|  |
 |
Roundball Chatter
Dick VitaleSPECIAL TO ESPN.COM
Wow, talk about a shock city way to open the season. Come on, tell many how many people thought Gardner-Webb of the Atlantic Sun Conference had any shot of winning at Rupp Arena? Are you serious? Give coach Rick Scruggs and hit Bulldogs a ton of credit for showing great poise in getting to the winner's circle over the Wildcats. Gardner-Webb raced out to a 14-0 lead and Kentucky did not know what hit 'em. The Bulldogs were so impressive in backdoor cuts for layups. Scruggs' squad did a super job on the defensive end, and it was good enough to earn at trip to the Big Apple and Madison Square Garden. Believe me, organizers of the 2K Sports Classic were not expecting that upset. I wrote about Gardner-Webb back in 2001 when it took on Colorado State. I used the term cupcake and the Bulldogs upset the Rams; coach Scruggs had fans bake cupcakes for that game and I was sent a nice batch. They were pretty good, too! As for Billy Gillispie's team, I believe they will learn from this defeat and rebound to become even tougher. It is a young team that has talent and should still make plenty of noise in the SEC.
Congratulations to the Big East conference. I believe the school presidents made the right decision by including all 16 members in the conference tournament. There was so much pressure on coaches that did not make it to Madison Square Garden and it led to several losing their jobs in recent years. The change in format doesn't hurt the top teams from the regular season. This year, 12 teams will go to the tourney and four will have byes into the quarterfinals. Next season, the top four squads will be rewarded again with passes directly into the quarterfinals. The difference is day one will feature match-ups of 9 vs. 16, 10 vs. 15, 11 vs. 14 and 12 vs. 13. It makes it tougher for the teams seeded 9-12. Teams seeded 5-8 will play on day two against the winner's from day one.
Injuries, injuries, injuries. They really have been piling up early this season. Washington guard Ryan Appleby, a real three-point threat, is out for six weeks with a broken thumb on his right hand. Iowa lost point guard Tony Freeman for a month with a broken bone in his foot. Memphis big man Joey Dorsey missed the first two games of the season with a shoulder injury sustained in a scrimmage. St. John's forward Anthony Mason suffered a mild ankle sprain but was expected to play in the regular-season opener. Syracuse guard Josh Wright has been bothered by an ankle injury and missed the team's two exhibition games. His status for the regular-season opener is up in the air.
Kansas got some great news when the Morris twins (6-9 Marcus and 6-10 Markieff) opted for the Jayhawks. They previously had announced plans to attend Memphis but changed their minds and orally committed to Rock, Chalk, Jayhawk. Meanwhile North Carolina had to be happy to win the Tyler Zeller sweepstakes. The younger brother of Notre Dame's Luke Zeller gave his verbal commitment to the Tar Heels over the likes of Purdue, Indiana and Notre Dame.
Down in Lubbock, Bob Knight has an outstanding scorer/slasher in Martin Zeno. Look for a big year from him. Texas Tech is emphasizing defense this season as the team broke down in that area at times last year. The whole team concentration has been on the defensive side.
Missouri is looking for big things from All-Marco Polo transfer DeMarre Carroll, who came from Vanderbilt. He should fit in with a strong returning nucleus. Carroll be a major factor on the glass and scoring points.
I am looking forward to seeing some of the diaper dandies like Eric Gordon, OJ Mayo and Kevin Love in action. The bar was set high with the outstanding performances of Derrick Rose in wins over Tennessee-Martin and Richmond. Rose's explosiveness, size and speed makes him so tough to defend. He is a special player from out of Chicago. I still can't believe DePaul and Illinois didn't get to keep him in-state.
Valparaiso and coach Homer Drew are newcomers to the Horizon League, where a natural rivalry could take place with conference favorite Butler. Valpo left the league formerly now as the Mid-Continent (now the Summit League).
Dick Vitale coached the Pistons and the University of Detroit before broadcasting ESPN's first college basketball game in December 1979. Send him a question for possible use on ESPNEWS.
|
|
