After a season and a half of swagger as the Baddest Team In The Land, the cupboard is
bare in Tucson. Oh, some of the names will be familiar, but names that were worrisome
as bench contributors won't be so scary as starters. Jason Terry was dynamite as the
third guard and fourth scoring option last year, but when he's The Man with no one
else around to share the workload, it'll be a much different story.
This isn't a good year to be young an unproven in the the
Pac-10. The Wildcats will need to be very quick
studies if they want to have a chance at returning to the NCAAs this year. (And the
NIT's no lock, either.) Hey. Things are tough all over.
Don't expect these 'Cats to be ready right out of the block against a veteran
Tennessee squad looking for a name team to beat to signal its
arrival among this year's elite. But that'll be the toughest nonconference foe they
face. 6 of their first 8 league games are on the road (starting with
UCLA), which doesn't help a young squad trying to find its way.
[] 11/13 W @73-72 v #11 Tennessee (BCA CLASSIC @ Albuquerque, NM)
Their squeak home win over highly touted Tennessee in the BCA
CLASSIC had more to due with the Vols immaturity than anything else. Still, Jason
Terry showed he's more than capable of being Option #1 as a scorer. That plus their
past experience is worth an early season ranking.
11/25 (#22) W @73-57 v Texas
11/28 (#22) W 78-@74(OT) @ BYU
12/ 5 (#23) W @94-84 v Wyoming (@ Phoenix, AZ)
12/14 (#19) W @93-70 v UC-Irvine
12/19 (#19) W @75-61 v Iowa State (LAS VEGAS SHOOTOUT @ Las Vegas, NV)
12/28 (#20) W @89-41 v Holy Cross (FIESTA BOWL CLASSIC @ Tucson, AZ)
12/30 (#20) W @91-75 v FL International (FIESTA BOWL CLASSIC @ Tucson, AZ)
More important than the endplay home win over Stanford, the Wildcats
actually put away a solid California team and didn't play a game down to the
wire for a change.
Yes, it's a young team (but it's the end of the regular season and that excuse is less and
less valid) and, yes, it's a tough league, but the Wildcats have scraped by at home and lost on
the road in practically every instance against the elite
Pac-10 teams. It's supposed to be the other way around.
3 / 4 (#14) W @88-73 v USC
3 / 6 (#14) W @87-70 v #12 UCLA
3 /12 [M4] L 60-61 v [M13] Oklahoma (NCAA TOURNAMENT @ Milwaukee, WI)
The Fire-and-Ice backcourt of Kareem Reid and Pat Bradley is one of the best in the
nation this year. Reid pushes the pace and dishes it off. Bradley is a deadly
outside shooter who is more effective in the halfcourt. They complement each other
well. Derek Hood is tough inside on the boards, but doesn't score as much as you'd
like to see. Still, Arkansas has talented players and an excellent coach, so they'll
do just fine.
The Razorbacks are in the weaker West Division of the
SEC, so their record will be a bit deceiving. But
sometimes you can play your way into such a confident frame of mind that you really
are as good as you think.
The TOP OF THE WORLD CLASSIC is theirs for the taking. They get
Tennessee, Georgia and Kentucky
all at home and don't meet the 'Cats until the end of February (by which time they
could be on a serious roll).
11/15 (#7) W @83-72 v Jackson St
11/17 (#18) W @73-43 v Alabama St
11/20 (#18) W 85-83 v Virginia (TOP OF THE WORLD CLASSIC @ Fairbanks, AK)
11/21 (#18) W 66-60 v New Mexico St (TOP OF THE WORLD CLASSIC @ Fairbanks, AK)
11/22 (#18) L 63-76 v Villanova (TOP OF THE WORLD CLASSIC @ Fairbanks, AK)
Yep. They're undefeated, but they haven't played a single team of note. They start off the
SEC schedule with Tennessee and
Arkansas back-to-back at home. That'll be the proof.
The way they walloped Tennessee more than legitimizes their undefeated
record. These Tigers are more than real until proven otherwise. JuCo transfer Chris Porter is
a big-time scorer and these guys play together as a team.
Last year's Bearcats didn't impress much during the regular season and then hung
around in the NCAA for two close games. That looks better than it really is. Guard
Melvin Levett and forward Kenyon Martin are back, but the rest of the squad will be
filled with new talent, led by 6-7 forward Pete Mickeal. They have to blend lots of
new players and get them to play as a team (something Cincinnati doesn't always do).
They could be great or hideous.
Cincinnati is in the easier American Division of
Conference USA so they'll cruise (past the likes
of St. Louis) during the regular season. In the conference tournament, Memphis or
UAB might give them a game.
A road win at Rhode Island right out of the blocks would be
impressive. Don't expect a win in the GREAT ALASKA SHOOTOUT (ahead of
Duke), though. Minnesota and UNLV should be
beatable, even on the road. Wins against Oklahoma and
Xavier at home will look nice, but won't mean much. Inside the league, the
Bearcats only face Memphis and UAB once, so they have it easy.
Rhode Island barely had any reputation left to salvage, so
blowing them away (even on the road) isn't saying much. At least it's a sign that the
Bearcats have things in reasonable order.
11/25 (#21) W 73-57 v So Utah (GREAT ALASKA SHOOTOUT @ Anchorage, AK)
11/27 (#21) W 60-52 v Iowa St (GREAT ALASKA SHOOTOUT @ Anchorage, AK)
[] 11/28 (#21) W 77-75 v #2 Duke (GREAT ALASKA SHOOTOUT @ Anchorage, AK)
The win over Duke to take the GREAT ALASKA SHOOTOUT title vaults the
Bearcats into the Top 5. They were manhandling the Blue Devils in the first half before Duke
came back by hitting lots of 3s. Still, you'd like to see some consistent blowout scores over
scrubs for them to stay this high in the rankings.
The Bearcats were robbed of their unbeaten season (not to mention the personal unbeaten
streaks of Pete Mickeal and Alvin Mitchell) by horrible refereeing. But the past is past. Can
they learn from it and not even let themselves be in such close games with lesser opponents?
The win over Oklahoma was nice, but now they've got
Louisville in what's likely to be a macho showcase.
The Cougars make the jump to the
Southern Conference with five returning starters (and some
better newcomers to boot). They're a small bunch, though, with 6-6 Sedric Webber at center and
5-11 Shane McCravy and 5-11 Jermel President at guard. But they can all play. The arena is
named after the current coach (John Kresse). What does that tell you?
Playing in a tougher and higher-profile league (the
Southern Conference) will provide lots of motivation.
Expect this veteran squad to rise to the challenge and love every minute of it.
The Cougars just might steal a win at Georgia and cause a stir in the
PRESEASON NIT. A win at Massachusetts with its huge front line is a stretch, though. They'll
be sky-high against a young, vulnerable (but tall) North Carolina team in
December. A name win early could keep them in the rankings all year long (but ranked or not,
this could be a season to remember in Charleston).
11/13 (#20) W 64-@43 @ Charleston So
[] 11/16 (#19) L 63-@84 @ #9 Georgia (PRESEASON NIT)
11/23 W @78-69 v Pfeiffer
12/ 1 W @77-75 v Massachusetts
12/ 4 L 44-@55 @ S Carolina (MVP CLASSIC @ Charlotte, NC)
[] 12/ 5 W 66-@64 @ #3 N Carolina (MVP CLASSIC @ Charlotte, NC)
Normally, a team wouldn't jump back into the Top 25 after a week in which they lost, but the
two wins over Massachusetts and North Carolina suggest
that this basically solid team has turned the corner and gotten its act back together. Now all
they need to stay there is some 20-point wins over the also-rans on their schedule.
12/12 (#22) W @74-70 v George Mason
12/17 (#25) W @83-44 v Francis Marion
12/21 W @79-56 v SUNY-Stony Brook (COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON CLASSIC @ Charleston, SC)
12/22 W @80-55 v Delaware (COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON CLASSIC @ Charleston, SC)
Still no Final Four to show for all of their regular season dominance, but they
were one win away last year and all five starters return. Don't be fooled by the hype
surrounding 6-7 slender 'tweener Richard Hamilton. He does the shooting and the
scoring, but what makes this a great team is tiny bull (5-10) guard Khalid El-Amin.
He forces the action with his quick, powerful penetration moves that open up shots for
Hamilton. Ricky Moore is fine as a third-option perimeter player. The problem is up
front and down low. 6-11 Jake Voskuhl is an OK rebounder, but he can't get out and
run with the rest of this squad like they'd like. What the Huskies wouldn't do for
one of those frontcourt athletes over at Michigan State to make
them a completely devastating pressure squad.
