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.
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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Games to Watch - Saturday December 11th
For those of you who have the college football "in-between blues," that odd period where teams dangle in limbo for two to five weeks waiting for their bowl games...all of which mean absolutely NOTHING save for one, saddle up for a fantastic day of college hoops that will bring it from noon until well after midnight.
Here's a quick overview of a few games worth catching or at least DVR'ing.
12:00 PM: UNLV @ Louisville - Both teams are off to flying starts, undefeated and already possessing a few quality wins. Tomorrow is a great opportunity to find out if Louisville's fast start is an indication they can compete in the loaded Big East and also an opportunity for the left half of the country to get a chance to see a very good UNLV team play. UNLV has had the Cards number, beating them in each of the past two seasons (Louisville teams that were better, at least on paper, than this year's squad.)
This might actually be the best game of the day, a great way to kick of some hoops watching before lunchtime. For the UNLV kids, it will be like playing a game at 9AM with the time change. That's tough to do, and I think they'll come out a little flat and jet lagged. Give me the Cards laying 3.5
2:30 PM: Wisconsin @ Marquette - This game has quietly become one of the better rivalry games in the country over the past few seasons. Both teams have a strong similarity in that it seems every season they are picked somewhere near the middle of the pack in their respective conferences, and sure enough, every year they exceed expectations and head to the Tournament.
This year looks to be playing out exactly the same way. Both teams enter at 7-2, with their losses coming against ranked foes and in close games. Both have a few quality wins under their belt but can desperatly use another one before tackling conference play in the two toughest conferences in the nation.
Marquette will have the valuable home crowd advantage but I have a feeling Wisconsin has a touch more discipline and a little more cohesion and poise at this early juncture in the season. Gimme the Badgers +1.
3:15 PM: Tennessee @ Pitt - The Vols have been one of the season's pleasant surprises. Tomorrow will be one of Pearl's last games on the sidelines before his oddly-arranged SEC-only eight game suspension takes effect. Both teams are athletic and very physically tough. I like Pitt at home in a really good ball game but nine points is a lot to lay considering this will likely be a game in the fifties or sixties. I'll take the Vols and the +9.
4:00 PM: Kansas State @ Loyola (IL) - Odd line of the day. not sure how K-State is laying only 8.5. Gimme the Wildcats in a 20+ point romp.
4:00 PM: Dayton @ Old Dominion - The Flyers are reeling, despite their 7-2 record. However, this is a talented and experienced club that should turn the corner soon. Old Dominion continues their aggressive schedule with yet another hopeful tourney team. I think the Monarchs win at home, but I'll take the Flyers +10.5
4:30 PM: Washington @ Texas A&M - Texas A&M can land a clear blow for the Big 12 versus the Pac 10 with a win today at home. Texas A&M is off to a good start at 8-1, however their only win of note came over Temple. Washington has been carrying the banner as the only ranked team in the Pac 10, but it's hard to put A&M any better than sixth in the loaded Big 12. I'm not sure if Washington feels any pressure to prop up their sagging conference, but a loss today is actually pretty damaging to league's overall profile. I'll take Washington on the road, minus one and a half.
5:15 PM: Indiana @ Kentucky - One of my favorite rivalries takes place today, and though much of the shine has faded over the past decade with neither school managing to be good at coinciding times, it still means a ton to their respective fan bases. Indiana is in year three of the Tom Crean Era, and call me a hater, but it doesn't seem any real progress has been made. Meanwhile in the Bluegrass it took Calipari all of half a day to bring the 'Cats from "NIT" to "Final Four" caliber.
There's still a pretty big hill to climb in Bloomington, and I don't think today will be a step in that direction. Give me Big Blue laying the thirteen points.
6:00 PM: Arizona @ BYU - Sean Miller's Cats seem to be on the right track to erasing the memory of last year's rare tourney absence. It had been nearly thirty years since the Cats were left out, and I'm sure Miller would like to put another thirty years distance in the rear view mirror. A win today in Provo would go a long way. I think they'll get it. Gimme Arizona +2.5
7:00 PM: Virginia Commonwealth @ Richmond - The sneaky gem in today's bursting schedule is this top-tier matchup between the CAA and the A-10. Both schools have designs on playing in March, however neither league is notorious for collecting armloads of at-large bids. Both schools could really use the chip today's win would provide.
VCU's two losses are quality; Tennessee and to lesser extent, South Florida. They also boast quality wins over UCLA and Wake Forest. Richmond's losses are a little less solid; Old Dominion and Iona, however their wins are better; particularly the win over Purdue.
This should be a really good game, likely close, so I'll take VCU +8
8:30 PM: Gonzaga @ Notre Dame - The Zags are really struggling, and at 4-4 can ill-afford many more losses if they plan to continue their decade-long NCAA Tournament streak. Notre Dame was one of the season's early surprises until Kentucky took some of their shine Wednesday night. The line on this one is huge at 10.5, a number I think reflects a lack of confidence in Gonzaga rather than a ton of faith in the Irish. I'm not so sure that either is warranted. Give me Gonzaga and the points, and don't be surprised if they clip them straight up.
