the bottom, though don't sleep on Washington State who enters the tournament at 8-1, including a 30-point thrashing of Gonzaga.
I'll take Washington State over Baylor in an upset, and Florida State over Butler in Rd 2. In the Final, give me the 'Noles in a close game.
Tournament MVP Pick: Klay Thompson (Washington State)
The favorites would have to be Baylor in the top half of the bracket, and Butler and Florida State in the bottom, though don't sleep on Washington State who enters the tournament at 8-1, including a 30-point thrashing of Gonzaga.
I'll take Washington State over Baylor in an upset, and Florida State over Butler in Rd 2. In the Final, give me the 'Noles in a close game.
Tournament MVP Pick: Klay Thompson (Washington State)
Kansas Dodges Bullet in Selby's Debut
The nation's longest home winning streak lived on, but barely. Kansas has gone more than three seasons, 67 games, without dropping a contest at the Phogg, but for the second time this season found themselves needing some late theatrics to overcome a Pac-10 foe.
This time it was the celebrated and much publicized freshman, Josh Selby, playing in his first ever collegiate game who bailed them out. Trailing by two with twenty seconds to go, Selby knocked down a long three point shot from the right elbow extended. USC failed to even get a quality look at the basket on successive attempts before a half court heave at the buzzer came tantalizingly close to a miracle.
For Kansas, they'll take the win, but some questions linger after being pushed to the brink by a team with next to no hope of playing in the NCAA Tournament (editor note: yes I got your emails. I know, they are serving a self-imposed post season ban this season).
Several weeks ago it was UCLA threatening to derail the Jayhawks incredible streak. There could be some small causes for concern, but for tonight, the Jayhawks are still undefeated and just scratching the surface of how good they can become with Selby in the fold.
This time it was the celebrated and much publicized freshman, Josh Selby, playing in his first ever collegiate game who bailed them out. Trailing by two with twenty seconds to go, Selby knocked down a long three point shot from the right elbow extended. USC failed to even get a quality look at the basket on successive attempts before a half court heave at the buzzer came tantalizingly close to a miracle.
For Kansas, they'll take the win, but some questions linger after being pushed to the brink by a team with next to no hope of playing in the NCAA Tournament (editor note: yes I got your emails. I know, they are serving a self-imposed post season ban this season).
Several weeks ago it was UCLA threatening to derail the Jayhawks incredible streak. There could be some small causes for concern, but for tonight, the Jayhawks are still undefeated and just scratching the surface of how good they can become with Selby in the fold.
Rocky Week in Rcky Top
It's definitely been a strange season already in Tennessee. Bruce Pearl and the Vols off-court problems have recieved a ton of attention, but their performance on the court has been every bit as strange and erratic.
One week ago, one could have made a compelling case that Tennessee merited a Top 5 ranking. No team in the country boasted a better pair of wins than the Vols ten point win over Villanova, and their not-as-close as the score seven point win at Pittsburgh. Add in less impressive but still quality wins over VCU, Chattanooga and Missouri State and Tennessee's perfect 7-0 record carried a ton of weight.
So how do you explain the last seven days for Pearl's club? The 89-82 loss to Oakland (of the Summit League, campus in Michigan, NOT "Oakland" Oakland...) made some sense. Oakland has a good ballclub, and had already played fantastic in close losses to Michigan State and Illinois. Their other three losses were to Purdue, Wright State and West Virginia; nothing to be ashamed of. Tuesday's game, played only two days after a huge emotional dismantling of Pitt on the road, set up perfectly for the dreaded "let down" trap game.
Tonight's 49-48 loss to struggling Charlotte is tougher to explain away. Charlotte entered play a distant shadow of last year's squad that contended for a tourney bid up until the final few weeks of the season, with a 4-6 record that included losses to Gardner-Webb, Coastal Carolina, Oregon State and Davidson. Not only did Tennessee drop a second straight game at home, they finished with a point total that equals a normal half of play for the up-tempo Volunteers.