They'll run roughshod over the lean Big East
again this year, but that's not saying much. Yes, it's different players every year,
but the cynical northeastern fans may start to turn on them if they don't make the
Final Four pretty soon. It's too bad, too, 'cause this is a great squad and a great
program. Because they're a gimmick team (with their game-long fullcourt press), the
weakness of the league schedule shouldn't hurt them too much.
The GREAT EIGHT matchup with Washington will be interesting if not
the nail-biter their NCAA Tournament Huskies-vs.-Huskies meeting was last year. The
track meet against Michigan State should be a sight to behold.
The third killer matchup in a row, against Massachusetts will
make for quite a tough early December. From there, they'll breeze until they travel
to Stanford in February for a grudge rematch.
11/15 (#3) W @102-60 v Quinnipiac
11/19 (#3) W @77-57 v Richmond
11/24 (#3) W @95-58 v Hartford
11/27 (#3) W @111-46 v Wagner
[] 12/ 1 (#2) W 69-48 v #13 Washington (GREAT EIGHT @ Chicago, IL)
6-5 forward Rodney Buford is the league's top returning scorer from last year.
6-10 Doug Swenson should help out at center. The three-guard offense of Ryan Sears,
Ben Walker and Corie Brandon doesn't score much, though.
SW Missouri State will challenge Creighton for the league title in the
MVC this year.
The Oklahoma State game is the only name opponent on their
non-conference schedule (and it's a home game), so they'll be up for it, but don't
expect a win. Inside the league, the Bluejays meet SW Missouri St on the road first,
which is a slight disadvantage.
They didn't break into the rankings based on beating a Top 25 team, so it's mostly good
timing. They're suspect, to be sure. Winning at Iowa almost counts, though, and the consistent
blowouts over scrubs help. Still, they'll need that win over
Oklahoma State in a few weeks to keep any chance of staying in the rankings
for the long haul.
12/ 2 (#25) W @73-59 v Baylor
12/ 5 (#25) W @86-60 v So Illinois
12/ 9 (#25) L 60-@76 @ Nebraska
12/12 (#25) L 80-@83 @ Drake
12/20 W @66-60 v #22 Oklahoma St
12/22 (#17) W @78-55 v Mississippi Valley St
12/30 (#21) W @65-44 v Bradley
1 / 2 (#21) W 65-@62 @ Indiana St
1 / 4 (#21) L @79-84 v Evansville
1 /10 (#21) W 72-@70 @ SW Missouri St
1 /17 L @69-70 v Indiana St
1 /20 W 90-@80 @ Evansville
1 /23 W @95-84 v Illinois St
1 /27 L 57-@67 @ Bradley
1 /30 W 95-@81 @ No Iowa
2 / 1 L 78-@85 @ So Illinois
2 / 6 L 85-@98 @ Wichita St
2 /10 W @77-60 v No Iowa
2 /14 L 77-@79 @ Illinois St
2 /17 W @79-76 v SW Missouri St
2 /20 W @73-67 v Drake
2 /22 W @76-65 v Wichita St
2 /27 [2] W 68-63 v [7] Illinois St (MVC TOURNAMENT @ St. Louis, MO)
2 /28 [2] W 78-70 v [3] SW Missouri St (MVC TOURNAMENT @ St. Louis, MO)
3 / 1 [2] W 70-61 v [1] Evansville (MVC TOURNAMENT @ St. Louis, MO)
3 /11 [S10] W 62-58 v [S7] Louisville (NCAA TOURNAMENT @ Orlando, FL)
3 /13 [S10] L 63-75 v [S2] Maryland (NCAA TOURNAMENT @ Orlando, FL)
Last year's Titans earned respect last season with a win in the NCAA tournament.
Leading scorer 6-4 guard Jermaine Jackson returns as does backcourt mate 5-9 Rashad
Phillips. Newcomers up front, 6-7 Julian Van Dyke and 6-8 Daniel Whye hold the key to
this season's fortunes. Perry Watson knows what he's doing, so expect a tough squad.
The Titans will again be challenged by IL-Chicago for the
MCC title.
A win at Michigan is possible, as is one over
Iowa in the SUPER CHEVY SHOOTOUT, but neither is a lock. More
likely is the SUN CLASSIC crown. They get IL-Chicago at home first in the regular
season but, then again, the conference tournament is in The Windy City.
11/17 W @84-50 v Bethune-Cookman
11/19 L 55-@62 @ Michigan
11/24 W 72-@70 @ Bowling Green
11/28 W @72-51 v Texas So
12/ 1 W 63-@51 @ We Michigan
12/ 4 W 49-48 v Gonzaga (SUPER CHEVY SHOOTOUT @ Iowa City, IA)
12/ 5 L 60-@61 @ Iowa (SUPER CHEVY SHOOTOUT @ Iowa City, IA)
12/ 9 W @60-51 v C Michigan
12/19 L 46-@59 @ Massachusetts
12/28 W 79-67 v Grambling (SUN CLASSIC @ El Paso, TX)
12/29 W 47-@44 @ UTEP (SUN CLASSIC @ El Paso, TX)
1 / 2 W 71-@54 @ WI-Milwaukee
1 / 4 W 43-@37 @ WI-Green Bay
1 / 7 W @58-39 v Loyola (IL)
1 / 9 W @70-42 v IL-Chicago
1 /16 L @46-59 v Butler
1 /19 W 68-@56 @ Wright St
1 /23 W 73-@58 @ Cleveland St
1 /28 W @78-53 v WI-Milwaukee
1 /30 W @67-54 v WI-Green Bay
2 / 4 L 69-@72 @ Loyola (IL)
2 / 6 W 69-@50 @ IL-Chicago
2 /11 W @64-46 v Wright St
2 /13 W 62-@52 @ Butler
2 /20 W @78-66 v Cleveland St
2 /27 [1] W 55-@51 @ [8] IL-Chicago (MCC TOURNAMENT @ Chicago, IL)
2 /28 [1] W 80-65 v [5] Cleveland St (MCC TOURNAMENT @ Chicago, IL)
3 / 2 [1] W 72-65 v [2] Butler (MCC TOURNAMENT @ Chicago, IL)
3 /11 [S12] W 56-53 v [S5] UCLA (NCAA TOURNAMENT @ Indianapolis, IN)
3 /13 [S12] L 44-75 v [S4] Ohio St (NCAA TOURNAMENT @ Indianapolis, IN)
Last year's squad was so loaded with talent that they rarely had the need (or
opportunity) to learn how to play with poise under pressure in close games. Their
collapse against Kentucky in last year's South Regional final
revealed the lack of leadership and decision-making that caused them to blow
double-digit leads in both halves. William Avery's poise at point guard will be the
key. Last year, he was great as the #2 guy coming in behind Steve Wojociechowski.
This year, it's his team from the start.
Duke lost a lot of talent and leadership from last year's squad (Roshown McLeod, Steve
Wojociechowski, Mike Chappell -- he transferred to
Michigan State -- and Ricky Price). There's still plenty of
talent around with Trajan Langdon in the backcourt and Elton Brand up front, but the
dynamic of leadership will be different this time around. Langdon will be looked to
as the senior, but it will likely again be Chris Carrawell at the small forward spot
who puts the ball on the floor and makes something happen at crunch time.
They're still the class of the (weaker this year)
ACC -- only Maryland has the
talent to challenge them inside the league -- but the overwhelming depth isn't there
this time around. But, you know, those "Iron Five"-type squads can be better than the
"Win By Attrition" squads on a one-game basis.
They should have no trouble winning the GREAT ALASKA SHOOTOUT in November. The GREAT
EIGHT matchup with Michigan State the following week should be
tops. And don't miss "The Big Payback" against Kentucky on 22 December in the
JIMMY V CLASSIC.
11/14 (#2) W @98-66 v Fairfield
11/14 (#2) W @94-@61 @@ Davidson (@ Charlotte, NC)
11/21 (#2) W @120-56 v S Carolina St
11/26 (#2) W 111-82 v Notre Dame (GREAT ALASKA SHOOTOUT @ Anchorage, AK)
[] 11/27 (#2) W 93-82 v Fresno St (GREAT ALASKA SHOOTOUT @ Anchorage, AK)
[] 11/28 (#2) L 75-77 v Cincinnati (GREAT ALASKA SHOOTOUT @ Anchorage, AK)
They only lost by two -- barely -- to Cincinnati, so why the drop four
places in the rankings? They got down 19 points in the first half exposing their hole at point
guard. True, they did come all the way back on the scoring and shooting ability of William
Avery and Trajan Langdon, but it's the way they came back that's the problem. They came back
shooting -- and hitting -- all those 3-pointers. It's the same problem as last year: Duke
doesn't know how to work for a good shot when it's a key possession. They rely on their
(considerable) individual talent to pull them through. I know they can hit the 3, but the point
is they shouldn't be taking them.
