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 Monday, March 5, 2001
In search of MY team
By Marc Connolly
ABC Sports Online
I take Championship Week very seriously. It's not because of anything to do with a bubble, a personal stake in one school's fortunes or an obsession with Bill Raftery. No, instead I look at this frenzied last week of wall-to-wall hoops as the final chance to get my game plan down for the Big Dance.
And by that I mean bracket filling. By the time Xeroxed sheets are being tossed around offices, cafeterias and homerooms as though they were Dickie V plugs, I will have a short list of MY teams or even one final MY team that I will Sharpie-in right through to Minneapolis without question. Until then, the narrowing process moves at ridiculous speeds throughout this precious week, right down until the final buzzer on Sunday afternoon.
What's a MY team, you ask? Well, for starters, it's never a No. 1 seed. And it's never a No. 16 seed either. Sometimes it's a top 10 squad. Sometimes even Jeff Sagarin hasn't heard of them. Sometimes there's groundswell behind them, but only to get to the Sweet 16 or Elite Eight. And sometimes everybody in your pool picked them to bow out that first Thursday or Friday.
Sure, these are teams usually led by savvy guards that run an offense to precision and switch defenses on the fly, because those are the types of teams I have faith in when everything is on the line.
The biggest prerequisite for a MY team is simply that I have watched them once this season and in doing so had a "is anyone else seeing this?" feel. It usually ends up being a team that has shown flashes of brilliance throughout the year, but hasn't put it all together just yet. Arizona's 1996-1997 squad is the perfect example, and one that I'm proud to have called my own. (Yes, I was one of those annoying souls who laughed at you when the 'Cats knocked off top-seeded Kansas.)
Then again, I've seen my share of flops such as St. Louis in 1996, Xavier in '98 and last year's Temple squad.
So, I'm due this year. No more kidding around. Saying that, I will be carefully checking out the following five clubs throughout the week that have the best possibility of achieving MY team status:
|  | | Center Eric Chenowith is just one of many weapons Roy Williams has at his disposal with the Kansas Jayhawks. |
Kansas:
If the Tourney began today, this would be MY team. Depending on which region they end up in and the matchups, I can envision a team like this one running the table. Roy Williams has everything with this squad: a floor general in Kirk Hinrich who can shoot the three (48-91, 52.7 percent) and drain free throws (84 percent) as well as he runs the offense; a slashing scorer in Kenny Gregory; a dominant front-line with Drew Gooden, Nick Collison and 7-foot-1 Eric Chenowith and tremendous depth. Teams are shooting just over 38 percent against this group that switches between zones and man-to-man better than most in the nation. After a rough stretch in late January/early February, KU is playing the type of ball that could propel them to the Big XII title and a No. 2 seed. Even if they don't, one would be hard-pressed to find a squad that presents as many matchup problems as this one. Look out.
Boston College:
The Eagles are 23-4, hold a lofty No. 9 ranking and could end up as a No. 2 seed in the East with a strong Big East Tournament. Yet, raise your hand if you think this team will make some noise in the Field of 65. There's not too many of you, is there? However, no matter what lack of reputation the Big East has attained (and earned) this year, don't let that cloud your view of Al Skinner's club. The Eagles are well-rounded, have that one special player in Troy Bell who can blow up in the Tourney and have already experienced the fiercest of conditions having played a non-conference game in the feared confines of Cameron Indoor against the Dukies. Though Jason Williams and Shane Battier were too much for them in a 22-point win, the Eagles were down by only two points early in the second half. Something to consider.
Xavier:
What makes this squad so likeable is the way it spreads the ball around. Even with a star in big man David West, this is a team that could have any one of six players play a lead role and hit for double figures on a given night. Of course, a lot of that has to do with the sideline presence of Skip Prosser, who is never out-coached. With guard play a premium importance in the tournament, it doesn't get much better than senior Maurice McAfee and frosh Romain Sato. With McAfee penetrating and leading the defensive effort and Sato getting hot from the outside, the Musketeers could make some noise.
Gonzaga:
Storms into the West Coast Tournament final having won 17 out of 18 games. This is a squad that nearly beat Arizona (then-No. 1) even though their point guard Dan Dickau left with a broken finger late in the game and with star forward Casey Calvary on the bench in the closing minutes after fouling out. With the triumvirate of guards Blake Stepp, Dickau and Calvary, the Bulldogs have three legitimate scorers who all shoot better than 38 percent behind the arc. Not even Duke can claim that.
Arkansas:
Talk about entertaining. No matter what the year, who is on the team or where they are ranked, the Razorbacks will always be a MY team as long as Nolan Richardson is involved. This year's version is led by the ultra-smooth Joe Johnson, who is one of the most dangerous players in college basketball, but the Hogs have found success by unleashing that familiar pressure defense on SEC foes. Led by the quick hands of guard T.J. Cleveland, they lead the league in steals and forced turnovers -- in the last two games alone, they've forced 49. Having won five in a row heading into the conference tournament, this is all shaping up for a chance to pull off the same sort of unlikely run to the SEC Championship that the Hogs pulled off last season.
Be sure to check back next Monday to see who made the cut and will be MY team this March.
Marc Connolly is a senior writer for ABC Sports Online.
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