College Basketball Nation: Georgia Tech
MILWAUKEE -- Curse? What curse?
If Ohio State's Evan Turner looms over this pod -- he is the best player, his is the best team -- he looms even larger on the cover of Sports Illustrated this week. Turner is one of the four athletes on SI's regional NCAA tournament covers. Naturally, at open practices Saturday, talk of the fabled "SI jinx" wasn't far behind.
For what it's worth, Turner isn't concerned.
"I never heard of jinx until a couple of days ago," Turner, who leads Ohio State in points, rebounds, assists and steals, said. "I'm the type of kid -- you make your own destiny, will yourself into the situation. I'm not worrying about the jinx, but worrying about what my teammates and I have been doing, which is playing Ohio State basketball. Everything happens for a reason."
Fair enough. But what of his opponents, the famed Gauchos of UC Santa Barbara? They're not feeling the whole jinx thing, either. Senior guard James Powell injected a little obvious -- but welcome -- common sense into the discussion.
"Who knows," Powell said. "I mean, the only curse I know of is the Madden curse."
"When it's March, anything is possible," Powell continued. "I'm not looking at the Sports Illustrated or anything like that. There's a hundred other players on that cover. If everybody was cursed then there would be no winner."
Well said, James! In the spirit of Mr. Powell's brand of existentialism, then, let's preview the games on hand in Milwaukee Friday.
West Region
No. 11 Minnesota vs. No. 6 Xavier
Key to the game: Who controls the pace? Tubby Smith and the Gophers prefer to play a very Big Ten-esque style -- slow, plodding, obsessed with defense and rebounding. The Musketeers prefer to get up and down, allowing guard Jordan Crawford and mates to take easy shots in transition. Which style wins out? Can Minnesota control the pace? Or will the Gophers get left in Xavier's considerable dust?
Player to watch: The aforementioned Crawford leads the Musketeeers in points; few scorers in the country are quite so confident in their talents. This can lead to the occasional bad shot, though, and in the tournament, too many of those can cost you dearly.
Who has the edge: Push. Cop-out, I know, but I don't want to go so far as to say that Minnesota has the edge here -- just that the Gophers are still a bit underrated (the teams are barely distinguishable in Pomeroy's adjusted efficiency rankings) and could push -- sorry -- Xavier to the very end. Expect a close one.
No. 14 Oakland vs. No. 3 Pittsburgh
Key to the game: Can the Golden Grizzlies defend? Oakland got to the tournament with an offense that ranked among the 100 most efficient in the country; its defense, on the other hand, couldn't crack the top 200. If Oakland can't find a way to limit Pittsburgh's Ashton Gibbs and Brad Wanamaker, this could be over in a hurry.
Player to watch: Ashton Gibbs. Gibbs could play poorly and Pitt can still survive ... but don't think Pittsburgh won't want to get their leading scorer off on the right foot to start the tournament.
Who has the edge: Pittsburgh. Barring a really poor shooting performance by the Panthers, Oakland simply won't have the horses to keep up with a good-but-not-great Big East team.
Midwest Region
No. 10 Georgia Tech vs. No. 7 Oklahoma State
Key to the game: Georgia Tech's bigs. Oklahoma State is a team that thrives on its perimeter talent -- specifically All-American candidate James Anderson, not to mention guards Obi Muonelo and Keiton Page -- but all the talk here Thursday revolved around just how Oklahoma State's undermatched big men planned to stop future NBAers Gani Lawal and Derrick Favors down low. Can Anderson and company do enough to offset Tech's advantage on the block?
Player to watch: Favors. The big man has contributed throughout the Jackets' season, but the hype surrounding his future NBA career has consistently exceeded his performance. What better stage to prove the haters wrong (and to lure in a few more NBA scouts)? (Honorable mention: James Anderson -- enjoy him while he lasts.)
Who has the edge: Georgia Tech has the superior talent. But it's hard to trust them to put it together. Anderson provides the edge Oklahoma State needs as the Cowboys shoot over Tech's big men on the way to a victory.
No. 15 UC Santa Barbara vs. No. 2 Ohio State
Key to the game: How do you stop Evan Turner? Answer: you don't. But you can, if you're very careful, stop his teammates. Let Turner get his buckets, refuse to help on defense, and stop the barrage of 3-pointers that Ohio State usually launches when Turner overwhelms the game. If UC Santa Barbara can throw some of what they call their "confusing" defense at Turner and the Buckeyes, they might be able to slow OSU down just enough to hang around.
Player to watch: Turner is the obvious selection here, not only because he's OSU's most important player, but because he's the sort of rare college talent that you have to cherish before he rushes off and gets paid the millions of dollars he deserves for the talent he displays. Like Anderson above, enjoy every minute of this Evan Turner postseason. Time's running out.
Who has the edge: Um, Ohio State. But if this tournament has proven anything, it's that crazy things happen in the NCAA tournament. Don't bust out your bracket Sharpie just yet.
If Ohio State's Evan Turner looms over this pod -- he is the best player, his is the best team -- he looms even larger on the cover of Sports Illustrated this week. Turner is one of the four athletes on SI's regional NCAA tournament covers. Naturally, at open practices Saturday, talk of the fabled "SI jinx" wasn't far behind.
For what it's worth, Turner isn't concerned.
"I never heard of jinx until a couple of days ago," Turner, who leads Ohio State in points, rebounds, assists and steals, said. "I'm the type of kid -- you make your own destiny, will yourself into the situation. I'm not worrying about the jinx, but worrying about what my teammates and I have been doing, which is playing Ohio State basketball. Everything happens for a reason."
Fair enough. But what of his opponents, the famed Gauchos of UC Santa Barbara? They're not feeling the whole jinx thing, either. Senior guard James Powell injected a little obvious -- but welcome -- common sense into the discussion.
"Who knows," Powell said. "I mean, the only curse I know of is the Madden curse."
"When it's March, anything is possible," Powell continued. "I'm not looking at the Sports Illustrated or anything like that. There's a hundred other players on that cover. If everybody was cursed then there would be no winner."
Well said, James! In the spirit of Mr. Powell's brand of existentialism, then, let's preview the games on hand in Milwaukee Friday.
West Region
No. 11 Minnesota vs. No. 6 Xavier
Key to the game: Who controls the pace? Tubby Smith and the Gophers prefer to play a very Big Ten-esque style -- slow, plodding, obsessed with defense and rebounding. The Musketeers prefer to get up and down, allowing guard Jordan Crawford and mates to take easy shots in transition. Which style wins out? Can Minnesota control the pace? Or will the Gophers get left in Xavier's considerable dust?
Player to watch: The aforementioned Crawford leads the Musketeeers in points; few scorers in the country are quite so confident in their talents. This can lead to the occasional bad shot, though, and in the tournament, too many of those can cost you dearly.
Who has the edge: Push. Cop-out, I know, but I don't want to go so far as to say that Minnesota has the edge here -- just that the Gophers are still a bit underrated (the teams are barely distinguishable in Pomeroy's adjusted efficiency rankings) and could push -- sorry -- Xavier to the very end. Expect a close one.
No. 14 Oakland vs. No. 3 Pittsburgh
Key to the game: Can the Golden Grizzlies defend? Oakland got to the tournament with an offense that ranked among the 100 most efficient in the country; its defense, on the other hand, couldn't crack the top 200. If Oakland can't find a way to limit Pittsburgh's Ashton Gibbs and Brad Wanamaker, this could be over in a hurry.
Player to watch: Ashton Gibbs. Gibbs could play poorly and Pitt can still survive ... but don't think Pittsburgh won't want to get their leading scorer off on the right foot to start the tournament.
Who has the edge: Pittsburgh. Barring a really poor shooting performance by the Panthers, Oakland simply won't have the horses to keep up with a good-but-not-great Big East team.
Midwest Region
No. 10 Georgia Tech vs. No. 7 Oklahoma State
Key to the game: Georgia Tech's bigs. Oklahoma State is a team that thrives on its perimeter talent -- specifically All-American candidate James Anderson, not to mention guards Obi Muonelo and Keiton Page -- but all the talk here Thursday revolved around just how Oklahoma State's undermatched big men planned to stop future NBAers Gani Lawal and Derrick Favors down low. Can Anderson and company do enough to offset Tech's advantage on the block?
Player to watch: Favors. The big man has contributed throughout the Jackets' season, but the hype surrounding his future NBA career has consistently exceeded his performance. What better stage to prove the haters wrong (and to lure in a few more NBA scouts)? (Honorable mention: James Anderson -- enjoy him while he lasts.)
Who has the edge: Georgia Tech has the superior talent. But it's hard to trust them to put it together. Anderson provides the edge Oklahoma State needs as the Cowboys shoot over Tech's big men on the way to a victory.
No. 15 UC Santa Barbara vs. No. 2 Ohio State
Key to the game: How do you stop Evan Turner? Answer: you don't. But you can, if you're very careful, stop his teammates. Let Turner get his buckets, refuse to help on defense, and stop the barrage of 3-pointers that Ohio State usually launches when Turner overwhelms the game. If UC Santa Barbara can throw some of what they call their "confusing" defense at Turner and the Buckeyes, they might be able to slow OSU down just enough to hang around.
Player to watch: Turner is the obvious selection here, not only because he's OSU's most important player, but because he's the sort of rare college talent that you have to cherish before he rushes off and gets paid the millions of dollars he deserves for the talent he displays. Like Anderson above, enjoy every minute of this Evan Turner postseason. Time's running out.
Who has the edge: Um, Ohio State. But if this tournament has proven anything, it's that crazy things happen in the NCAA tournament. Don't bust out your bracket Sharpie just yet.
MILWAUKEE -- Shedding distractions and coming together as a team? There's an app for that.
OK, so it's analog. And it's the sort of strategy that would make even the most ardent Luddite recoil in horror. And, OK, it's not actually an "app" at all. It's called the off switch. And Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt has his finger on the button.
Before the ACC tournament, Georgia Tech adopted a team "suggestion" by Hewitt that the Jackets relinquish their cell phones before the tournament to help each other focus on the task at hand. Georgia Tech made it to the ACC final, so the Jackets are trying the cell phone ban again:
"I felt as if we were a family for the first time," senior D'Andre Bell told the AP Wednesday. "Trust. More selfless moments out there on the floor. ...
"I wasn't surprised at all because anytime we were at the dinner table all you could hear was texting, buttons being pushed, looking down at the phone," Bell said. "Now it's fun arguments or insightful discussions about who we think is better in sports or where we came from or why we think a certain way. We really got a chance to learn about each other."