[] 12/ 2 (#6) W 73-67 v #4 Michigan St (GREAT EIGHT @ Chicago, IL)
The Blue Devils all but wrapped up the ACC regular
season crown in one master stroke. They methodically dismantled Maryland on
the road with solid halfcourt defense and powerful halfcourt offense. That's the stuff of
champions.
What more can you have asked from the Blue Devils? They're two points shy of an undefeated
season, first in the nation in scoring and first in scoring margin. They posted the first 16-0
season in ACC history. They handed
North Carolina its worst loss in the history of the Dean Dome in what was
supposed to be a big showdown.
3 / 4 [1] W @104-67 v [9] Virginia (ACC TOURNAMENT @ Charlotte, NC)
3 / 6 [1] W @83-@68 @@ [5] NC State (ACC TOURNAMENT @ Charlotte, NC)
3 / 7 [1] W @96-@73 @@ [3] N Carolina (ACC TOURNAMENT @ Charlotte, NC)
3 /12 [E1] W 99-58 v [E16] Florida A&M (NCAA TOURNAMENT @ Charlotte, NC)
3 /14 [E1] W 97-56 v [E9] Tulsa (NCAA TOURNAMENT @ Charlotte, NC)
3 /19 [E1] W 78-61 v [E12] SW Missouri St (NCAA TOURNAMENT @ East Rutherford, NJ)
3 /21 [E1] W 85-64 v [E6] Temple (NCAA TOURNAMENT @ East Rutherford, NJ)
3 /27 [E1] W 68-62 v [M1] Michigan St (NCAA TOURNAMENT @ St. Petersburg, FL)
3 /29 [E1] L 74-77 v [W1] Connecticut (NCAA TOURNAMENT @ St. Petersburg, FL)
Consistent drubbings of scrub teams (plus a gallant effort even in getting blown out by
Duke) earn the Gators the right to be tracked (if not yet ranked).
12/27 W @79-63 v Michigan (ORANGE BOWL CLASSIC @ Miami, FL)
Chris Herren returns so this will still be a team loads of fun to watch. How good
will they be? Maybe with less individual talent, they'll be able to focus better and
blend together as a team. 6-7 Terrance Roberson is mostly a perimeter player. With
Virginia transfer Courtney Alexander coming on board as well, the backcourt is
covered. The questions are up front. 6-11 Melvin Ely and 6-8 Larry Abney need to do
all the dirty work without letting their egos get in the way of the flashy scorers on
the outside.
The WAC schedule has been beefed up this
time as Fresno State actually gets to face the likes of Utah and
New Mexico twice each this season. (They didn't play either one
once last year due to an unbalanced schedule.)
Duke is the class of the GREAT ALASKA SHOOTOUT, but second place
(ahead of Cincinnati) is an attainable early goal. The NIT
semifinal rematch against Minnesota and the December meetings with
Georgia and Temple are games a serious Bulldog
squad can win. Inside the league, the January game against
New Mexico will set up the rest of the regular season.
There's serious talent here, but is there a serious coach? Ron Jirsa's squad
seriously underachieved for most of the season after they nearly knocked off
#1-ranked North Carolina early on. Things only got better at the
last minute when they put together a run and finished third in the NIT. 6-7 sophomore
swingman Jumaine Jones will likely jump to the NBA after this season. Does that mean
he'll play for the scouts and pad his stats or commit to working for team goals? (My
guess is the former, but we'll see.) 5-11 G.G. Smith is a decent point guard. Guard
Ray Harrison and swingman Michael Chadwick have lots of experience at being
inconsistent.
The Bulldogs are in the tougher East Division of the
SEC and they have yet to show the kind of mettle
that can lead to a regular season crown. They do have a star talent in Jones and can
be expected to pull of an upset of Kentucky,
Arkansas or Tennessee once or twice somewhere
along the way. They might even be good for a surprise berth in the final of the
conference tournament (held in Atlanta).
The early season clash with College of Charleston will be a good
measure of which veteran squad is more serious about this season. 5 of Georgia's
first 7 league games are on the road. As a veteran team they should be better suited
to handle this than most.
11/13 (#13) W @96-61 v Mercer
[] 11/16 (#9) W @84-63 v #19 Col of Charleston (PRESEASON NIT)
[] 11/18 (#9) L 58-@65 @ N Carolina (PRESEASON NIT)
Dion Glover's season-ending injury means all bets are off for this year's Yellow
Jackets. Indiana transfer 7-0 Jason Collier and 6-11 Alvin Jones will make for quite
a Twin Towers attack, but who'll get them the ball in scoring position? It's going to
be a long season in Atlanta.
The ACC is down this year and there aren't too many
good big men around, but Georgia Tech still won't be able to challenge the conference
powers Duke and Maryland.
The BIG ISLAND INVITATIONAL isn't loaded, but don't expect Tech to take the title over
Washington. They won't be able to match talent with either
Georgia or Kentucky (at the DELTA AIR LINES
CLASSIC), but maybe they can come away with the ECAC HOLIDAY CLASSIC crown over St.
John's. They've got no shot inside the league, so the schedule doesn't matter.
11/16 W @103-63 v Charleston So
11/20 W @73-50 v The Citadel
11/27 W 66-62(OT) v New Orleans (BIG ISLAND CLASSIC @ Hilo, HI)
11/28 W 58-53 v W Virginia (BIG ISLAND CLASSIC @ Hilo, HI)
[] 11/29 L 60-76 v #15 Washington (BIG ISLAND CLASSIC @ Hilo, HI)
Jason Collier played his first game and looked great. An athletic big man with
solid offensive, defensive and passing skills. He and Alvin Jones will make a fun Twin Towers
combination. If only they had Dion Glover, eh? They might have been a nationally ranked team.
Instead, they'll have to settle for ACC spoilers and NIT
also-rans.
12/16 W @76-63 v Wofford
12/19 L @39-80 v #4 Kentucky (CLASSIC FOR KIDS @ Atlanta, GA)
Last year's 24-win season started off well with an early season upset of
Clemson. Gonzaga won't have the same element of surprise working
for them against name teams this time around, though. They lost their best player off
of last year's squad (center Bakari Hendrix), but point guard Matt Santangelo is still
around and that's a good place to start.
The best player in the WCC is 7-3 Brad Millard down
at St. Mary's, but the Bulldogs have the best team. Pepperdine will also challenge them.
Don't expect any wins against the name opponents on their non-conference schedule
(at Kansas, at Memphis in the PRESEASON NIT, past
Iowa in the SUPER CHEVY SHOOTOUT, at home against
Washington and at TCU). Inside the league, the
early home game against Pepperdine can set up the regular season.
11/13 L 66-@80 @ Kansas
11/16 W 88-@73 @ Memphis (PRESEASON NIT)
11/18 L 68-@83 @ #8 Purdue (PRESEASON NIT)
11/22 W @82-55 v St Martin's College
11/28 W @70-61 v Washington St
11/30 W 81-@59 @ Ea Washington
12/ 4 L 48-49 v Detroit (SUPER CHEVY SHOOTOUT @ Iowa City, IA)
12/ 5 W 80-63 v S Alabama (SUPER CHEVY SHOOTOUT @ Iowa City, IA)
The Bulldogs sneak into the rankings on the basis of consistent play and by transitivity
from their previous win over Washington and the Huskies' recent good play.
12/28 (#23) W 74-@73 @ TX Pan American
12/30 (#23) L 87-@90 @ TCU
1 / 2 (#23) W 68-@58 @ Boise St
1 / 7 W @105-78 v Loyola Marymount
1 / 9 W @83-52 v Pepperdine
1 /13 (#24) W @104-57 v Portland
1 /16 (#24) W 82-@73 @ Portland
1 /22 (#21) W 83-@71 @ San Francisco
1 /23 (#21) W 71-@69 @ Santa Clara
1 /28 (#20) W @70-52 v Santa Clara
1 /30 (#20) W @78-52 v San Francisco
2 / 4 (#20) L 59-@75 @ San Diego
2 / 6 (#20) W 78-@70 @ St Mary's
2 /11 (#22) W @97-52 v St Mary's
2 /13 (#22) W @69-62 v San Diego
2 /19 (#19) L 70-@75 @ Pepperdine
2 /20 (#19) W 85-@72 @ Loyola Marymount
2 /27 [1] W 84-63 v [8] Portland (WCC TOURNAMENT @ Santa Clara, CA)
2 /28 [1] W 70-57 v [6] St Mary's (WCC TOURNAMENT @ Santa Clara, CA)
3 / 1 [1] W 91-66 @ [4] Santa Clara (WCC TOURNAMENT @ Santa Clara, CA)
3 /11 [W10] W 75-63 v [W7] Minnesota (NCAA TOURNAMENT @ Seattle, WA)
3 /13 [W10] W 82-74 v [W2] Stanford (NCAA TOURNAMENT @ Seattle, WA)
3 /18 [W10] W 73-72 v [W6] Florida (NCAA TOURNAMENET @ Phoenix, AZ)
3 /20 [W10] L 62-67 v [W1] Connecticut (NCAA TOURNAMENT @ Phoenix, AZ)
6-6 Luke Recker is a fine swingman through whom you can funnel the offense. A.J.