So which team is the real Tennessee? My guess is somewhere in the middle. There is no need to panic quite yet in Knoxville, but it is fair to say some of the safety a good pre-conference slate of wins afford has slipped through the Vols fingers.
The SEC East is as good as any conference in the nation, with Kentucky, Florida, Vanderbilt and Georgia all potential NCAA Tournament teams. South Carolina, the presumptive last place team is no slouch either. The West is off to a dreadful start, but Tennessee will have to make their way through a gauntlet to win that division.
For Vol fans, just buckle up and enjoy a rocky ride in Rocky Top. With Pearl's 8-game suspension still looming, the uncertainty surrounding Tennessee is unlikely to fade for quite some time.
When the calendar flips to March, i expect the Vols to settle into the 5-8 seed range. Nothing shameful in that, but with the heightened expectations beating two Top 10 teams before Christmas brings, it might be a tormenting season in Knoxville.
One week ago, one could have made a compelling case that Tennessee merited a Top 5 ranking. No team in the country boasted a better pair of wins than the Vols ten point win over Villanova, and their not-as-close as the score seven point win at Pittsburgh. Add in less impressive but still quality wins over VCU, Chattanooga and Missouri State and Tennessee's perfect 7-0 record carried a ton of weight.
So how do you explain the last seven days for Pearl's club? The 89-82 loss to Oakland (of the Summit League, campus in Michigan, NOT "Oakland" Oakland...) made some sense. Oakland has a good ballclub, and had already played fantastic in close losses to Michigan State and Illinois. Their other three losses were to Purdue, Wright State and West Virginia; nothing to be ashamed of. Tuesday's game, played only two days after a huge emotional dismantling of Pitt on the road, set up perfectly for the dreaded "let down" trap game.
Tonight's 49-48 loss to struggling Charlotte is tougher to explain away. Charlotte entered play a distant shadow of last year's squad that contended for a tourney bid up until the final few weeks of the season, with a 4-6 record that included losses to Gardner-Webb, Coastal Carolina, Oregon State and Davidson. Not only did Tennessee drop a second straight game at home, they finished with a point total that equals a normal half of play for the up-tempo Volunteers.
So which team is the real Tennessee? My guess is somewhere in the middle. There is no need to panic quite yet in Knoxville, but it is fair to say some of the safety a good pre-conference slate of wins afford has slipped through the Vols fingers.
The SEC East is as good as any conference in the nation, with Kentucky, Florida, Vanderbilt and Georgia all potential NCAA Tournament teams. South Carolina, the presumptive last place team is no slouch either. The West is off to a dreadful start, but Tennessee will have to make their way through a gauntlet to win that division.
For Vol fans, just buckle up and enjoy a rocky ride in Rocky Top. With Pearl's 8-game suspension still looming, the uncertainty surrounding Tennessee is unlikely to fade for quite some time.
When the calendar flips to March, i expect the Vols to settle into the 5-8 seed range. Nothing shameful in that, but with the heightened expectations beating two Top 10 teams before Christmas brings, it might be a tormenting season in Knoxville.
It's Not the "Vick", it's the Victims
"How does Commissioner Goddell feel about Michael Vick possibly becoming the MVP of the NFL??"
This question, voiced with horror, can be heard on nearly every two-bit and mainstream sports talk program across the nation. The horror! As if an NFL MVP was an elected official entrusted to enact public policy.
"How would you feel if your kid wanted to wear a Michael Vick jersey?? What message are we sending to our kids??"
I actually heard this discussed, at length on television today. Even more horror! Aghast exasperation! Indignant repulsion!