It's either a shaky look at the Jackets or a sad commentary on the isolating effect of modern technology -- probably both -- that it took this long for the hyper-talented team to "learn about each other," but late is always better than never in college basketball, and the Jackets picked a fine time to coalesce as a team. Georgia Tech will have a tough but winnable match up in its first round game vs. No. 7-seed Oklahoma State Friday. If Georgia Tech wins, they're likely to face No. 2 seed Ohio State, one of the six or so teams capable of winning the entire NCAA tournament.
Speaking of the Buckeyes, Ohio State's Evan Turner wasn't quite as impressed with the no-cell-phone rule. He'll keep his minutes and text messages, thank you very much.
"Not really, Turner said, when asked whether he felt a similar rule would help the Buckeyes. "I don't understand what that would gain. But we do things different here. Every program does different things. And if it helps them focus, and if it's a team thing, they're all doing it together, that's a great thing."
Great though it may be, Turner will lose one of his cell phone contacts in the process.
"I talked to my boy Iman Shampert before so I probably can't talk to him anymore, I guess," Turner said.
Judging from the cheers Turner got during OSU's just-concluded open practice -- a batch of kids in the front row were especially insistent -- I have a feeling losing one text buddy won't hamper Evan's social life all that much. The Jackets, on the other hand, need the focus. If they survive tomorrow, that very popular, nearly unstoppable guard from Ohio State will be waiting for them, cell phone in hand.
OK, so it's analog. And it's the sort of strategy that would make even the most ardent Luddite recoil in horror. And, OK, it's not actually an "app" at all. It's called the off switch. And Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt has his finger on the button.
Before the ACC tournament, Georgia Tech adopted a team "suggestion" by Hewitt that the Jackets relinquish their cell phones before the tournament to help each other focus on the task at hand. Georgia Tech made it to the ACC final, so the Jackets are trying the cell phone ban again:
"I felt as if we were a family for the first time," senior D'Andre Bell told the AP Wednesday. "Trust. More selfless moments out there on the floor. ...
"I wasn't surprised at all because anytime we were at the dinner table all you could hear was texting, buttons being pushed, looking down at the phone," Bell said. "Now it's fun arguments or insightful discussions about who we think is better in sports or where we came from or why we think a certain way. We really got a chance to learn about each other."
It's either a shaky look at the Jackets or a sad commentary on the isolating effect of modern technology -- probably both -- that it took this long for the hyper-talented team to "learn about each other," but late is always better than never in college basketball, and the Jackets picked a fine time to coalesce as a team. Georgia Tech will have a tough but winnable match up in its first round game vs. No. 7-seed Oklahoma State Friday. If Georgia Tech wins, they're likely to face No. 2 seed Ohio State, one of the six or so teams capable of winning the entire NCAA tournament.
Speaking of the Buckeyes, Ohio State's Evan Turner wasn't quite as impressed with the no-cell-phone rule. He'll keep his minutes and text messages, thank you very much.
"Not really, Turner said, when asked whether he felt a similar rule would help the Buckeyes. "I don't understand what that would gain. But we do things different here. Every program does different things. And if it helps them focus, and if it's a team thing, they're all doing it together, that's a great thing."
Great though it may be, Turner will lose one of his cell phone contacts in the process.
"I talked to my boy Iman Shampert before so I probably can't talk to him anymore, I guess," Turner said.
Judging from the cheers Turner got during OSU's just-concluded open practice -- a batch of kids in the front row were especially insistent -- I have a feeling losing one text buddy won't hamper Evan's social life all that much. The Jackets, on the other hand, need the focus. If they survive tomorrow, that very popular, nearly unstoppable guard from Ohio State will be waiting for them, cell phone in hand.
Previewing today’s games in the ACC:
Boston College-Virginia, noon
At stake: Both teams are hoping this is the beginning of a stunning run of four victories in four days. Not likely for either, but you have to start somewhere.
Who has the edge: The Eagles. Virginia has lost nine straight and suspended its leading scorer, Sylven Landesberg, for academic shortcomings. BC won by 13 when the two met in Chestnut Hill on March 3.
Stat to watch: Virginia has attempted the fewest free throws of anyone in the ACC, just 485. Next fewest is Boston College at 537, a full 80 fewer attempts than 10th-place Miami. Can either struggling offensive team find the easiest way to score by getting to the foul line?
Miami-Wake Forest, 2 p.m.
At stake: Miami is hoping for a miracle. The Demon Deacons are playing for NCAA seeding and would like to win their first postseason game since 2008.
Who has the edge: Wake, but not as big an edge as you might think. They’re played poorly down the stretch, losing four of their past five, and the teams split their two regular-season meetings.
Stat to watch: Wake Forest leads the nation in effective field-goal percentage defense, according to Ken Pomeroy’s statistics. Miami, meanwhile, is a pretty good shooting team at 46.2 percent, second-best in the league. Which strength wins the day?
Georgia Tech-North Carolina, 7 p.m.
At stake: Tech needs to win this game and perhaps another to feel secure about an NCAA tournament bid – and coach Paul Hewitt needs an NCAA tournament bid to feel secure about keeping his job. The Tar Heels are simply trying to pick their teeth up off the ground and salvage something from a disastrous season.
Who has the edge: Georgia Tech swept the season series, winning close in Chapel Hill and by 17 in Atlanta. And the Yellow Jackets are closer to playing for something than the Heels.
Stat to watch: Which team takes care of the ball? Both have committed more turnovers than they’ve forced – Carolina is last in the 12-team ACC in turnover margin in league games, and Georgia Tech is tied for eighth.
North Carolina State-Clemson, 9 p.m.
At stake: North Carolina State is hoping to start a run – and, potentially, hoping to extend Sidney Lowe’s tenure as coach. The Tigers are trying to improve their NCAA seeding.
Who has the edge: Clemson. It won the only meeting between the two this season by three points in Raleigh. But NC State has won three of its past four coming into this game.
Stat to watch: NC State is shooting just 44 percent on the season – and that drops to 40 percent in league games, last in the ACC. But the Wolfpack shot 50 percent or better in their past two victories. If Clemson keeps the Pack closer to 40 percent accuracy than 50 percent, it should win.
Boston College-Virginia, noon
At stake: Both teams are hoping this is the beginning of a stunning run of four victories in four days. Not likely for either, but you have to start somewhere.
Who has the edge: The Eagles. Virginia has lost nine straight and suspended its leading scorer, Sylven Landesberg, for academic shortcomings. BC won by 13 when the two met in Chestnut Hill on March 3.
Stat to watch: Virginia has attempted the fewest free throws of anyone in the ACC, just 485. Next fewest is Boston College at 537, a full 80 fewer attempts than 10th-place Miami. Can either struggling offensive team find the easiest way to score by getting to the foul line?
Miami-Wake Forest, 2 p.m.
At stake: Miami is hoping for a miracle. The Demon Deacons are playing for NCAA seeding and would like to win their first postseason game since 2008.
Who has the edge: Wake, but not as big an edge as you might think. They’re played poorly down the stretch, losing four of their past five, and the teams split their two regular-season meetings.
Stat to watch: Wake Forest leads the nation in effective field-goal percentage defense, according to Ken Pomeroy’s statistics. Miami, meanwhile, is a pretty good shooting team at 46.2 percent, second-best in the league. Which strength wins the day?
Georgia Tech-North Carolina, 7 p.m.
At stake: Tech needs to win this game and perhaps another to feel secure about an NCAA tournament bid – and coach Paul Hewitt needs an NCAA tournament bid to feel secure about keeping his job. The Tar Heels are simply trying to pick their teeth up off the ground and salvage something from a disastrous season.
Who has the edge: Georgia Tech swept the season series, winning close in Chapel Hill and by 17 in Atlanta. And the Yellow Jackets are closer to playing for something than the Heels.
Stat to watch: Which team takes care of the ball? Both have committed more turnovers than they’ve forced – Carolina is last in the 12-team ACC in turnover margin in league games, and Georgia Tech is tied for eighth.
North Carolina State-Clemson, 9 p.m.
At stake: North Carolina State is hoping to start a run – and, potentially, hoping to extend Sidney Lowe’s tenure as coach. The Tigers are trying to improve their NCAA seeding.
Who has the edge: Clemson. It won the only meeting between the two this season by three points in Raleigh. But NC State has won three of its past four coming into this game.
Stat to watch: NC State is shooting just 44 percent on the season – and that drops to 40 percent in league games, last in the ACC. But the Wolfpack shot 50 percent or better in their past two victories. If Clemson keeps the Pack closer to 40 percent accuracy than 50 percent, it should win.
Winners from Saturday
Notre Dame: The Irish gave the selection committee another reason to put them in the dance with yet another road win, this time with Luke Harangody and at Marquette -- a team in the tournament field. The Irish are earning their way into the field.
Duke: The Blue Devils likely earned the fourth No. 1 seed with a hammering of North Carolina on Saturday night. Duke also clinched a share of the ACC regular-season title. The Blue Devils passed the eye test of a team that could get to Indy.
Saint Louis: The Billikens won at Dayton, completing a season sweep of the Flyers and finishing in fourth place in the Atlantic 10. Rick Majerus has done an outstanding job with a club that is void of upperclassmen. The Billikens could be a sleeper to win the A-10 in Atlantic City next week.
Baylor: If you’re looking for a sleeper in the Big 12 tournament, it could be Baylor. The Bears ran away from Texas and looked like a team ready to get busy in the postseason.
Kansas: The Jayhawks may have locked up the No. 1 overall seed after winning at Missouri on Saturday. Kansas got inspired play from its key contributors and once again heads into the conference tournament on a high.
Louisville: The Cardinals had to win two of there games this week and did. Louisville beat Connecticut, then lost at Marquette before beating Syracuse on Saturday. That gave the Cardinals a sweep of Syracuse and a likely bid to the Dance in the final game at Freedom Hall.
Tennessee: The Vols did something Lane Kiffin couldn’t do, taking a 17-0 lead on the road in the SEC. Tennessee lit up Mississippi State and had the look of a team that could be a major factor in an SEC tournament that they'll play in their home state just a few hours away in Nashville.
Virginia Tech: The Hokies didn’t have their second-leading scorer in Dorenzo Hudson, survived a nasty moving screen by Gani Lawal on Malcolm Delaney and gutted out a win over Georgia Tech in Atlanta. The Hokies dismissed any doubt about their candidacy with a win.
Washington: The Huskies kept alive their chances of an at-large berth by winning at Oregon State. That win doesn’t get them in the dance, but a loss would have been crushing.