Guyton is a good penetrator. 6-8 William Gladness is a banger inside, but isn't
nearly enough. This will be a finesse team that won't be able to control the boards
against many opponents. That will make every game a struggle. 6-4 freshman guard
Dana Fife could be a pleasant surprise, but Bob Knight can be pretty tough on freshman
point guards.
Indiana is in the wrong league to be a finesse team. The
Big 10 rewards muscle teams. Maybe that will
toughen up the Hoosiers for their out-of-conference games. They'll spend the season
looking up at Michigan State and Purdue (and
maybe even Minnesota). The conference tournament won't be any
different.
The Hoosiers need to take care of the likes of South Carolina and
UAB out of the gate. A title at the MAUI INVITATIONAL (with
Utah, Clemson and
Syracuse) is too much to ask, but they might pull off one upset.
They might be able to beat Temple at home, but a win against
Kentucky isn't in the cards. Inside the league, they get off easy
facing Michigan State only once, at home. The last two weeks
of January will go a long way to determining their fate this season.
11/ 7 (#25) W @83-69 v Seton Hall (NABC CLASSIC @ Indianapolis, IN)
11/ 8 (#25) W @76-55 v S Carolina (NABC CLASSIC @ Indianapolis, IN)
11/14 (#25) W @76-70 v Indiana St
11/18 (#24) W @91-54 v UAB
11/23 (#23) W 71-70 v Kansas St (MAUI INVITATIONAL @ Maui, HI)
11/24 (#23) W 52-49 v #14 Utah (MAUI INVITATIONAL @ Maui, HI)
[] 11/25 (#23) L 63-76 v #18 Syracuse (MAUI INVITATIONAL @ Maui, HI)
Yeah, their losses inside the Big 10 have all come on
the road in a tough league but, then again, at some point you have to notice that their best win
all season has been by one point at home over Temple. That's not Top 25
material when you look at it.
1 /13 W @81-78 v Northwestern
1 /16 W 87-@76 @ #13 Purdue
1 /24 (#22) L @59-73 v #7 Michigan St
1 /26 L 83-90(OT) @ #15 Minnesota
1 /31 W 98-@95(2OT) @ Penn St
2 / 3 W @71-60 v #6 Wisconsin
2 / 9 (#25) L @81-86(OT) v Purdue
2 /13 (#25) W 69-@62(OT) @ Northwestern
2 /17 L @67-69 v #11 Ohio St
2 /21 W @73-71 v Michigan
2 /24 W 70-@64(OT) @ Illinois
2 /28 W @88-81 v #16 Iowa
3 / 5 [3] L 66-@82 @ [11] Illinois (BIG 10 TOURNAMENT @ Chicago, IL)
3 /11 [S6] W 108-88 v [S11] George Washington (NCAA TOURNAMENT @ Orlando, FL)
3 /13 [S6] L 61-86 v [S3] St John's (NCAA TOURNAMENT @ Orlando, FL)
The Hawkeyes bolt into the ranking mainly based on their road win at
Kansas a couple weeks back and their continued consistent play (as well as
that of the Jayhawks). Is Jess Settles still around? (Yep.)
The sound home win against Indiana is further evidence that this year's
Hawkeyes might just have something. Maybe it's the motivation of doing it for coach Tom Davis
(who's already announced this is his last season at Iowa).
Former Wisconsin forward Sam Okey is eligible now. He should add some
muscle up front which will help when the Hawkeyes are forced to play a halfcourt game.
The superstar talent is gone, but that man named Williams is still on the bench,
so don't expect quite as much of a fall as you might otherwise think. The man can
coach ... and the Big 12 isn't that tough of a
conference. Ryan Robertson is a decent point guard ... when he has talent to pass to.
The Big 12 isn't the scariest league (but, then
again, this year's Kansas team isn't the scariest model, either).
Oklahoma State and Oklahoma enter the season
with more confidence, but the Jayhawks may yet pull things together before it's all
said and done.
Wins over middling talents like Gonzaga, UNLV at the TIP-OFF
CLASSIC, Pepperdine at the JOHN WOODEN CLASSIC, Iowa,
Illinois and St. Louis are much more important than upsets of
Kentucky and Massachusetts (which won't happen, anyway).
Inside the league, the Jayhawks only play Oklahoma State and
Oklahoma once each and not until the very end of the season, so the
schedule couldn't be better.
11/13 W @80-66 v Gonzaga
11/17 W 61-@56 @ Pennsylvania
11/21 W @91-67 v Ft Hays St
11/27 W 78-50 v UNLV (TIP-OFF CLASSIC @ Springfield, MA)
They don't break into the rankings based on a Top 25 win, but their blowout of UNLV was good
enough to demonstrate this year's version has its act together. That doesn't mean they'll beat
Kentucky but they shouldn't be blown away. Pepperdine should still be a
comfortable win.
[] 12/ 1 (#17) L 45-63 v #9 Kentucky (GREAT EIGHT @ Chicago, IL)
12/ 5 (#17) W 62-@55 @ Pepperdine (JOHN WOODEN CLASSIC @ Los Angeles, CA)
There's still enough talent left over in Lexington for these guys to psyche
themselves up into overachieving one more time for a four-peat run to the Final Four.
Tubby Smith quieted all the nay-sayers last year by not allowing his considerable
stable of horses to skip a beat under a new coach. 6-10 Jamaal Magloire is good
enough to worry most NCAA teams. Guard Wayne Turner's penetration ability and
experience are without question. 'Tweener Heshimu Evans should flourish in the
spotlight as this year's go-to guy. He's a pure talent. And 6-9 Scott Padgett is
still around to fill in wherever he's needed.
That's plenty of talent to win (if not dominate) the
SEC. They won't run through the league undefeated,
but they won't lose to anyone they're not supposed to.
They're no lock to win the PUERTO RICO SHOOTOUT against the likes of
Maryland, UCLA and Xavier,
but they'll clock Kansas in the GREAT EIGHT. They'll get to face
Maryland straight up in December as well. That won't be easy. The
'90s rivalry with Duke gets another chapter at the JIMMY V CLASSIC
just before Christmas. Inside the league, they've got home-and-home against
Georgia and Tennessee and one road game against
Arkansas. Slightly disfavorable, but nothing they can't handle.
11/17 (#4) W @99-64 v Ea Kentucky
11/19 (#4) W @82-51 v Mercer
11/23 (#4) W @97-@75 @@ Wright St (@ Cincinnati, OH)
11/26 (#4) W 64-52 v Colorado (PUERTO RICO SHOOTOUT @ San Juan, PR)
[] 11/27 (#4) L 56-68 v Pittsburgh (PUERTO RICO SHOOTOUT @ San Juan, PR)
[] 11/28 (#4) W 66-62 v #11 UCLA (PUERTO RICO SHOOTOUT @ San Juan, PR)
[] 12/ 1 (#9) W 63-45 v #17 Kansas (GREAT EIGHT @ Chicago, IL)
The Wildcats have dropped their last for SEC road games
(and haven't played well on the road, frankly, in all of 1999). In December, they were one of
the best teams at working the ball for a good shot in the halfcourt offense, now they think
their strength is to run at all costs. It's not.
3 / 5 [E2] W 83-73 v [W3] Mississippi (SEC TOURNAMENT @ Atlanta, GA)
3 / 6 [E2] W 69-57 v [W1] Auburn (SEC TOURNAMENT @ Atlanta, GA)
3 / 7 [E2] W 76-63 v [W2] Arkansas (SEC TOURNAMENT @ Atlanta, GA)
3 /12 [M3] W 82-60 v [M14] New Mexico St (NCAA TOURNAMENT @ New Orleans, LA)
3 /14 [M3] W 92-88(OT) v [M6] Kansas (NCAA TOURNAMENT @ New Orleans, LA)
3 /19 [M3] W 58-43 v [M10] Miami-OH (NCAA TOURNAMENT @ St. Louis, MO)
3 /21 [M3] L 66-73 v [M1] Michigan St (NCAA TOURNAMENT @ St. Louis, MO)
The Cardinals are currently ineligible for postseason play. Their home win over
Kentucky legitimizes earlier their close road loss to
North Carolina and their rout of DePaul.