Maniac's Picks: Louisville -3.5, Wisconsin +1, Tennessee +9, Kansas State -8.5, Dayton +10.5, Washington -1.5, Kentucky -13, Arizona +2.5, VCU +8, Gonzaga -10.5
Here's a quick overview of a few games worth catching or at least DVR'ing.
12:00 PM: UNLV @ Louisville - Both teams are off to flying starts, undefeated and already possessing a few quality wins. Tomorrow is a great opportunity to find out if Louisville's fast start is an indication they can compete in the loaded Big East and also an opportunity for the left half of the country to get a chance to see a very good UNLV team play. UNLV has had the Cards number, beating them in each of the past two seasons (Louisville teams that were better, at least on paper, than this year's squad.)
This might actually be the best game of the day, a great way to kick of some hoops watching before lunchtime. For the UNLV kids, it will be like playing a game at 9AM with the time change. That's tough to do, and I think they'll come out a little flat and jet lagged. Give me the Cards laying 3.5
2:30 PM: Wisconsin @ Marquette - This game has quietly become one of the better rivalry games in the country over the past few seasons. Both teams have a strong similarity in that it seems every season they are picked somewhere near the middle of the pack in their respective conferences, and sure enough, every year they exceed expectations and head to the Tournament.
This year looks to be playing out exactly the same way. Both teams enter at 7-2, with their losses coming against ranked foes and in close games. Both have a few quality wins under their belt but can desperatly use another one before tackling conference play in the two toughest conferences in the nation.
Marquette will have the valuable home crowd advantage but I have a feeling Wisconsin has a touch more discipline and a little more cohesion and poise at this early juncture in the season. Gimme the Badgers +1.
4:00 PM: Kansas State @ Loyola (IL) - Odd line of the day. not sure how K-State is laying only 8.5. Gimme the Wildcats in a 20+ point romp.
4:00 PM: Dayton @ Old Dominion - The Flyers are reeling, despite their 7-2 record. However, this is a talented and experienced club that should turn the corner soon. Old Dominion continues their aggressive schedule with yet another hopeful tourney team. I think the Monarchs win at home, but I'll take the Flyers +10.5
There's still a pretty big hill to climb in Bloomington, and I don't think today will be a step in that direction. Give me Big Blue laying the thirteen points.
7:00 PM: Virginia Commonwealth @ Richmond - The sneaky gem in today's bursting schedule is this top-tier matchup between the CAA and the A-10. Both schools have designs on playing in March, however neither league is notorious for collecting armloads of at-large bids. Both schools could really use the chip today's win would provide.
VCU's two losses are quality; Tennessee and to lesser extent, South Florida. They also boast quality wins over UCLA and Wake Forest. Richmond's losses are a little less solid; Old Dominion and Iona, however their wins are better; particularly the win over Purdue.
This should be a really good game, likely close, so I'll take VCU +8
Maniac Curse Bites Hoyas in Upset
Ah, it feels good to once again have our bad-karma inducing powers return. Just days after placing Georgetown an argueable #4 in Bracketeering, the Hoyas got upset on the road at Temple.
For the Hoyas, it is not really an "upset." Temple is a good ballclub that will almost certainly make the tourney, and the game was in their gym. No real harm done for Georgetown. But for Temple, the win was absolutely enormous, earning the Owls the valuable resume win that had eluded them earlier this season in losses to Cal and Texas A&M.
Adding Georgetown to the hit list, the Owls now own victories over Georgetown, Maryland, Seton Hall and Georgia and will get a crack at Phily rival Villanova before heading into Atlantic 10 conference play.
Leading the charge for Temple was Ramone Moore, who referred to the bigtime atmosphere surrounding the game as "a dream come true." The dream must have been even sweeter after netting a career-high 30 points in the winning effort. Moore is the Owls leading scorer on the season at 12.1 ppg, and continued to pick up some of the slack for preseason A10 POY candidate Lavoy Allen who has barely averaged double figures.
Georgetown faces two lesser opponents before their next true test, Dec 22nd's dandy at Memphis.
For the Hoyas, it is not really an "upset." Temple is a good ballclub that will almost certainly make the tourney, and the game was in their gym. No real harm done for Georgetown. But for Temple, the win was absolutely enormous, earning the Owls the valuable resume win that had eluded them earlier this season in losses to Cal and Texas A&M.
Adding Georgetown to the hit list, the Owls now own victories over Georgetown, Maryland, Seton Hall and Georgia and will get a crack at Phily rival Villanova before heading into Atlantic 10 conference play.
Leading the charge for Temple was Ramone Moore, who referred to the bigtime atmosphere surrounding the game as "a dream come true." The dream must have been even sweeter after netting a career-high 30 points in the winning effort. Moore is the Owls leading scorer on the season at 12.1 ppg, and continued to pick up some of the slack for preseason A10 POY candidate Lavoy Allen who has barely averaged double figures.
Georgetown faces two lesser opponents before their next true test, Dec 22nd's dandy at Memphis.
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