Arizona State: The Sun Devils are in Joe Lunardi’s bracket and they had to beat UCLA to stay in the field. They did, sweeping the L.A. schools this week. But here’s the deal: ASU and Washington are heading for a showdown in the semifinals of the Pac-10 tourney. Loser is out, winner has a pulse.
Memphis: The Tigers had a great week, winning at UAB and crushing Tulsa at home. The Tigers get the sweep of the Blazers. If you’re looking for a second C-USA team to go along with league champ UTEP, it could be the Tigers. They may get a third shot at UAB in the semifinals.
Maryland: The Terps won at Virginia. Yes, UVA was playing without Sylven Landesberg, who has been suspended for the season due to academics, but the Terps still won a road game. That means Maryland gets a share of the ACC title. That’s an outstanding accomplishment for this squad.
Pitt: The Panthers lost to Indiana early in the year without Jermaine Dixon and Gilbert Brown. Pitt could have lost to Providence at home, but when it mattered most the Panthers have come up huge. They beat Rutgers as expected Saturday but that meant Pitt got the No. 2 seed after beating West Virginia and Villanova at home in February. Jamie Dixon has done a phenomenal job with the Panthers. There is no reason Pitt should be No. 2 in the Big East with what it lost.
Losers from Saturday
Rhode Island: Had a shot to convince the selection committee that it was worthy, but lost at UMass a week after losing at St. Bonaventure. The Rams didn’t beat the top three teams in the A-10 (Xavier, Temple or Richmond). URI must win the conference tournament.
Mississippi State: The Bulldogs started a must-win game down 17-0. Mississippi State has blown two chances to win a key home game – to Kentucky and now Tennessee. The Bulldogs didn’t do anything Saturday to convince the selection committee.
Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets may still get into the field. But they gave the selection committee a reason to pause after losing at home to Virginia Tech, sans Dorenzo Hudson, who was hurt. The Yellow Jackets finished seventh in the ACC and had only one conference road win.
Connecticut: The Huskies had an awful week, losing at Notre Dame and then losing at South Florida on Saturday. The Huskies now probably have to get to the Big East semifinals to crawl back into the conversation.
Dayton: The Flyers were teetering on the bubble before the Billikens bulldozed the Flyers late and stole a win. Dayton now probably has to win the A-10 tournament to get a bid.
Villanova: The ‘Cats may have played themselves out of a No. 2 seed by losing at home to West Virginia. Villanova also fell to the No. 4 seed in the Big East tournament. ‘Nova can still make a magnificent run, but it made the journey more difficult.
Kansas State: The Wildcats lost their third home game in the Big 12 by falling to lower-level Iowa State (also lost to Kansas and Oklahoma State). The Wildcats blew a No. 2 seed with the home loss Saturday.
LaSalle: The Explorers were supposed to be a sleeper in the A-10. They won’t even make the tournament in Atlantic City. The Explorers will join winless Fordham in sitting out the conference tourney.
Oklahoma: The disaster season came to a conclusion with a sad effort against Texas A&M. The atmosphere was awful and the Sooners sunk.
North Carolina: The Tar Heels were handed the second-worst loss under Roy Williams. The Tar Heels were embarrassed by Duke and limp into the ACC tournament. It was just awful.
UAB: The Blazers had a huge week with games against UTEP and Memphis. They lost them both and pushed themselves onto the wrong side of the bubble.
Tulsa: The Golden Hurricane got hammered by Memphis and limp into hosting the conference tournament next week. Tulsa was the preseason favorite to win Conference USA.
A few nuggets:
Notre Dame: The Irish gave the selection committee another reason to put them in the dance with yet another road win, this time with Luke Harangody and at Marquette -- a team in the tournament field. The Irish are earning their way into the field.
Duke: The Blue Devils likely earned the fourth No. 1 seed with a hammering of North Carolina on Saturday night. Duke also clinched a share of the ACC regular-season title. The Blue Devils passed the eye test of a team that could get to Indy.
Saint Louis: The Billikens won at Dayton, completing a season sweep of the Flyers and finishing in fourth place in the Atlantic 10. Rick Majerus has done an outstanding job with a club that is void of upperclassmen. The Billikens could be a sleeper to win the A-10 in Atlantic City next week.
Baylor: If you’re looking for a sleeper in the Big 12 tournament, it could be Baylor. The Bears ran away from Texas and looked like a team ready to get busy in the postseason.
Kansas: The Jayhawks may have locked up the No. 1 overall seed after winning at Missouri on Saturday. Kansas got inspired play from its key contributors and once again heads into the conference tournament on a high.
Louisville: The Cardinals had to win two of there games this week and did. Louisville beat Connecticut, then lost at Marquette before beating Syracuse on Saturday. That gave the Cardinals a sweep of Syracuse and a likely bid to the Dance in the final game at Freedom Hall.
Tennessee: The Vols did something Lane Kiffin couldn’t do, taking a 17-0 lead on the road in the SEC. Tennessee lit up Mississippi State and had the look of a team that could be a major factor in an SEC tournament that they'll play in their home state just a few hours away in Nashville.
Virginia Tech: The Hokies didn’t have their second-leading scorer in Dorenzo Hudson, survived a nasty moving screen by Gani Lawal on Malcolm Delaney and gutted out a win over Georgia Tech in Atlanta. The Hokies dismissed any doubt about their candidacy with a win.
Washington: The Huskies kept alive their chances of an at-large berth by winning at Oregon State. That win doesn’t get them in the dance, but a loss would have been crushing.
Arizona State: The Sun Devils are in Joe Lunardi’s bracket and they had to beat UCLA to stay in the field. They did, sweeping the L.A. schools this week. But here’s the deal: ASU and Washington are heading for a showdown in the semifinals of the Pac-10 tourney. Loser is out, winner has a pulse.
Memphis: The Tigers had a great week, winning at UAB and crushing Tulsa at home. The Tigers get the sweep of the Blazers. If you’re looking for a second C-USA team to go along with league champ UTEP, it could be the Tigers. They may get a third shot at UAB in the semifinals.
Maryland: The Terps won at Virginia. Yes, UVA was playing without Sylven Landesberg, who has been suspended for the season due to academics, but the Terps still won a road game. That means Maryland gets a share of the ACC title. That’s an outstanding accomplishment for this squad.
Pitt: The Panthers lost to Indiana early in the year without Jermaine Dixon and Gilbert Brown. Pitt could have lost to Providence at home, but when it mattered most the Panthers have come up huge. They beat Rutgers as expected Saturday but that meant Pitt got the No. 2 seed after beating West Virginia and Villanova at home in February. Jamie Dixon has done a phenomenal job with the Panthers. There is no reason Pitt should be No. 2 in the Big East with what it lost.
Losers from Saturday
Rhode Island: Had a shot to convince the selection committee that it was worthy, but lost at UMass a week after losing at St. Bonaventure. The Rams didn’t beat the top three teams in the A-10 (Xavier, Temple or Richmond). URI must win the conference tournament.
Mississippi State: The Bulldogs started a must-win game down 17-0. Mississippi State has blown two chances to win a key home game – to Kentucky and now Tennessee. The Bulldogs didn’t do anything Saturday to convince the selection committee.
Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets may still get into the field. But they gave the selection committee a reason to pause after losing at home to Virginia Tech, sans Dorenzo Hudson, who was hurt. The Yellow Jackets finished seventh in the ACC and had only one conference road win.
Connecticut: The Huskies had an awful week, losing at Notre Dame and then losing at South Florida on Saturday. The Huskies now probably have to get to the Big East semifinals to crawl back into the conversation.
Dayton: The Flyers were teetering on the bubble before the Billikens bulldozed the Flyers late and stole a win. Dayton now probably has to win the A-10 tournament to get a bid.
Villanova: The ‘Cats may have played themselves out of a No. 2 seed by losing at home to West Virginia. Villanova also fell to the No. 4 seed in the Big East tournament. ‘Nova can still make a magnificent run, but it made the journey more difficult.
Kansas State: The Wildcats lost their third home game in the Big 12 by falling to lower-level Iowa State (also lost to Kansas and Oklahoma State). The Wildcats blew a No. 2 seed with the home loss Saturday.
LaSalle: The Explorers were supposed to be a sleeper in the A-10. They won’t even make the tournament in Atlantic City. The Explorers will join winless Fordham in sitting out the conference tourney.
Oklahoma: The disaster season came to a conclusion with a sad effort against Texas A&M. The atmosphere was awful and the Sooners sunk.
North Carolina: The Tar Heels were handed the second-worst loss under Roy Williams. The Tar Heels were embarrassed by Duke and limp into the ACC tournament. It was just awful.
UAB: The Blazers had a huge week with games against UTEP and Memphis. They lost them both and pushed themselves onto the wrong side of the bubble.
Tulsa: The Golden Hurricane got hammered by Memphis and limp into hosting the conference tournament next week. Tulsa was the preseason favorite to win Conference USA.
A few nuggets:
- Georgetown coach John Thompson III said late Saturday night that Austin Freeman felt fine after the game, his first since being diagnosed with diabetes. Freeman scored 24 points in the win over Cincinnati. Freeman missed the West Virginia game last Monday. Thompson told me that the Hoyas will continue to monitor Freeman’s blood-sugar level and don’t anticipate any problems going forward this season.
- Notre Dame got Luke Harangody back for the win at Marquette. Harangody played 11 minutes off the bench. Irish coach Mike Brey told me late Saturday night that Harangody will continue to come off the bench this season. He said ‘Gody told him to use him however he wants to ensure the team wins. Brey said the Irish have become mentally tougher in the past few weeks. The Irish were 4-2 without Harangody, beating Pitt and Connecticut at home and winning at Georgetown.
- KVAL-TV reported that Oregon coach Ernie Kent has been fired and that he was told on Feb. 22 by Oregon athletic director Mike Bellotti. No one will be surprised if this does occur, but Kent told me in a text late Saturday night that this is the same story he has heard the past four years. Meanwhile, Bellottti sent this statement out late Saturday night after Oregon’s win over Washington State: "Ernie and I have talked, and we will continue to talk through the Pac-10 Tournament."
Loss to Hokies completes Jackets' slide
March, 6, 2010
3/06/10
7:05
PM ET
By
Eamonn Brennan | ESPN.com
If you're a coach presiding over a talented but disappointing team, calling out fans and media on Twitter is never a good idea. It's even less of a good idea if your team fails to back up it on the court.
Such is the lesson learned by Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt, who took to his Twitter account two weeks ago in the hopes of scolding assorted Georgia Tech stakeholders -- local media, critical fans, and so on -- about "quitting" on this year's decidedly fading Yellow Jackets. After today's loss to Virginia Tech at home, those Yellow Jackets have officially gone from potential Sweet 16 team to early tournament flame-out -- if they make the tournament at all.