The Cardinals have been reinstated to be eligible for postseason play, so they now have an
incentive to pick it up again. If they can take it to struggling
Cincinnati on Sunday, they'll be all the way back in the Big Picture.
2 /16 (#20) W @106-78 v Houston
2 /18 (#20) W 80-@75 @ Tulane
2 /21 (#20) L 78-@91 @ #7 Cincinnati
2 /25 (#22) W @91-60 v UAB
2 /27 (#22) L 58-@59 @ So Mississippi
3 / 4 [2] W 70-61 v [7] St Louis (CONFERENCE USA TOURNAMENT @ Birmingham, AL)
3 / 5 [2] W 77-@68 @ [3] UAB (CONFERENCE USA TOURNAMENT @ Birmingham, AL)
3 / 6 [2] L 59-68 v [5] UNC-Charlotte (CONFERENCE USA TOURNAMENT @ Birmingham, AL)
3 /11 [S7] L 58-62 v [S10] Creighton (NCAA TOURNAMENT @ Orlando, FL)
"We need someone to step in and do all of our shooting for us. Would you mind
doing that?" How's that for a recruiting pitch? Who could say no to that one? Make
no mistake. At season's end last year, Maryland was one of the best squads in the
country. A bad draw matched them up with Arizona too early in the
tournament for anyone to notice them, though. They lost some savvy off of last year's
team (in Sarunas Jasikevicius, Rodney Elliott and Matt Kovarik), but there's plenty of
talent left and they should be even more athletic this time around.
6-5 Laron Profit is one of the premier 'tweeners in the land. He already has fine NBA
guard skills, including great range on his jumper. 6-10 Obinna Ekezie can be dominant
in small spurts when the game comes to him, but he's not much use when the tempo picks
up. 6-9 Sophomore Terence Morris will get lots more playing time with Elliott out of
the picture and he and Profit should form one of the most appealing 'tweener tandems
in the country by season's end. You don't really want your best outside shooter to be
a 'tweener, though. That's where freshman Danny Miller comes in. If he can just hit
open jump shots, he'll take the pressure off of maligned point guard Terrell Stokes
and these Terps will be one exciting bunch to watch.
Don't be surprised if they turn some heads and steal the PUERTO RICO SHOOTOUT title
away from the likes of Kentucky, UCLA and
Xavier. The BB&T CLASSIC matchup with
Stanford will test their muscle and bench strength. The road
game at Kentucky could be their second meeting of the season. The
home game against Princeton won't give them any trouble. The early
home game against Duke will set up the storyline for this year's
ACC regular season. They'll have to be on it right
from the start in conference play.
11/14 (#6) W @113-46 v We Carolina
11/17 (#6) W @90-62 v MD-Baltimore Co
11/20 (#6) W @89-59 v Hofstra
11/23 (#5) W @81-47 v Duquesne
11/26 (#5) W 82-@32 @ American-PR (PUERTO RICO SHOOTOUT @ San Juan, PR)
[] 11/27 (#5) W 70-54 v #11 UCLA (PUERTO RICO SHOOTOUT @ San Juan, PR)
[] 11/28 (#5) W 87-52 v Pittsburgh (PUERTO RICO SHOOTOUT @ San Juan, PR)
The Terrapins looked spectacular, blowing away the field in the star-studded PUERTO RICO
SHOOTOUT. They raced past a young UCLA squad. They were quicker than
built-on-quickness Pittsburgh. They didn't get to face
Kentucky to demonstrate that they can handle a team with size in the paint,
but with Ekezie and Mardesich that shouldn't be a problem. Welcome to the top spot. How's the
view up there?
12/ 3 (#1) W @92-69 v Wake Forest
[] 12/ 6 (#1) W @62-60 v #7 Stanford (BB&T CLASSIC @ Washington, DC)
12/ 7 (#1) W @92-75 v DePaul (BB&T CLASSIC @ Washington, DC)
The loss to Kentucky reiterated their inability to dominate in a halfcourt
game. But, then again, how many teams out there have enough frontcourt muscle to force the
Terps to play that way?
The Terrapins couldn't get any transition baskets against Duke even in
front of a home crowd. Forced into a halfcourt muscle game, they had nothing other than Obinna
Ekezie in the low post and that wasn't nearly enough. Duke's the best team in the country, so
Maryland shouldn't let that loss get to them. We'll see how well they regroup, though.
The Terps were very effective in the halfcourt against the tall
North Carolina front line and won despite Steve Francis' being held in check.
That versatility will come in handy down the road.
The meltdown at Wake Forest was not a good sign. Combine that with the earlier struggle at
lowly Clemson and the Terps are fumbling more often than not when teams can force them into a
walk-it-up halfcourt-style game.
Giving Connecticut a run for their money makes the earlier wins over
St. John's and Ohio State seem less like flukes.
All the notable success has been at home, though. Forward Tim James is a capable lead player.
The Hurricanes are coming on strong at exactly the right time. They're in second place
(having swept St. John's) and just won at first-place
Connecticut in the surprisingly strong
Big East. Physical defenders and tough inside, but who
takes (and hits) the jumpers when you need them?
2 /23 (#12) W @85-52 v Pittsburgh
2 /27 (#12) W @68-63 v Rutgers
3 / 4 [2] W 65-54 v [10] Georgetown (BIG EAST TOURNAMENT @ New York, NY)
3 / 5 [2] L 59-@62 @ [3] St John's (BIG EAST TOURNAMENT @ New York, NY)
3 /12 [E2] W 75-54 v [E15] Lafayette (NCAA TOURNAMENT @ Boston, MA)
3 /14 [E2] L 63-73 v [E10] Purdue (NCAA TOURNAMENT @ Boston, MA)
6-8 swingman Wally Szczerbiak is a big scorer, as is 6-4 guard Damon Frierson.
There's not much to fear beyond those two, however.
It'll be déjà vu all over again in the MAC
East Division for Miami. Five of the seven teams in the division return all five
starters from last year. Akron and Marshall will be the main challengers.
Unless the RedHawks pull off an upset against Tennessee,
Xavier or Fresno State (in the COORS LIGHT
CLASSIC) -- none of which is likely -- they'll never make much national noise. Inside
the league, they only have to face Akron once at home, so they're in good shape.
Wally Szczerbiak was great against Tennessee -- the first
bona fide Player of the Year performance of the season -- so the RedHawks break
into the Top 25. On the downside, guard Rob Mestas is out 4 to 6 weeks with a another
knee injury.
11/27 (#16) W 70-53 v Boston U (?? @ Halifax, Nova Scotia CANADA)
12/ 2 (#19) L 56-@64 @ Xavier
12/ 5 (#19) L 60-@78 @ WI-Green Bay
12/ 8 W @81-79(OT) v Marshall
12/12 W 81-@69 @ C Michigan
12/22 (#22) W 58-52 v San Diego (COORS LIGHT CLASSIC @ Fresno, CA)
[] 12/23 (#22) L 62-@73 @ Fresno St (COORS LIGHT CLASSIC @ Fresno, CA)
The RedHawks haven't completely seized control of the MAC
regular season title, but they haven't faltered, either. It's a tough league and they've held
together (although the tougher teams are on the second half of their schedule).
2 / 1 (#18) W @63-57 v Toledo
2 / 3 (#18) W @69-54 v Ohio U
2 / 6 (#18) W 70-@69 @ We Michigan
2 /10 (#15) W 61-@56 @ Ball St
2 /13 (#15) W @78-56 v Ea Michigan
2 /17 (#14) L 63-@66 @ Toledo
2 /20 (#14) L 58-@69 @ Bowling Green
2 /24 (#20) W @73-60 v Kent
2 /27 [1] W 69-43 v [8] Ball St (MAC TOURNAMENT)
3 / 2 [1] W 60-56(OT) v [5] Bowling Green (MAC TOURNAMENT @ Toledo, OH)
3 / 3 [1] L 43-49 v [2] Kent (MAC TOURNAMENT @ Toledo, OH)
3 /12 [M10] W 59-58 v [M7] Washington (NCAA TOURNAMENT @ New Orleans, LA)
3 /14 [M10] W 66-58 v [M2] Utah (NCAA TOURNAMENT @ New Orleans, LA)
3 /19 [M10] L 43-58 v [M3] Kentucky (NCAA TOURNAMENT @ St. Louis, MO)
Mateen Cleaves can be the National Player of the Year if he wants it. The sky's
the limit for this squad chock full of talented athletes and led by one great player.
All five starters return, so they'll hit the ground running to boot. It would be nice
if forwards Antonio Smith or Andre Hutson could score on their own a bit more.