Phew... now that I've expressed that reaction, perhaps now I am ready for a couch on an ESPN talk-about-sports show. Here's how I'd explain the situation to my kids:
Son, if... and I repeat, if you grow to become a 6'3'', 220 pound man blessed with a nearly-superhuman ability to run a 40 yard dash in a sub 4.2 second time and throw a football eighty-plus yards on a rope, become the face of the NFL and play in multiple pro bowls, then inexplicably become the central figure in a multi-state illegal dog fighting ring, are investigated and incarcerated it's a long road back. After your lengthy prison term, two years later and more than $100 million dollars lighter, rejoin the NFL amidst swarms of controversy surrounding your role as the third string QB, wait patiently for a year, then turn that opportunity into one of the most electric six week stretches of quarterback play the world has ever seen... you might, and I repeat, might, be granted some measure of conflicting public reprieve and a semi-normal life, though one tainted with revulsion and scorn by a sizable percentage of the population.
Son, are we clear? Organizing a multi-state illegal dog fighting ring has consequences. OK, good talk.
And you thought the birds and the bees was tough? Fortunately you can get a nice segue by explaining boner meds to your nine year old boy who's seen the commercial roughly 42 times since kickoff.
Look, I get it. Michael Vick is Satan incarnate, he murdered lots of poor, innocent dogs. It's an act almost as bizarre as it is cruel, given his station in life at the time. Michael Vick needed more time in the film room? Hard to find the time while masterminding an interstate criminal syndicate.
This is coming from a dog lover. I have two whom my mother reluctantly acknowledges as her "grand puppies." My dog completes an entry in our family March Madness pool. Three years ago he even finished fourth. Our long-time readers will even have seen a few columns penned ostensibly by my eldest dog, Pacer, who we refer to as our "practice kid." The truth? He didn't even write the articles! I did! I love him that stinkin' much.
Before writing this column, I consulted him and he agrees. The reason people hate Michael Vick isn't because he's a criminal. It's because we really, really like dogs.
If that's your opinion, fine. Harbor it, and harbor it long because no amount of persuasion will ever dissuade you. At least own it. You value dogs on a plane equal to humans. And that's fine. Pacer appreciates it, but in the pantheon of athlete indiscretion and criminality, Michael Vick isn't even sniffing the Mount Rushmore.
Any Ravens fans out there? Donte' Stallworth murdered a human being with his vehicle while driving drunk and high. He served his 30 DAY prison sentence, took his one year NFL suspension and is back to work at a price tag of $900,000.
Several years back, guess who was invited to give the pre-game pep talk to the USC Football team? Yup. The Ohje, the Juice, or as he is more commonly called, "the Defendant" Orenthal James Simpson. Now that's a hard one to defend.
I challenge each of our readers, find one team in the NFL with a roster completely devoid of a player convicted of domestic violence, assault, or some other crime. I think you'll be doing some long research.
It's not just sports. Our elevation of the morally unworthy is everywhere. Prior to his scandal, Rod Blogovich was merely the Governor of Illinois. It wasn't until he was impeached on corruption charges that he became a "Celebrity" worthy of hearing "You're Fired!"
My point is this. Anyone writing a pro-Vick article is societally pressured, obligated to include some measure of personal condemnation to the piece. Feel free to introduce the element of race at your own conjecture, it is undoubtedly sewn somewhere into the sentimental fabric, but I would wager comfortably the true emotional conflict isn't so black and white, and it's not Michael Vick. It is his victims.
Root for Vick or curse him, I could honestly care less. But let's collectively park our moral outrage for another, worthier cause that will inevitably sprout up within the next few weeks. If you have difficulty "explaining to your kids" about Michael Vick, than I feel terrible for your children.
Fortunately, the true lesson and moral of the story is IN the story. The fact that it is still a topic of discussion teaches a lesson valuable to both the young and the old; some mistakes, while life may go on after them, never completely go away. The rest should be easy. Explaining right from wrong, extolling the virtue of honesty and compassion, embedding a sense of punishment for wrong action; that is the simple definition of the minimum expectations of a parent.
If you were expecting Michael Vick to do that for you, maybe children are not in your immediate best interests. Perhaps you should borrow a page from my wife's book; start first with a dog.
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