Hewitt's team is filled with talent, talent that, for whatever reason, hasn't congealed over time. Instead, they seem to be getting worse. Georgia Tech has lost five of its past seven, and uber-talented forwards Derrick Favors and Gani Lawal haven't developed into the dominant frontcourt attack promised when Favors, a McDonald's All-American and surefire 2010 lottery pick, committed to Hewitt last year.
The next concern, as always, is the NCAA tournament. Joe Lunardi has listed Georgia Tech as a No. 10 seed in his latest bracket, which was drawn up before today's loss. It seems unlikely Georgia Tech would fall out of the tournament merely thanks to today's misfortune; they've been a steady inclusion since the season started, after all, and there are plenty of bubble teams doing their best to keep the field friendly to fading squads like the Yellow Jackets. It probably also helps that the selection committee isn't explicitly valuing in a team's last 12 games as more important than its early season performance, as in past years.
But a bad loss in the ACC tournament will make the selection committee -- and Georgia Tech fans, and Paul Hewitt -- awfully nervous. For good reason.
[+] Enlarge
Paul Abell/US PresswireGeorgia Tech and coach Paul Hewitt have lost five of their past seven games.
Paul Abell/US PresswireGeorgia Tech and coach Paul Hewitt have lost five of their past seven games.Hewitt's team is filled with talent, talent that, for whatever reason, hasn't congealed over time. Instead, they seem to be getting worse. Georgia Tech has lost five of its past seven, and uber-talented forwards Derrick Favors and Gani Lawal haven't developed into the dominant frontcourt attack promised when Favors, a McDonald's All-American and surefire 2010 lottery pick, committed to Hewitt last year.
The next concern, as always, is the NCAA tournament. Joe Lunardi has listed Georgia Tech as a No. 10 seed in his latest bracket, which was drawn up before today's loss. It seems unlikely Georgia Tech would fall out of the tournament merely thanks to today's misfortune; they've been a steady inclusion since the season started, after all, and there are plenty of bubble teams doing their best to keep the field friendly to fading squads like the Yellow Jackets. It probably also helps that the selection committee isn't explicitly valuing in a team's last 12 games as more important than its early season performance, as in past years.
But a bad loss in the ACC tournament will make the selection committee -- and Georgia Tech fans, and Paul Hewitt -- awfully nervous. For good reason.
Icon SMIJacob Pullen and Sherron Collins figure to play prominent roles in Wednesday night's showdown.No. 5 Kansas State at No. 2 Kansas, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN360: This one doesn't need much by way of explanation. The in-state rivalry. The Big 12 title implications. The seeding possibilities. The two-point Kansas win at Bramlage on Jan. 30. A freaky Frank Martin. Sherron Collins' senior night. The packed Allen Fieldhouse crowd.
Yeah, It's safe to say this is going to be a big game. A very, very big game.
Martin's team can secure a shot -- an outside shot, but a shot -- at a share of the Big 12 title if it wins tonight, but that's probably less of a concern for K-State than A) Beating its hated, abusive basketball big brother on the brother's own floor in Collins' last home game and B) Making a case for a No. 1 NCAA tournament seed. A win would without question put Martin's team on the selection committee's top line. First, though, the Wildcats have to figure out a way to do what they do best -- get to the free throw line -- while preventing the Jayhawks from doing the same. Kansas State is one of the best teams in the country at getting to the line. This is the sort of offensive attribute (alongside great outside shooting from Jacob Pullen) that gives the Wildcats hope against anyone, including a Kansas defense designed to keep opponents out of the lane. In the first meeting, Kansas won the battle of the freebies. The Wildcats can't let that happen again.
Oh, and as you've probably noticed, no, tonight's game isn't being televised. It stinks, I know. But look at the bright side: You get to test out ESPN360. It's actually pretty awesome, so don't knock it until you try it. And no, I'm not just saying that because I work here. Promise. Though I would totally say that anyway. I'm completely shameless. Which brings me to my next point: If you can't watch the game, come here for our live chat from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. I'll be here, as will a bunch of your favorite college hoops heads, answering questions and live-blogging throughout the evening. Don't miss it.
No. 4 Duke at No. 23 Maryland, 9 p.m. ET, ESPN: Speaking of big games, well, ahem. This qualifies. It would mean as much in College Park even if the Terrapins didn't have so much riding on the game, for there is little hatred in the country -- in college basketball or elsewhere -- quite like the purely distilled brand Maryland fans brew for all things Duke. And anytime Greivis Vasquez gets this sort of spotlight, you can expect sparks to fly. It's going to be rowdy.
There are more than taunts on the line here, though. With a win, Gary Williams' team could pull even with Duke at 12-3 in the ACC with one game each left to play. It won't be easy. After occasional stumbles, most of them on the road, Duke has quietly morphed into the most efficient offense in the country, and the Devils are finally starting to play the sort of defense that anchored them in last year's campaign. After a 1-4 start on the road, Duke has won its last four away from Cameron. Maryland's is no easy task. But the Terps have been underrated all year, though, and tonight is the perfect opportunity to showcase -- to the tournament committee, especially -- just how far perception lags behind reality.
Everywhere else: While you're futzing around with your laptop -- and totally chatting with us, remember! -- Connecticut and Notre Dame will be slugging it out on ESPN for a spot in the NCAA tournament. Neither team is guaranteed a berth, but both teams can nary afford a loss, and both teams would surely benefit from the win. ... Kentucky will face a test at Georgia, where the pesky Bulldogs have taken down Vanderbilt, Florida, Georgia Tech and Illinois this season. ... Indiana travels to No. 6 Purdue, which should be a nice break from the post-Robbie Hummel meat-grinder Purdue is facing these days. ... Memphis and UAB will duel for bubble considerations. ... Oklahoma State at Texas A&M is an interesting battle between two tourney-worthy Big 12 squads. ... A-10 leader Temple will visit a St. Louis team that has streaked into the tourney-sphere in the last half of the season. ... The fading Demon Deacons have another battle on their hands at Florida State tonight. ... and lowly Fordham, the last team in Division I without a conference win to its name, will try to get that first win over Xavier tonight.
The Morning After is our semi-daily recap of the night's best action. Try not to make it awkward.
No. 7 Ohio State 73, Illinois 57: There were zero upsets to speak of last night, and Illinois' bid for a tournament-securing win at Ohio State was no different. Instead, the night was a feel-good Buckeye festival. Thad Matta's team secured a share of the Big Ten title. Evan Turner got a national spotlight, not that he needed it (more on this below). And Mark Titus, the by-now-famous purveyor of Club Trillion, made the most of his senior night, notching one final trillion in front of hundreds of Club Trillion t-shirt-clad OSU fans -- not to mention raising a whole bunch of cash for sick children. Really, things couldn't have gone much better.
The most notable performance of the night -- other than Titus', obviously -- probably came from Ohio State sharpshooter Jon Diebler, whose seven 3-pointers for 21 points (this scoreline math is refreshingly simple) helped bury the Illini in the second half. After the game, though, the only national topic was Turner. More specifically, the topic was "Is Evan Turner the player of the year?" Every analyst ESPN had to offer on Sportscenter proclaimed it to be true. The only dissenters? America. In a SportsNation poll, 37 percent of the country voted for John Wall as the player of the year; Turner notched 33 percent of the vote. Which means one thing, America: You're on notice. I know Wall might be the most familiar name, but it's March now. There's no excuse for this. Inform thyself. Wall is a great player, but Turner has had a better season, and he deserves the award. I thought we Turner advocates had settled this issue already -- seriously, you have no idea how good it felt to see the unanimous pundit praise for Turner Tuesday night -- but apparently not. We have more work to do. Turner bandwagon team ... assemble!
No. 19 Vanderbilt 64, Florida 60: Again, no upsets here: Florida, like Illinois, could have sealed an at-large NCAA tournament spot with a win over the sturdy Commodores on Tuesday night. It didn't happen. Still, the Gators acquitted themselves nicely in the loss; Florida held a typically efficient Vanderbilt offense to a mere 64 points on 60 possessions. Billy Donovan's team was undone by its poor shooting, though, hitting 21-of-50 2-point shots and just 2-of-13 from 3 for a paltry 31.8 effective field goal percentage. Even in a solid defensive effort, that's not going to get the job done.
The Associated Press wrap of the game seems to think that Florida significantly hurt its tournament chances with the loss, but that seems slightly overstated. Sure, Florida didn't help itself, but losing by four to Vanderbilt at home isn't the worst result in the world, is it? Florida might have more work to do -- but no more work than before Tuesday, right?
Everywhere else: Cincinnati likewise needed a big win to keep itself in the at-large conversation. They almost got it, but insert the old koan about horseshoes and hand grenades here ... UTEP clinched the outright Conference USA title with a hard-fought win at Marshall ... Missouri's Zaire Taylor almost perfectly recreated Tyus Edney's famous game-winner in a thrilling overtime win at Iowa State ... North Carolina became the second team in the history of college basketball to get to 2,000 wins; one wonders if the current players felt strange holding that 2,000-win plaque, given this season's ugliness ... Syracuse had no problems with St. John's on senior night ... Baylor won at Texas Tech, handing Pat Knight's team its sixth straight loss ... Minnesota suffered a major letdown at Michigan, one which officially puts the final nail in the the already almost-entirely-assembled Gophers' coffin ... Trevor Booker did manly things in Clemson's win over Georgia Tech ... and Marquette shredded Louisville's zone in a 21-point win in Milwaukee.
No. 7 Ohio State 73, Illinois 57: There were zero upsets to speak of last night, and Illinois' bid for a tournament-securing win at Ohio State was no different. Instead, the night was a feel-good Buckeye festival. Thad Matta's team secured a share of the Big Ten title. Evan Turner got a national spotlight, not that he needed it (more on this below). And Mark Titus, the by-now-famous purveyor of Club Trillion, made the most of his senior night, notching one final trillion in front of hundreds of Club Trillion t-shirt-clad OSU fans -- not to mention raising a whole bunch of cash for sick children. Really, things couldn't have gone much better.
The most notable performance of the night -- other than Titus', obviously -- probably came from Ohio State sharpshooter Jon Diebler, whose seven 3-pointers for 21 points (this scoreline math is refreshingly simple) helped bury the Illini in the second half. After the game, though, the only national topic was Turner. More specifically, the topic was "Is Evan Turner the player of the year?" Every analyst ESPN had to offer on Sportscenter proclaimed it to be true. The only dissenters? America. In a SportsNation poll, 37 percent of the country voted for John Wall as the player of the year; Turner notched 33 percent of the vote. Which means one thing, America: You're on notice. I know Wall might be the most familiar name, but it's March now. There's no excuse for this. Inform thyself. Wall is a great player, but Turner has had a better season, and he deserves the award. I thought we Turner advocates had settled this issue already -- seriously, you have no idea how good it felt to see the unanimous pundit praise for Turner Tuesday night -- but apparently not. We have more work to do. Turner bandwagon team ... assemble!