Cleaves is great at feeding his frontcourt mates, especially for alley-oops when they
get out on the break, but in the halfcourt this team is missing a go-to guy up front
who can put the ball on the floor and create something from nothing. 6-7 Jason Klein
is a shooter, but what they really need is a scorer.
The early season trip to Temple is just a speed bump.
Back-to-back elite showdowns with Duke in the GREAT EIGHT and then
on the road at Connecticut will be sure to please the most casual
college hoops fan. The Spartans are good enough to pull off the double, too. After
that, it'll be smooth sailing. The PEARL HARBOR CLASSIC is a cake walk and they won't
face a Top-10 opponent in the Big 10 conference
schedule. It'll be tough to maintain their Top 5 edge without better competition in
January and February. They could be ripe for an upset come conference tournament
time.
After dropping their league opener at Wisconsin, the Spartans have run
off 9 straight wins inside the toughest conference in the nation. Not bad. They can run with
anyone, and they can hit 3s against a zone defense, too.
The Spartans avenged their lone Big 10 loss by beating
Wisconsin at their own defense-oriented game (and we know they can run).
They've won the regular season title outright in the best conference in the land. That's good
stuff. Now they need to go ahead and take the conference tournament crown as well.
2 /28 (#2) W 60-@46 @ Purdue
3 / 5 [1] W 61-59 v [8] Northwestern (BIG 10 TOURNAMENT @ Chicago, IL)
3 / 6 [1] W 56-41 v [4] Wisconsin (BIG 10 TOURNAMENT @ Chicago, IL)
3 / 7 [1] W 67-@50 @ [11] Illinois (BIG 10 TOURNAMENT @ Chicago, IL)
3 /12 [M1] W 76-53 v [M16] Mt St Mary's (NCAA TOURNAMENT @ Milwaukee, WI)
3 /14 [M1] W 74-66 v [M9] Mississippi (NCAA TOURNAMENT @ Milwaukee, WI)
3 /19 [M1] W 54-46 v [M13] Oklahoma (NCAA TOURNAMENT @ St. Louis, MO)
3 /21 [M1] W 73-66 v [M3] Kentucky (NCAA TOURNAMENT @ St. Louis, MO)
3 /27 [M1] L 62-68 v [E1] Duke (NCAA TOURNAMENT @ St. Petersburg, FL)
A "good loss", like the one to Cincinnati, usually doesn't qualify a
team to enter the rankings. It's actually the win at Nebraska that gives the Gophers
credibility as they enter on the coattails of Creighton and
Iowa.
Sweeping Arkansas and beating Georgia at home shows
the Rebels are putting their season together at the midway point in conference play. Making the
finals of the PUERTO RICO HOLIDAY SHOOTOUT now looks legit.
2 / 3 (#25) W 82-@66 @ LSU
2 / 6 (#25) W 79-@68 @ #21 Florida
2 / 9 (#20) L 66-@95 @ #5 Auburn
2 /17 (#25) L @67-69 v #22 Tennessee
2 /20 (#25) L 69-@72 @ Mississippi St
2 /24 L 74-@78 @ Alabama
2 /27 W @79-57 v LSU
3 / 4 [W3] W 64-60 v [E6] S Carolina (SEC TOURNAMENT @ Atlanta, GA)
3 / 5 [W3] L 73-83 v [E2] Kentucky (SEC TOURNAMENT @ Atlanta, GA)
3 /12 [M9] W 72-70 v [M8] Villanova (NCAA TOURNAMENT @ Milwaukee, WI)
3 /14 [M9] L 66-74 v [M1] Michigan St (NCAA TOURNAMENT @ Milwaukee, WI)
Consistent play earns the Racers the right to be tracked, if not ranked. They're the class
of the OVC, which has been known to make a splash come
tournament time. Tevester Anderson has paid his dues as an assistant coach for 20 years before
finally getting a head-coaching job this season. Here's to long-suffering perseverence.
12/ 8 W @69-58 v Hanover College
12/12 W 68-@66 @ Alabama St
12/19 W @69-57 v We Kentucky
12/27 L 75-88 v UNC-Charlotte (RAINBOW CLASSIC @ Honolulu, HI)
12/29 W 81-68 v SW Louisiana (RAINBOW CLASSIC @ Honolulu, HI)
12/30 L 76-80(OT) v Florida St (RAINBOW CLASSIC @ Honolulu, HI)
An eight-game win streak (and loads of teams in trouble elsewhere) get the Racers into the
Top 25 this week. Don't expect an extended stay, but give a nod to a team quietly getting it
done.
1 /28 (#25) W 78-@62 @ Tennessee Tech
1 /30 (#25) W 81-@62 @ M Tennessee St
2 / 2 (#24) W @81-66 v Ea Kentucky
2 / 6 (#24) L 73-@74 @ UT-Martin
2 / 8 L 51-@62 @ St Louis
2 /11 W @62-52 v SE Missouri St
2 /13 W @94-89 v Ea Illinois
2 /18 W 95-@63 @ Tennessee St
2 /20 L 72-@80 @ Austin Peay
2 /23 [1] W @96-61 v [8] Tennessee Tech (OVC TOURNAMENT)
2 /27 [1] W 92-69 v [5] Morehead St (OVC TOURNAMENT @ Nashville, TN)
2 /28 [1] W 62-61 v [2] SE Missouri St (OVC TOURNAMENT @ Nashville, TN)
3 /11 [S13] L 58-72 v [S4] Ohio St (NCAA TOURNAMENT @ Indianapolis, IN)
New Mexico is one of those teams that looks good on paper, but doesn't deliver on
the court like you expect. 6-8 Kenny Thomas can be a force in a station-to-station
game, but he absolutely disappears in up-tempo contests. There's not as much help in
the backcourt this season, so that will hurt them even more if it continues. Lamont
Long is a quality scoring guard but who'll run the show at the point? There's not as
much height up front to make you comfortable, either. They'll have their moments, but
unstoppable they're not.
The Lobos are in the much tougher, newly realigned Pacific Division of the
WAC (and this year they actually play home-and-home
against both Utah and Fresno State) so the
regular season title will actually be meaningful this time around.
The Christmas Eve trip to Washington and the border clash with
Arizona are the only decent non-conference games on New Mexico's
schedule. A split is the least they should hope for. If they can steal the win at
Fresno State in January, they'll be in great shape inside the
league.
11/13 (#18) W @82-81 v DePaul (BCA CLASSIC @ Albuquerque, NM)
11/27 (#19) W @88-75 v Cornell (LOBO CLASSIC @ Albuquerque, NM)
11/28 (#19) W @93-61 v Northeastern (LOBO CLASSIC @ Albuquerque, NM)
The Lobos get into the rankings by default. Their won-loss record is comparable to that of
Utah against the same competition. (And, besides, there's no one team out
of the Big 12 that can seem to separate itself from the
rest.)
2 /25 (#25) W 85-@64 @ BYU
2 /27 (#25) L 47-@77 @ #13 Utah
3 / 4 [P2] W 51-49 v [M3] Rice (WAC TOURNAMENT @ Las Vegas, NV)
3 / 5 [P2] W 57-56 v [M5] SMU (WAC TOURNAMENT @ Las Vegas, NV)
3 / 6 [P2] L 45-60 v [P1] Utah (WAC TOURNAMENT @ Las Vegas, NV)
3 /11 [W9] W 61-59 v [W8] Missouri (NCAA TOURNAMENT @ Denver, CO)
3 /13 [W9] L 56-78 v [W1] Connecticut (NCAA TOURNAMENT @ Denver, CO)
The Aggies aren't having an overly great year (but they did beat
Wisconsin very early in the TOP OF THE WORLD CLASSIC). Mostly, they get
tracked as a substitute for Utah State as a representative of the
Big West conference.
1 /14 W @60-46 v Long Beach St
1 /16 W @66-61 v Pacific
1 /19 W @76-55 v #25 New Mexico
1 /21 W @89-80 v N Texas
1 /23 W @83-61 v UC-Santa Barbara
1 /28 W 75-@63 @ Nevada
1 /30 L 54-@61 @ Utah St
2 / 6 L @48-67 v Boise St
2 / 8 W @80-73 v Idaho
2 /11 L 78-@82 @ Idaho
2 /13 L 48-@70 @ Boise St
2 /18 W 79-@69 @ Cal Poly-SLO
2 /20 W 84-@82 @ N Texas
2 /25 W @55-52 v Utah St
2 /27 W @65-58 v Nevada
3 / 4 [E2] W 89-78 v [W3] Pacific (BIG WEST TOURNAMENT @ Reno, NV)
3 / 5 [E2] W 78-67 v [W1] UC-Santa Barbara (BIG WEST TOURNAMENT @ Reno, NV)
3 / 6 [E2] W 79-69 v [E1] Boise St (BIG WEST TOURNAMENT @ Reno, NV)
3 /12 [M14] L 60-82 v [M3] Kentucky (NCAA TOURNAMENT @ New Orleans, LA)
This could be a defining season for the Tar Heel program. Last year, Dean wasn't
around, but his players were. This season, there's no proven Grade A talent. Ed Cota
is a great point guard, but he has to have someone to dish it to. Ademola Okulaja
won't scare anyone as Option #1. Freshmen Jason Capel and Kris Lang will be called on
immediately to contribute. That's not a good thing. Sophomore guard Max Owens may
come on by midseason, but this season could be one giant payback for all the other
teams in the ACC.