No. 19 Vanderbilt 64, Florida 60: Again, no upsets here: Florida, like Illinois, could have sealed an at-large NCAA tournament spot with a win over the sturdy Commodores on Tuesday night. It didn't happen. Still, the Gators acquitted themselves nicely in the loss; Florida held a typically efficient Vanderbilt offense to a mere 64 points on 60 possessions. Billy Donovan's team was undone by its poor shooting, though, hitting 21-of-50 2-point shots and just 2-of-13 from 3 for a paltry 31.8 effective field goal percentage. Even in a solid defensive effort, that's not going to get the job done.
The Associated Press wrap of the game seems to think that Florida significantly hurt its tournament chances with the loss, but that seems slightly overstated. Sure, Florida didn't help itself, but losing by four to Vanderbilt at home isn't the worst result in the world, is it? Florida might have more work to do -- but no more work than before Tuesday, right?
Everywhere else: Cincinnati likewise needed a big win to keep itself in the at-large conversation. They almost got it, but insert the old koan about horseshoes and hand grenades here ... UTEP clinched the outright Conference USA title with a hard-fought win at Marshall ... Missouri's Zaire Taylor almost perfectly recreated Tyus Edney's famous game-winner in a thrilling overtime win at Iowa State ... North Carolina became the second team in the history of college basketball to get to 2,000 wins; one wonders if the current players felt strange holding that 2,000-win plaque, given this season's ugliness ... Syracuse had no problems with St. John's on senior night ... Baylor won at Texas Tech, handing Pat Knight's team its sixth straight loss ... Minnesota suffered a major letdown at Michigan, one which officially puts the final nail in the the already almost-entirely-assembled Gophers' coffin ... Trevor Booker did manly things in Clemson's win over Georgia Tech ... and Marquette shredded Louisville's zone in a 21-point win in Milwaukee.
Maybe Paul Hewitt should stop tweeting now
February, 26, 2010
2/26/10
11:35
AM ET
By
Eamonn Brennan | ESPN.com
Maybe sit a few plays out there, champ. Maybe, uh, stop using the Twitter machine for a little while. Sound good?
Why the social media crackdown? Hewitt took to the Twittertubes yesterday to do something most coaches don't ever do: be provocative. The Georgia Tech coach led off with: "As we are coming to the latter part of the season, now is not the time to be judgemental. You all need to come out and support this team." He kept going from there (tweets in chronological order):
Why the outburst? It might have something to do with Hewitt's job status, which has begun to erode in recent years. After the success of Hewitt's Final Four run in 2004, it was fair to assume Hewitt would have a job at Tech as long as he wanted, but that's not the case -- Georgia Tech fans are beginning to lose their patience. The 2009-10 season hasn't helped. Tech entered the year as the No. 21-ranked team in the country, and Hewitt has three McDonald's All-Americans and a host of experienced players at his disposal, and yet Tech is still, as of this post, fighting for a tournament berth. The Yellow Jackets have put on displays of talent this season that makes you think they can play with anyone in the country. They've also lost a host of very pedestrian outings. They are, to put it mildly, inconsistent.
Which means fans are getting disappointed, media is getting critical, and Hewitt is feeling the heat. I'm not the only one who thinks this was a bad idea:
That's one way to look at it. Another one is simply that it's never good form for a college basketball coach to show weakness. The harder you talk, and the more you posture, the less likely anyone is to believe that things are under control. You can't calmly say "I got this" if your thumbs are busily tweeting excuses for why things are going wrong.
Why the social media crackdown? Hewitt took to the Twittertubes yesterday to do something most coaches don't ever do: be provocative. The Georgia Tech coach led off with: "As we are coming to the latter part of the season, now is not the time to be judgemental. You all need to come out and support this team." He kept going from there (tweets in chronological order):
"Are you a critic or a supporter of this team? Supporters will continue to watch this team fight."
"To you critics: when athletes say some of the things you say, then you condemn them as quitters. Are you quitting?
"I believe in this team!
"Don't forget that we are honoring all former players for Lettermans weekend. There's no game this year but they will be honored at halftime.
"Their effort and level of commitment should never be questioned.
"We realize we still have work to do but no one should ever question the effort, intelligence, or dedication of our program.
"Our team deserves to be treated truthfully. This young basketball team is on the verge of earning an NCAA berth."
Why the outburst? It might have something to do with Hewitt's job status, which has begun to erode in recent years. After the success of Hewitt's Final Four run in 2004, it was fair to assume Hewitt would have a job at Tech as long as he wanted, but that's not the case -- Georgia Tech fans are beginning to lose their patience. The 2009-10 season hasn't helped. Tech entered the year as the No. 21-ranked team in the country, and Hewitt has three McDonald's All-Americans and a host of experienced players at his disposal, and yet Tech is still, as of this post, fighting for a tournament berth. The Yellow Jackets have put on displays of talent this season that makes you think they can play with anyone in the country. They've also lost a host of very pedestrian outings. They are, to put it mildly, inconsistent.
Which means fans are getting disappointed, media is getting critical, and Hewitt is feeling the heat. I'm not the only one who thinks this was a bad idea:
Before practice Thursday, he told reporters that coverage of his team has been reduced to “cyberbullying.” He also claimed he hadn’t read the AJC since 2005 because the team that went to the ACC finals and lost to Louisville in Round 2 of the NCAA tournament was “absolutely bashed.” (Given that I covered the ACC tournament and the loss to Louisville, I assume he was referring to me.) [...] That said, do you win anyone back via a dare?
Believe what you see, Tweeted GTCoachHewitt, but I’m not sure he means that. Because some Tech rooters might say, “Know what I see? I see a coach who’s 6-7 with the most talented team in his league asking why I’m not rooting harder.”
That’s the trouble with a dare. Ask someone to look hard at your program and that someone might decide your program isn’t half what it should be. If several such someones band together, it might not be your program much longer.
That's one way to look at it. Another one is simply that it's never good form for a college basketball coach to show weakness. The harder you talk, and the more you posture, the less likely anyone is to believe that things are under control. You can't calmly say "I got this" if your thumbs are busily tweeting excuses for why things are going wrong.
Afternoon Linkage: Get tourney-ready
February, 24, 2010
2/24/10
1:37
PM ET
By
Eamonn Brennan | ESPN.com
- When I went to Indianapolis to do the mock selection committee jig a couple of weeks ago, at least one of you asked to see the NCAA's "team sheets" -- the lists of information about each team given to the selection committee upon request in the committee room. Trust me when I say they're not all that cool. It's just a list of RPI wins, strength of schedule, opponents' strength of schedule, and the like, organized in a format that takes at least an hour to get used to. In any case, if you want to see what one such sheet looks like, Crashing The Dance has an awfully close reproduction. Even the colors are similar.
- That link comes via Yet Another Basketball Blog, which runs through a bit of quasi-bubble talk before launching into a solid defense of the committee's selection process.
- Kansas' Sherron Collins is nine wins away from tying Shane Battier's all-time NCAA record for wins in a career. But will Kansas get those nine wins? It has three more regular-season games -- which, if it runs the table, would complete a perfect conference season -- as well as the Big 12 tournament and the NCAA. Provided Kansas handles business in the conference and doesn't get upset early in the tournament, Battier's record is entirely within reach.
- Buster Sports' Chip Patterson unveils a model he used to rank the watchability of conference tournaments based on pace and potential for drama. The Big East is the most likely place to catch tight, overtime-ready basketball, while the SEC and the Big 12 will feature the most teams willing to get out and run. But what about those of us who are going to try to watch every conference tournament game at the same time, like Ozymandias in his TV lair? Your results may vary.
- Josh Pastner isn't maintaining any illusions about Memphis' chances of snatching an at-large bid: "We control our own destiny, and that means you have to win games. If we do our job by winning games we'll be in the tournament," Pastner said. "I don't play mind games. I'm not a psychologist, I'm a coach. I'm very honest with our players, and that's the truth. Our backs are against the wall, and our margin of error is slim-to-none. They know it, they understand it."
- CBS' Gary Parrish jumps on the Jim Calhoun bandwagon, in so far as that bandwagon exists, saying the school should give Calhoun a "lifetime contract" as soon as Calhoun can give them a doctor's note clearing the man of the health issues that have plagued his last two seasons with the team. Hey, why mess with success?
- Ole Miss is going to search for a new mascot to replace the ever-controversial Colonel Reb. Might I suggest Nightmare Ant?
- When is an injury to your starting point guard good thing? When you're Texas coach Rick Barnes, and you can't seem to figure out your rotation. The injury to Dogus Balbay could, according to Rush The Court, end up being a positive, because whoever Barnes chooses to replace Balbay will "have the luxury of knowing that his minutes will likely increase and he’s not going to be yanked for one poor decision." Of course, Barnes actually has to choose one of his replacements first. Meanwhile, BIAH isn't convinced by the sunny side.
- Georgia Tech uber-frosh Derrick Favors is doing his best to stay grounded in Atlanta. How does he do this? By ignoring ESPN, opting for cartoons instead: "He always tells me, ‘Man, cartoons are the only thing that keeps it real nowadays,'" said Tech freshman and fellow suitemate Brian Oliver. "If they say something he doesn't like [on ESPN], he'll say ‘See, I told you. You watch Tom and Jerry, it'll be all right.'" Favors might also spend a little more time studying the game; he's been good this year, especially on the glass, but he hasn't been spectacular, as was promised. Meanwhile, his team has lost four of its last five, has dropped out of the Top 25, and is limping its way toward the NCAA tournament. Hype should be the furthest thing from Derrick's mind, no?
- Yeah, Steve Alford is feeling the love in New Mexico. The next question: When does Alford start getting other offers? And will he listen?
- Some requisite ESPN link love: New Forde minutes! Katz on refs and coaches! O'Neil on redemption! Collect all three!
ACC all but vanishes from top 25
February, 23, 2010
2/23/10
12:00
PM ET
By
Eamonn Brennan | ESPN.com
The Atlantic Coast Conference had a pretty special streak going for, oh, three decades or so. That streak? Since 1977, when No. 5 North Carolina was by itself in the poll, the ACC has had at least two teams in the AP top 25 every time the poll was collected.
No more: As of yesterday, Duke is the only 2009-10 ACC team left in the top 25, breaking the conference's 30-year multiple-team streak.
The good news for the ACC is that things aren't quite so bad -- seven different ACC teams have held a poll spot at some point this season, and Virginia Tech and Maryland are just outside the poll in that ever-so-close "others receiving votes" pile. (Va. Tech tallied 76 votes this week while Maryland nabbed 57 votes this week, putting both teams just behind UTEP.) And there is still Duke, sitting pretty at No. 5. It's not as though the ACC is quite in dire Pac-10 poll drought levels yet.
The bad news, however, is that the ACC is demonstrably sliding a bit in recent weeks. Georgia Tech and Wake Forest and Clemson and Florida State and (most obviously) North Carolina aren't sniffing much of the poll anymore. That isn't the worst thing in the world, NCAA tournament-wise, but it's also not the most encouraging sign for conference partisans or, for that matter, for Duke, which would rather appreciate its conference mates putting up a fight as it seeks another signature win and a spot on the tournament's No. 1 line. If that win doesn't come from Maryland or Virginia Tech, it might not come at all.
No more: As of yesterday, Duke is the only 2009-10 ACC team left in the top 25, breaking the conference's 30-year multiple-team streak.
The good news for the ACC is that things aren't quite so bad -- seven different ACC teams have held a poll spot at some point this season, and Virginia Tech and Maryland are just outside the poll in that ever-so-close "others receiving votes" pile. (Va. Tech tallied 76 votes this week while Maryland nabbed 57 votes this week, putting both teams just behind UTEP.) And there is still Duke, sitting pretty at No. 5. It's not as though the ACC is quite in dire Pac-10 poll drought levels yet.
The bad news, however, is that the ACC is demonstrably sliding a bit in recent weeks. Georgia Tech and Wake Forest and Clemson and Florida State and (most obviously) North Carolina aren't sniffing much of the poll anymore. That isn't the worst thing in the world, NCAA tournament-wise, but it's also not the most encouraging sign for conference partisans or, for that matter, for Duke, which would rather appreciate its conference mates putting up a fight as it seeks another signature win and a spot on the tournament's No. 1 line. If that win doesn't come from Maryland or Virginia Tech, it might not come at all.
Saddle Up: DeMarcus, Jarvis. Jarvis, DeMarcus.
February, 16, 2010
2/16/10
4:02
PM ET
By
Eamonn Brennan | ESPN.com
Saddle Up is our nightly look at the hoops your TV wants you to watch. Here's Tuesday night's rundown.
No. 2 Kentucky at Mississippi State, 9 p.m. ET, ESPN: Unstoppable force, immovable object. DeMarcus Cousins, Jarvis Varnado. Even if Kentucky rolls over Mississippi State in Starkville tonight -- certainly no guarantee, despite Kentucky's vastly superior backcourt talent -- this matchup alone is worth your undivided attention. Cousins is a dominant freshman with a burgeoning skill set and one of the best interior offensive stat lines in the country. (Cousins gets a ton of offensive rebounds, takes a ton of shots, and makes most of them.) Varnado, meanwhile, is the best shot blocker in the country, and maybe of the past decade -- averaging five blocks a game this season, he's well on his way to setting the NCAA career record for blocked shots. He also leads the Bulldogs in rebounds, many of which come on the defensive end; he's one of the best in the country at that, too.
Unfortunately for Mississippi State, Varnado can shut down Cousins and the Cats can still roll. (Kentucky still has this dude named John Wall. I suppose he's pretty good.) Regardless of the outcome, though, Cousins-Varnado might be the year's best big man matchup, at least until we can get these two to play Cole Aldrich in a game of 21. You should probably watch.
No. 25 Wake Forest at Virginia Tech, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2: While Indiana is taking its probable beating from Michigan State on ESPN at 7 p.m., you might also flip over to ESPN2, a game with actual tournament implications. (Though I suppose Michigan State could lose to Indiana, and that would have tournament implications ... but whatever, you see what I mean.) See, Virginia Tech is 20-4. That's a gaudy record. It was also amassed against one of the worst schedules in the history of college basketball, and I'm barely exaggerating: The Hokies are ranked No. 344 -- No 344! -- in nonconference strength of schedule this season. They have one win over a team in the RPI's top 50 (Clemson). Their best wins are over Seton Hall, Miami, North Carolina, Georgia, and Virginia (twice). Sorry, but this is not the résumé of an NCAA tournament team -- at least not yet. Tonight, Va. Tech gets its chance to prove the haters wrong, notch another RPI top-50 win and build momentum for its backloaded ACC slate, which includes games at Duke, vs. Maryland and at Georgia Tech. Contender or pretender? Tonight, the Hokies have a chance to answer.
Everywhere else: The first game of Jordan Eglseder's controversially short suspension is tonight, when UNI plays Creighton in Cedar Falls. ... As mentioned above, Indiana will try to recover from its ugly Big Ten losing streak as MSU attempts to stave off a letdown. ... Texas Tech, still trying to play its way into the tournament, will go to Baylor, which already has. ... Dominique Jones and Lance Stephenson do anything for you? Cincinnati-South Florida sounds entertaining, at least. ... Less entertaining: Rutgers at DePaul. ... North Carolina will look to build on last week's near-miss against rival Duke with a trip to Georgia Tech. ... Drexel will play VCU in a matchup of putative CAA contenders.
No. 2 Kentucky at Mississippi State, 9 p.m. ET, ESPN: Unstoppable force, immovable object. DeMarcus Cousins, Jarvis Varnado. Even if Kentucky rolls over Mississippi State in Starkville tonight -- certainly no guarantee, despite Kentucky's vastly superior backcourt talent -- this matchup alone is worth your undivided attention. Cousins is a dominant freshman with a burgeoning skill set and one of the best interior offensive stat lines in the country. (Cousins gets a ton of offensive rebounds, takes a ton of shots, and makes most of them.) Varnado, meanwhile, is the best shot blocker in the country, and maybe of the past decade -- averaging five blocks a game this season, he's well on his way to setting the NCAA career record for blocked shots. He also leads the Bulldogs in rebounds, many of which come on the defensive end; he's one of the best in the country at that, too.
Unfortunately for Mississippi State, Varnado can shut down Cousins and the Cats can still roll. (Kentucky still has this dude named John Wall. I suppose he's pretty good.) Regardless of the outcome, though, Cousins-Varnado might be the year's best big man matchup, at least until we can get these two to play Cole Aldrich in a game of 21. You should probably watch.
No. 25 Wake Forest at Virginia Tech, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2: While Indiana is taking its probable beating from Michigan State on ESPN at 7 p.m., you might also flip over to ESPN2, a game with actual tournament implications. (Though I suppose Michigan State could lose to Indiana, and that would have tournament implications ... but whatever, you see what I mean.) See, Virginia Tech is 20-4. That's a gaudy record. It was also amassed against one of the worst schedules in the history of college basketball, and I'm barely exaggerating: The Hokies are ranked No. 344 -- No 344! -- in nonconference strength of schedule this season. They have one win over a team in the RPI's top 50 (Clemson). Their best wins are over Seton Hall, Miami, North Carolina, Georgia, and Virginia (twice). Sorry, but this is not the résumé of an NCAA tournament team -- at least not yet. Tonight, Va. Tech gets its chance to prove the haters wrong, notch another RPI top-50 win and build momentum for its backloaded ACC slate, which includes games at Duke, vs. Maryland and at Georgia Tech. Contender or pretender? Tonight, the Hokies have a chance to answer.
Everywhere else: The first game of Jordan Eglseder's controversially short suspension is tonight, when UNI plays Creighton in Cedar Falls. ... As mentioned above, Indiana will try to recover from its ugly Big Ten losing streak as MSU attempts to stave off a letdown. ... Texas Tech, still trying to play its way into the tournament, will go to Baylor, which already has. ... Dominique Jones and Lance Stephenson do anything for you? Cincinnati-South Florida sounds entertaining, at least. ... Less entertaining: Rutgers at DePaul. ... North Carolina will look to build on last week's near-miss against rival Duke with a trip to Georgia Tech. ... Drexel will play VCU in a matchup of putative CAA contenders.
Saddle Up: Duke-UNC, for some of the marbles
February, 10, 2010
2/10/10
3:45
PM ET
By
Eamonn Brennan | ESPN.com
Saddle Up is our daily look at the hoops your TV wants you to watch tonight. Here's Wednesday night's rundown. Special programming note: I'll be flying to Indianapolis tomorrow to participate in the NCAA's mock selection committee, so my blogging may be a little light these next couple of days. I'm sure you'll find a way to persevere.
No. 7 Duke at North Carolina, 9 p.m. ET, ESPN: Given the average college basketball fan's general fatigue with Duke-North Carolina -- everyone likes to complain about the attention these two teams always receive, and not without reason -- you might be struggling to find a reason to care about tonight's game. After all, if North Carolina (13-10, 2-6 in the ACC) is this bad, what's the point? Won't Duke just roll?
Maybe. Maybe not. Duke is certainly a more complete and more polished team than the Tar Heels. Veterans Jon Scheyer and Kyle Singler and the rest of Duke's formidable lineup constitute a major advantage over UNC's talented but inexperienced bunch. But it's not that cut and dry. Duke has major flaws, and one of them is that it's just not very good on the road. Let's not forget the Devils' trouncing at Georgetown two weeks ago. Nor should we ignore Duke's loss at NC State two weeks before that. Duke played very few nonconference road games, and it's been punished for it since, going 2-4 on the road in six tries overall. For a team with national title aspirations, Coach K's bunch has a way of looking decidedly average away from Cameron Indoor.
Meanwhile, North Carolina is in a horrific tailspin. What better way to turn the season around after losing six of your last seven than by getting a win at home over your hated rival? What better way to build confidence in your young players than by them proving to themselves they can play with an elite group like Duke? Or maybe the inverse happens: Duke dominates UNC at home in front of a disgusted crowd, and Roy Williams has to figure out how to get his team to recover from its latest disaster -- and how to talk to the media without sounding depressed and apoplectic after the game. The outcome will be high drama, in its own marginal way.
This might not be vintage UNC-Duke. You won't confuse tonight's lineups with anything you'll see on ESPN Classic. But sleep on it at your own peril. For reasons different than the past, this rivalry might surprise you yet.