North Carolina won't challenge Duke or Maryland
for league honors in the ACC. Third place will be
a moral victory. Heck, even Clemson might finally win in Chapel
Hill this time around.
Don't expect much in the PRESEASON NIT. If College of Charleston
wins in December, things could go downhill for a while.
Carolina looked in midseason form against Georgia. The
double-low post offense with Haywood and Lang underneath is tough to match up against.
They still didn't evidence much outside shooting, but when you're getting dunks at
point-blank range, who needs jumpers?
The Tar Heels turned in two excellent performances in beating Purdue and
Stanford to take the PRESEASON NIT title. Ed Cota is first team
All-America so far at point guard and Brendan Haywood has emerged as the best big man on any of
the elite teams in the country.
11/30 (#3) W 75-@54 @ M Tennessee St
12/ 4 (#3) W @63-61 v Old Dominion (MVP CLASSIC @ Charlotte, NC)
[] 12/ 5 (#3) L @64-66 v Col of Charleston (MVP CLASSIC @ Charlotte, NC)
6-10 Vasco Evtimov is eligible now and Ronald Curry is getting more minutes. So give the
Tar Heels a couple of weeks before giving them a final evaluation.
The Buckeyes impressive early season play earns them the right to be tracked. All
they need is a win over a quality opponent to break into the Top 25. Scoonie Penn and
Michael Redd are a formidable backcourt that's playing awfully well.
11/24 W @78-51 v Tennessee Tech
11/28 L 86-@92 @ Vanderbilt
12/ 5 L 63-@64 @ Toledo
12/14 W @92-56 v UT-Martin
12/17 W @99-70 v FL Atlantic
12/21 W 71-64 v UAB (PUERTO RICO HOLIDAY SHOOTOUT @ San Juan, PR)
12/22 W 81-64 v NC State (PUERTO RICO HOLIDAY SHOOTOUT @ San Juan, PR)
12/23 W 67-62 v Mississippi (PUERTO RICO HOLIDAY SHOOTOUT @ San Juan, PR)
The tough road win at Wisconsin more than makes up for the loss at
Miami (FL) last week. Now they can get their due for winning the PUERTO RICO HOLIDAY SHOOTOUT.
Forget the loss at Cincinnati and focus on the road domination of
Oklahoma State. That was the toughest game on their conference schedule
and they pulled it off. Let's see if they can keep the ball rolling towards a league title.
1 /20 (#23) L @81-96 v Nebraska
1 /23 (#23) L 51-@66 @ Kansas St
1 /25 L @60-64 v Texas
1 /30 W 72-@54 @ Texas Tech
2 / 3 W 59-@58 @ Baylor
2 / 6 W @72-65 v Oklahoma St
2 /10 W 64-@63 @ Texas
2 /13 W @102-75 v Texas A&M
2 /15 W 69-@57 @ Missouri
2 /20 L @50-60 v Kansas
2 /24 L 72-@74 @ Texas A&M
2 /27 W @87-63 v Baylor
3 / 5 [4] L 57-60 v [5] Oklahoma St (BIG 12 TOURNAMENT @ Kansas City, MO)
3 /12 [M13] W 61-60 v [M4] Arizona (NCAA TOURNAMENT @ Milwaukee, WI)
3 /14 [M13] W 85-72 v [M5] UNC-Charlotte (NCAA TOURNAMENT @ Milwaukee, WI)
3 /19 [M13] L 46-54 v [M1] Michigan St (NCAA TOURNAMENT @ St. Louis, MO)
Last year's Cowboys played surprisingly well in the NCAA tournament after floating
below the national radar during the regular season. A similar fate could await this
year's team as well. Defense and ball control are always the core of Eddie Sutton's
teams. 6-4 Adrian Peterson leads the way in the backcourt. Up front, there are lots
of questions. 6-10 Brett Robisch won't dominate the lane like you'd want. The whole
is greater than the sum of the parts on a team like this.
The Big 12 is back to one 12-team conference
(instead of separate North and South Divisions last year).
Kansas and Oklahoma are right there with the
Cowboys inside the league. A clear champion won't be determined until the conference
tournament due to unbalanced scheduling.
The ZIPPY'S INVITATIONAL title should be a formality. A win on the road against
UCLA at the JOHN WOODEN CLASSIC is beyond the Cowboys, however.
They only get Kansas once late in the season and meet
Oklahoma at home first, so the league schedule is pretty favorable.
11/16 (#21) W @90-65 v Northwestern St
11/19 (#21) W @57-54 v Marquette (ZIPPY'S INVITATIONAL @ Honolulu, HI)
11/20 (#21) W 58-@37 @ Hawaii (ZIPPY'S INVITATIONAL @ Honolulu, HI)
Princeton lost center Steve Goodrich (one of their best ever) and guard Mitch
Henderson from last year's seminal squad, but 6-6 forward Gabe Lewellis and 6-2 guard
Brian Earl are back for their senior season. 6-10 Chris Young and 6-9 Chris Krug step
in as the fruits of last year's high-profile season. Bill Carmody has proven that he
was more than just a caretaker for Pete Carril's leftovers. If the Tigers win the
RAINBOW CLASSIC in December, the hype machine will start up again.
As usual, expect only Pennsylvania to challege the Tigers inside the
Ivy League. What else is new?
Close your eyes when Princeton plays Maryland on the road, but both
the CYCLONE CHALLENGE and even the RAINBOW CLASSIC are winnable tournaments for these
Tigers. Five straight away games in February could make them a bit road weary, but
otherwise the league schedule is fine.
11/18 L 47-@63 @ Lafayette
11/21 W 61-@54(OT) @ UNC-Wilmington
11/28 W 63-@36 @ Monmouth
12/ 4 L 71-72(OT) v We Illinois (CYCLONE CHALLENGE @ Ames, Iowa)
12/ 5 W 68-48 v N Texas (CYCLONE CHALLENGE @ Ames, Iowa)
Kudos to the Tigers for taking the RAINBOW CLASSIC title. That's quite an accomplishment
for an Ivy League school. Imagine Princeton playing those same three teams (Florida State,
Texas and UNC-Charlotte) in football to get some perpsective.
The immature losses that followed the big wins (at Penn, and at Dartmouth) tell you this is
still a young team, but let's focus on the positive: they won the big games. If they
already had the Ivy League title wrapped up, ranking them
would be a no-brainer given their nonconference performance. They still have work to do,
though. They have to beat Penn at home just to tie them for the regular season title
and, because the Ivy League doesn't use head-to-head performance as a tiebreaker, they'll have
to beat Penn for a third time on Saturday in order to take the title.
As long as he has talent to work with (and even sometimes when he doesn't), Gene
Keady can usually mold his team into a contender. This season should be no different.
Scrappy Brian Cardinal does whatever it takes to win and vastly overachieves his
physical talent level. The frontcourt has lots of question marks after him. In the
backcourt, Jaraan Cornell should regain the form he showed before he was sidelined by
an injury at the end of last season. Fear not. Gene will find a way. Compare this
team to Utah which also lost key players but retains a critical
mass of contributors and has a coach who can whip a new team into shape quickly.
Michigan State is the class of the
Big 10 this season and they shouldn't stumble,
but the Boilermakers can finish second if they things come together early.
It's too much to expect much from Purdue in the PRESEASON NIT, but their inside talent
should be enough to handle Xavier on the road. From there, it's
smooth sailing until conference play. They don't meet
Michigan State until the middle of February and anyone else of
consequence in the league has to come to West Lafayette first, so the league schedule
is quite favorable. They'll be right there for the regular season title, but could be
ripe for an upset in the conference tournament.