Connecticut at No. 3 Syracuse, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN: Speaking of intrigue, or a lack thereof ... ladies and gentlemen, allow me to present UConn-Cuse 2010! These two teams have taken opposite trajectories to end up where they are today. Syracuse was seen as a marginal Top 25 team at the beginning of the season; the Orange has morphed into one of the few viable challengers to Kansas' putative crown. UConn was a top 15 team to begin the year, and has morphed into a Jim Calhoun-less shell of its former self -- dominant shot-blockers on the defensive end (where the Huskies are No. 1 in the country for the ninth year in a row) and barely average at almost everything else. Jim Calhoun is being mentioned for coach of the year awards. Jim Calhoun is still on a leave of absence with no return date imminent.
It's hard to spin those conditions into something positive, even for me, and I'm positive (to a fault, admittedly) about any and all college basketball on my television. It's college hoops! It's awesome in and of itself! We get to watch basketball! Hooray for basketball! But it's hard not to feel the same sinking feeling many will have about Duke-UNC, and that many had about Kansas-Texas -- this game should be so much better. It's up to UConn to prove us wrong. (In the Carrier Dome. Against a dominant 2-3 zone. With a team that can't shoot. Um, good luck, I guess?)
No. 19 New Mexico at No. 25 UNLV, 11 p.m. ET: It would be criminal to focus on the above games and not give what could be tonight's best, most important matchup some love. New Mexico at UNLV is tonight's only game featuring two top 25 teams, and that's not the only reason to watch. Whoever wins tonight takes over first place in the Mountain West, where three teams (these two, plus BYU) are vying for NCAA tournament bids. Plus it features a matchup between the conference's two best wing players, New Mexico's Darington Hobson and UNLV's Tre'Von Willis. New Mexico rarely turns the ball over; UNLV thrives on forcing steals. New Mexico loves to get to the free throw line; UNLV never allows its opponents that luxury. Stay up past your bedtime, East Coasters. You don't want to miss the game of the night.
Everywhere else: Ohio State will visit Bloomington, where the Hoosiers have been a tough out all year. But tough enough to keep Evan Turner Line Watch from showing up in the morning? Doubtful. ... Northern Iowa will go on the road to play a pesky Drake squad, which wants this win forever, man (sorry). ... Georgia Tech has lost its last two games on the road and will try to avoid a third at Miami. ... Florida goes to Columbia, where a banged-up Devan Downey should be in the lineup. ... Northwestern's game at Iowa is a must-win for the Wildcats' tournament chances. ... and a pair of important A-10 battles -- Charlotte at Dayton; Richmond at Rhode Island ... will go down.
No. 7 Duke at North Carolina, 9 p.m. ET, ESPN: Given the average college basketball fan's general fatigue with Duke-North Carolina -- everyone likes to complain about the attention these two teams always receive, and not without reason -- you might be struggling to find a reason to care about tonight's game. After all, if North Carolina (13-10, 2-6 in the ACC) is this bad, what's the point? Won't Duke just roll?
Maybe. Maybe not. Duke is certainly a more complete and more polished team than the Tar Heels. Veterans Jon Scheyer and Kyle Singler and the rest of Duke's formidable lineup constitute a major advantage over UNC's talented but inexperienced bunch. But it's not that cut and dry. Duke has major flaws, and one of them is that it's just not very good on the road. Let's not forget the Devils' trouncing at Georgetown two weeks ago. Nor should we ignore Duke's loss at NC State two weeks before that. Duke played very few nonconference road games, and it's been punished for it since, going 2-4 on the road in six tries overall. For a team with national title aspirations, Coach K's bunch has a way of looking decidedly average away from Cameron Indoor.
Meanwhile, North Carolina is in a horrific tailspin. What better way to turn the season around after losing six of your last seven than by getting a win at home over your hated rival? What better way to build confidence in your young players than by them proving to themselves they can play with an elite group like Duke? Or maybe the inverse happens: Duke dominates UNC at home in front of a disgusted crowd, and Roy Williams has to figure out how to get his team to recover from its latest disaster -- and how to talk to the media without sounding depressed and apoplectic after the game. The outcome will be high drama, in its own marginal way.
This might not be vintage UNC-Duke. You won't confuse tonight's lineups with anything you'll see on ESPN Classic. But sleep on it at your own peril. For reasons different than the past, this rivalry might surprise you yet.
Connecticut at No. 3 Syracuse, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN: Speaking of intrigue, or a lack thereof ... ladies and gentlemen, allow me to present UConn-Cuse 2010! These two teams have taken opposite trajectories to end up where they are today. Syracuse was seen as a marginal Top 25 team at the beginning of the season; the Orange has morphed into one of the few viable challengers to Kansas' putative crown. UConn was a top 15 team to begin the year, and has morphed into a Jim Calhoun-less shell of its former self -- dominant shot-blockers on the defensive end (where the Huskies are No. 1 in the country for the ninth year in a row) and barely average at almost everything else. Jim Calhoun is being mentioned for coach of the year awards. Jim Calhoun is still on a leave of absence with no return date imminent.
It's hard to spin those conditions into something positive, even for me, and I'm positive (to a fault, admittedly) about any and all college basketball on my television. It's college hoops! It's awesome in and of itself! We get to watch basketball! Hooray for basketball! But it's hard not to feel the same sinking feeling many will have about Duke-UNC, and that many had about Kansas-Texas -- this game should be so much better. It's up to UConn to prove us wrong. (In the Carrier Dome. Against a dominant 2-3 zone. With a team that can't shoot. Um, good luck, I guess?)
No. 19 New Mexico at No. 25 UNLV, 11 p.m. ET: It would be criminal to focus on the above games and not give what could be tonight's best, most important matchup some love. New Mexico at UNLV is tonight's only game featuring two top 25 teams, and that's not the only reason to watch. Whoever wins tonight takes over first place in the Mountain West, where three teams (these two, plus BYU) are vying for NCAA tournament bids. Plus it features a matchup between the conference's two best wing players, New Mexico's Darington Hobson and UNLV's Tre'Von Willis. New Mexico rarely turns the ball over; UNLV thrives on forcing steals. New Mexico loves to get to the free throw line; UNLV never allows its opponents that luxury. Stay up past your bedtime, East Coasters. You don't want to miss the game of the night.
Everywhere else: Ohio State will visit Bloomington, where the Hoosiers have been a tough out all year. But tough enough to keep Evan Turner Line Watch from showing up in the morning? Doubtful. ... Northern Iowa will go on the road to play a pesky Drake squad, which wants this win forever, man (sorry). ... Georgia Tech has lost its last two games on the road and will try to avoid a third at Miami. ... Florida goes to Columbia, where a banged-up Devan Downey should be in the lineup. ... Northwestern's game at Iowa is a must-win for the Wildcats' tournament chances. ... and a pair of important A-10 battles -- Charlotte at Dayton; Richmond at Rhode Island ... will go down.
Coach K not a fan of ACC scheduling
February, 9, 2010
2/09/10
5:50
PM ET
By
Eamonn Brennan | ESPN.com
Scheduling is hard. There's all those dates to work out, and all those travel plans to arrange, and all those stadiums and athletics programs that have to be available. It's a tough gig, and I wouldn't want it. That said, the ACC's schedule-makers deserve the heat they're receiving right now, heat emanating primarily from a very stern-looking fellow in Durham.
See, the ACC has a bit of a scheduling mess on its hands. Several of the conference's teams have already met twice, or not at all, meaning they'll play two games in close proximity late in the year if they haven't already. This is unfair not to any particular team, but it is unfair in general. Hypothetically, let's say you have to play Clemson twice, and you get both of those games out of the way early in the year. Maybe the Tigers hit their stride late. Maybe you luck out. But that means some time will have to play the late-blooming Tigers twice in February, when, remember, the Tigers are really hitting their stride. (This is hypotehtical, but you get the idea.) Spreading these games out would be fairer to everyone, yes?
Mike Krzyzewski certainly thinks so:
Teams can also change negatively from the end of December to the beginning of March -- anyone obligated to play Texas twice would love to play both of those games right this very moment -- but the point still stands. This can't be the only way to do things. Scheduling is tough, but it's not impossible, and our major conferences have been at this for, like, half a century. We can do better.
Well, not we -- the ACC. I have no practical means of solving this problem. My involvement ends after this paragraph. But, um, good luck, conference scheduling dudes! I'm sure you guys will figure something out.
See, the ACC has a bit of a scheduling mess on its hands. Several of the conference's teams have already met twice, or not at all, meaning they'll play two games in close proximity late in the year if they haven't already. This is unfair not to any particular team, but it is unfair in general. Hypothetically, let's say you have to play Clemson twice, and you get both of those games out of the way early in the year. Maybe the Tigers hit their stride late. Maybe you luck out. But that means some time will have to play the late-blooming Tigers twice in February, when, remember, the Tigers are really hitting their stride. (This is hypotehtical, but you get the idea.) Spreading these games out would be fairer to everyone, yes?
Mike Krzyzewski certainly thinks so:
The imbalance in teams' schedules puzzles Krzyzewski. Duke played Clemson twice in its first six ACC games and will play Maryland twice in 18 days later on.
Georgia Tech and Florida State had met twice by Jan. 24.
"There are a number of teams in our league that we haven't played yet, but this is our 10th game," Krzyzewski said. "There should be more balance, because teams change positively from January to February. So everybody in the league - and I'm not saying it benefits us or doesn't benefit us - but overall you have more equity involved if you play a team in January and you play a team in February."
Teams can also change negatively from the end of December to the beginning of March -- anyone obligated to play Texas twice would love to play both of those games right this very moment -- but the point still stands. This can't be the only way to do things. Scheduling is tough, but it's not impossible, and our major conferences have been at this for, like, half a century. We can do better.
Well, not we -- the ACC. I have no practical means of solving this problem. My involvement ends after this paragraph. But, um, good luck, conference scheduling dudes! I'm sure you guys will figure something out.
Georgia Tech blogger BirdGT at From The Rumble Seat has a beef with his fellow ACC fans. It goes a little somethin' like this:
Mr. GT goes on to make the point, through charts and graphs and facts and figures, that not only is the ACC not down, it's actually fared quite well against other power conferences -- going 8-4 against the Big East, for example. Mr. GT also takes on the perception that the Big East is better merely because it's bigger, which is pervasive; you saw it already today, when Seton Hall coach Bobby Gonzalez revealed his opinion that middle-of-the-pack teams in the Big East should get in the NCAA tournament because the conference itself is so good. That's only partially true. There are plenty of good teams in the Big East. But it's also much bigger than any other conference, meaning its odds of producing elite teams from year to year are slightly higher than its counterparts. Likewise for its bad teams.
That's a digression, though; this is really about the ACC. Is the conference bad or not? That depends how you define "bad." After listing the conference's tempo free margins on Tuesday, John Gasaway made this exact point:
The ACC isn't particularly intimidating this year, but that doesn't mean it's a "down" year, at least not if you're interested in looking at every team in every conference and comparing them as such. The ACC has one very good team (Duke), a couple of potentially good teams (Maryland and Georgia Tech, probably) a couple of surprises (Virginia and North Carolina, for different reasons) and a bunch of just-OK to bad squads. There isn't a single Rutgers or LSU or Penn State among them. The ACC might not crown this year's national champion, but let's not be too harsh, huh?
All I've heard lately is, "Our conference is down!" or "North Carolina is bad so everyone else sucks too!" or "The ACC will only get one berth in the NCAA's!" Blasphemy? Yes. Insanity? Yes.
Mr. GT goes on to make the point, through charts and graphs and facts and figures, that not only is the ACC not down, it's actually fared quite well against other power conferences -- going 8-4 against the Big East, for example. Mr. GT also takes on the perception that the Big East is better merely because it's bigger, which is pervasive; you saw it already today, when Seton Hall coach Bobby Gonzalez revealed his opinion that middle-of-the-pack teams in the Big East should get in the NCAA tournament because the conference itself is so good. That's only partially true. There are plenty of good teams in the Big East. But it's also much bigger than any other conference, meaning its odds of producing elite teams from year to year are slightly higher than its counterparts. Likewise for its bad teams.
That's a digression, though; this is really about the ACC. Is the conference bad or not? That depends how you define "bad." After listing the conference's tempo free margins on Tuesday, John Gasaway made this exact point:
No truly scary teams, right? After all, Duke just got whacked by Georgetown in Washington D.C. on Saturday and, at the risk of skipping ahead, the Hoyas may be merely the Big East's fifth- or sixth-best team. So why is it that by the lights of at least one widely respected measure the ACC is the best conference in the nation? Simple: The league has bad teams but no truly awful ones. Remember this over the next few weeks as debates rage over whether the Big East is better than the Big 12. Talking about a conference through the medium of its NCAA tournament entrants is one thing. Talking about it "top to bottom" is quite another. Define your terms in advance.
The ACC isn't particularly intimidating this year, but that doesn't mean it's a "down" year, at least not if you're interested in looking at every team in every conference and comparing them as such. The ACC has one very good team (Duke), a couple of potentially good teams (Maryland and Georgia Tech, probably) a couple of surprises (Virginia and North Carolina, for different reasons) and a bunch of just-OK to bad squads. There isn't a single Rutgers or LSU or Penn State among them. The ACC might not crown this year's national champion, but let's not be too harsh, huh?
The Morning After: Indiana fights back
February, 5, 2010
2/05/10
10:18
AM ET
By
Eamonn Brennan | ESPN.com
The Morning After is our semi-daily recap of the night's best action. Thought for the morning: Even if you have to work on Saturday, Friday still feels awesome. That never goes away. Why is that? What's so special about this day? Anyway, per the usual, try not to make it awkward.
No. 7 Purdue 78, Indiana 75: It's hard to say when Indiana fans are going to start feeling discouraged by games like Thursday night's loss to highly ranked and obviously superior rival Purdue, when they won't be able to take moral victories away from losses like this, when their patience will eventually run out. It isn't happening yet, and it shouldn't -- and last night's game proved why. Sure, the Hoosiers didn't pull out the victory. But for a team that started last year's season with one returning player, and is relying on freshmen and sophomores and two transfers, lost its high scorer and most promising youngster Maurice Creek to a kneecap fracture in late December, to stay with Purdue up to a last-second Verdell Jones three that hit the front rim, well, that's an accomplishment. The Hoosiers played hard. They never gave up. The crowd was rocking. For a moment, you could forget the Hoosiers were still in rebuilding mode; the team and the arena and everyone else seemed to forget it too. It was just Purdue-Indiana, just like the good old days. That this was even possible is a testament to the job Tom Crean has done at IU. He hasn't been perfect, to be sure, but if teams take on the personality of their coaches, Crean is one hard-working, thorough, and determined dude -- and IU will be back in the top 20 sooner rather than later.
Give some credit to the Boilermakers, too. It's not easy to win in Assembly Hall, even when the team there isn't vintage Indiana. This year's Boilermakers are the first team to do so since 1999. How'd they do it? They kept up with a torrid Hoosiers offense with buckets of their own, and they took advantage of their size and athleticism by getting to the rim and getting fouled. (Purdue posted a 50 percent free throw rate. Shooting this many free throws is helpful.) It was an impressive win, the Boilermakers' fifth in a row.
No. 9 Duke 86, No. 19 Georgia Tech 67: Take a good long look at Duke's four factors output from last night's blowout win over Georgia Tech. It's crazy. A 55.4 FG percentage. An 18.2 percent turnover rate. A 45.9 percent offensive rebounding rate. A 64.3 percent (!!) free throw rate. Do any one of these things, and your offense should be in good shape; do all three of them, and you can chalk up 1.3 points per trip, which is what the Dukies somewhat insanely did last night. No wonder Pomeroy's numbers still love this team so much: They are efficient. Whether they can put together these sorts of performances on the road is a different question. Andy Katz made a good point last night: Duke, despite being a less talented team than Kansas, never seems to get pushed the same way Kansas does at home. That's a huge home court advantage; no wonder Coach K didn't schedule any real non-conference road games other than the one required by Big Ten-ACC Challenge. Kansas can take its show on the road this year. Duke hasn't. The Dukies are 14-0 in Cameron Indoor Stadium and 1-4 outside it. Do the Crazies really matter that much? Are Duke's shooters just that used to Cameron's rims? Duke is an awfully good team, but it's weird they can't prove it off-campus.
Everywhere else: In other "road conference games are hard to win" news, Tennessee hit a drought at the wrong time Thursday night, scoring a mere seven points in the last eight minutes at LSU but avoiding the upset all the same, winning 59-54. ... Portland can call itself a victim of scheduling: The Pilots are a solid team capable of upsetting Gonzaga, but not right after a Gonzaga loss. ... Butler went to 12-0 in the Horizon with a hard-fought home win over Detroit. Gordon Hayward led with 18 points and 10 boards. ... Florida continues to get the benefit of buzzer-beating shots. Erving Walker's jumper with 11 seconds left lifted the Gators to a one-point win at Alabama. ... It might be time to pay attention to Maryland again. The Terps went on the road for their latest ACC win, topping Florida State in Tallahassee, and are 5-2 in the conference, and one game behind rival Duke, which should make Feb. 13's trip to Cameron Indoor mighty interesting. ... Notre Dame beat Cincinnati handily in South Bend. ... For more on last night's Pac-10 results, check out Diamond and Andy's posts early this morning.
No. 7 Purdue 78, Indiana 75: It's hard to say when Indiana fans are going to start feeling discouraged by games like Thursday night's loss to highly ranked and obviously superior rival Purdue, when they won't be able to take moral victories away from losses like this, when their patience will eventually run out. It isn't happening yet, and it shouldn't -- and last night's game proved why. Sure, the Hoosiers didn't pull out the victory. But for a team that started last year's season with one returning player, and is relying on freshmen and sophomores and two transfers, lost its high scorer and most promising youngster Maurice Creek to a kneecap fracture in late December, to stay with Purdue up to a last-second Verdell Jones three that hit the front rim, well, that's an accomplishment. The Hoosiers played hard. They never gave up. The crowd was rocking. For a moment, you could forget the Hoosiers were still in rebuilding mode; the team and the arena and everyone else seemed to forget it too. It was just Purdue-Indiana, just like the good old days. That this was even possible is a testament to the job Tom Crean has done at IU. He hasn't been perfect, to be sure, but if teams take on the personality of their coaches, Crean is one hard-working, thorough, and determined dude -- and IU will be back in the top 20 sooner rather than later.
Give some credit to the Boilermakers, too. It's not easy to win in Assembly Hall, even when the team there isn't vintage Indiana. This year's Boilermakers are the first team to do so since 1999. How'd they do it? They kept up with a torrid Hoosiers offense with buckets of their own, and they took advantage of their size and athleticism by getting to the rim and getting fouled. (Purdue posted a 50 percent free throw rate. Shooting this many free throws is helpful.) It was an impressive win, the Boilermakers' fifth in a row.
No. 9 Duke 86, No. 19 Georgia Tech 67: Take a good long look at Duke's four factors output from last night's blowout win over Georgia Tech. It's crazy. A 55.4 FG percentage. An 18.2 percent turnover rate. A 45.9 percent offensive rebounding rate. A 64.3 percent (!!) free throw rate. Do any one of these things, and your offense should be in good shape; do all three of them, and you can chalk up 1.3 points per trip, which is what the Dukies somewhat insanely did last night. No wonder Pomeroy's numbers still love this team so much: They are efficient. Whether they can put together these sorts of performances on the road is a different question. Andy Katz made a good point last night: Duke, despite being a less talented team than Kansas, never seems to get pushed the same way Kansas does at home. That's a huge home court advantage; no wonder Coach K didn't schedule any real non-conference road games other than the one required by Big Ten-ACC Challenge. Kansas can take its show on the road this year. Duke hasn't. The Dukies are 14-0 in Cameron Indoor Stadium and 1-4 outside it. Do the Crazies really matter that much? Are Duke's shooters just that used to Cameron's rims? Duke is an awfully good team, but it's weird they can't prove it off-campus.
Everywhere else: In other "road conference games are hard to win" news, Tennessee hit a drought at the wrong time Thursday night, scoring a mere seven points in the last eight minutes at LSU but avoiding the upset all the same, winning 59-54. ... Portland can call itself a victim of scheduling: The Pilots are a solid team capable of upsetting Gonzaga, but not right after a Gonzaga loss. ... Butler went to 12-0 in the Horizon with a hard-fought home win over Detroit. Gordon Hayward led with 18 points and 10 boards. ... Florida continues to get the benefit of buzzer-beating shots. Erving Walker's jumper with 11 seconds left lifted the Gators to a one-point win at Alabama. ... It might be time to pay attention to Maryland again. The Terps went on the road for their latest ACC win, topping Florida State in Tallahassee, and are 5-2 in the conference, and one game behind rival Duke, which should make Feb. 13's trip to Cameron Indoor mighty interesting. ... Notre Dame beat Cincinnati handily in South Bend. ... For more on last night's Pac-10 results, check out Diamond and Andy's posts early this morning.
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Eamonn Brennan
Brennan joined ESPN.com in 2009 after several years of blogging at Yahoo! and other places around the Internet. The Iowa native lives in Chicago with his roommates, his dog, and a crippling addiction to caffeine.
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