11/13 (#12) W @101-64 v UNC-Asheville
11/16 (#8) W @77-61 v IL-Chicago (PRESEASON NIT)
11/18 (#8) W @83-68 v Gonzaga (PRESEASON NIT)
11/22 (#8) W @72-67 v Lafayette
[] 11/25 (#9) L 47-54 v #8 N Carolina (PRESEASON NIT @ New York, NY)
11/27 (#9) W 70-@69 @ St John's (PRESEASON NIT @ New York, NY)
11/29 (#9) W @92-69 v Ea Illinois
12/ 5 (#12) W 71-@57 @ Xavier
12/ 8 (#9) W @69-55 v Illinois St
12/11 (#9) W @78-70 v Valparaiso (BOILERMAKER INVITATIONAL @ West Lafayette, IL)
12/12 (#9) W @80-59 v La Salle (BOILERMAKER INVITATIONAL @ West Lafayette, IL)
12/19 (#9) W @63-@54 @@ Butler (@ Indianapolis, IN)
12/22 (#9) W 80-64 v S Carolina (JIMMY V CLASSIC @ East Rutherford, NJ)
It's not the close games with the big names (which all took place on friendly soil) as much
as it's the consistent blowouts of scrub teams that gets the Red Storm its first ranking of the
season.
A big jump the past two weeks considering the best team they've beaten is a slumping
Pittsburgh squad. They're very good in front of a New York crowd. At least
you can say that much.
All five starters are back -- in fact, the entire roster (except 3ppg
Pete Van Elswyck) is back -- from last year's team that lost by one point in OT in the
national semifinals to eventual champ Kentucky. That's more than
enough to make them the preseason #1 pick. They'll have their act together right out
of the block. Depth and experience are key. The one problem with having no new blood
is that things can go stale. Just look at what happened to Clemson
last year. This squad has loads of depth up front with a bruiser frontline led by 7-1
Tim Young and a heady and capable backcourt in smallish Arthur Lee and Kris Weems.
The 6-10 Collins twins will be more of a factor this time around, so the
rotation won't be quite the same. The more 6-7 'tweener Pete Sauer touches the ball,
the better I like this team.
Last year, they were vulnerable to teams with extreme backcourt
quickness -- they had blowout losses to Arizona and
Connecticut. That weakness is still there, but how many teams
can exploit it? You don't have to be better than every other team in the NCAA, just
the six that you meet head-to-head come tournament time.
There's plenty of talent in the Pac-10 again
this year. A veteran squad like the Cardinal can hold its own during a regular season
campaign without many hiccups. If there were a conference tourney, they might be
vulnerable to an upset, but look for them to finish first in the league while others
suffer upset losses.
There are some talented teams in the PRESEASON NIT, so they'll have their work cut out
for them right off the bat. But if they're serious about a national title, this is
the kind of field they'll need to be able to conquer. The December matchup with
Maryland in the BB&T CLASSIC will be a tough nonconference test.
Temple's matchup zone will be an intellectual challenge that they
should be able to handle. The rematch with Connecticut in
February is the biggest game on their schedule psychologically.
11/14 (#1) W @76-49 v UC-Davis
11/18 (#1) W @86-51 v SMU (PRESEASON NIT)
11/20 (#1) W @76-51 v SW Missouri St (PRESEASON NIT)
11/25 (#1) W 55-@53 @ St John's (PRESEASON NIT @ New York, NY)
[] 11/27 (#1) L 49-57 v #8 N Carolina (PRESEASON NIT @ New York, NY)
The Cardinal is showing signs of suffering from the "Clemson Syndrome". With everyone back
from a bruiser team, the complementary outside finesse game has atrophied. The backcourt of
Arthur Lee and Kris Weems and swingman Pete Sauer need to lead this team, not follow.
Methodically feeding the post is great, but they were extremely vulnerable to teams that could
get some easy baskets and pull away from them. Maryland's gonna eat them
alive with all that quickness.
The Cardinal came through their toughest conference game in fine fashion. Great halfcourt D
and bruising frontcourt O allowed them to brush back UCLA on the road. The
Connecticut game in early February is their toughest game left.
The home loss to Connecticut (who played without their star Richard
Hamilton) makes it plain: the same vulnerability to perimeter quickness -- and, in particular,
to quick, scoring point guards -- is still their from last year. (I guess, with the same
personnel, why would you expect anything different?)
Their humiliation of Washington on the road was their most impressive
performance of the season. Their muscle and depth wore out the Huskies and the rout was on.
Unfortunately, they played an ordinary game the next time out. The upcoming game against
Arizona is their last chance to make a good enough impression to secure the
#1 seed in the West Regional of the NCAA Tournament.
Jim Boeheim's Orangemen quietly had a fine season last year, posting 26 wins,
winning the Big East 7, making the conference tournament final and reaching the Sweet
16 in the NCAA tournament. Focal point Todd Burgan and role player Marius Janulis are
gone, but solid contributors return in 6-8 Ryan Blackwell and 6-9 Etan Thomas up front
and 6-3 Jason Hart in the backcourt. That's enough to provide continuity and build
around. An experienced nucleus and a good coach can go along way, especially to start
the season.
The Big East is back to one giant 13-team
conference. (There's no more separate Big East 6 and Big East 7 Divisions anymore.)
That means the regular season crown goes to Connecticut.
The MAUI INVITATIONAL (including Utah,
Clemson, and Indiana) is up for grabs and within
the reach of the Orangemen. Inside the league, they don't face
Connecticut until February so they should be on a roll by then.
The late-season trip to UCLA will likely take the steam out of
their sails at the wrongest possible time.
Taking the MAUI INVITATIONAL title was a fine accomplishment considering the field. There
were four ranked teams there, but they only had to beat one of them (Indiana)
to win it. That's not their fault, though. They just might roll their way undefeated for the
next couple of months, too.
12/ 1 (#11) W @93-65 v Quinnipiac
12/ 4 (#11) L @55-61 v Ohio U (CARRIER CLASSIC @ Syracuse, NY)
12/ 5 (#11) W @95-75 v Santa Clara (CARRIER CLASSIC @ Syracuse, NY)
A decidedly bad patch for the Orangemen. They need to turn it around right now or else fall
from the rankings for quite a while. Looking back, their rep was made on that one neutral court
win over Indiana. What have you done for me lately?
Yet another regular season of promise ended in a postseason shellacking come
tournament time last year. On paper, there's lots to be excited about: Rasheed
Brokenborough and Pepe Sanchez are a fine backcourt duo and Lamont Barnes is a force
up front. There's some good new talent in 6-10 center Kevin Lyde and 6-5 swingman
Mark Karcher. On paper. But postseason success has eluded many a Temple team that
looked tough in the regular season.
The tough Atlantic 10 should keep them sharp for
postseason play (but you could have said the same thing last year and no dice). With
Massachusetts loaded and Rhode Island
reloading, the East Division should be a mine field. "What doesn't kill us only makes
us stronger", right?
The Owls should take the COACHES VS. CANCER CLASSIC to start the season (over
Wake Forest in the final). Their matchup zone and the home crowd might give
Michigan State trouble, but don't expect a win. They should have better
luck at Indiana and Fresno State than when they visit
Stanford in the Bay Area. Inside the league, they get
Rhode Island and Massachusetts at home first before
meeting them again (plus Xavier) on the road later, so they're in good shape
schedule-wise for the regular season East Division title.
11/10 (#16) W 65-49 v Georgetown (COACHES VS. CANCER CLASSIC @ New York, NY)
11/11 (#16) W 59-48 v #24 Wake Forest (COACHES VS. CANCER CLASSIC @ New York, NY)
Temple showcased 5 players -- Sanchez, Brokenborough and Barnes, plus Karcher and
Wadley -- who could put the ball on the floor and create their own offense. Plus,
Lyde in the middle takes up space and can clean up any misses. It's very tempting to
jump on the bandwagon, but you have to remember the past postseason disasters with
this team. Wake Forest's extreme youth helped the Owls look as good as they did coming back
from 16 points down.
The Owls successfully regrouped inside the Atlantic 10.
It remains to be seen whether that can translate to wins outside of the conference when they hit
the NCAA Tournament.
2 /24 (#24) W @71-49 v Fordham
2 /28 (#24) L 49-@57 @ Massachusetts
3 / 4 [E1] W @64-51 v [W4] Virginia Tech (ATLANTIC 10 TOURNAMENT @ Philadelphia, PA)
3 / 5 [E1] W @76-64 v [W2] Xavier (ATLANTIC 10 TOURNAMENT @ Philadelphia, PA)
3 / 6 [E1] L @59-62 v [E2] Rhode Island (ATLANTIC 10 TOURNAMENT @ Philadelphia, PA)
3 /12 [E6] W 61-54 v [E11] Kent (NCAA TOURNAMENT @ Boston, MA)
3 /14 [E6] W 64-54 v [E3] Cincinnati (NCAA TOURNAMENT @ Boston, MA)
3 /19 [E6] W 77-55 v [E10] Purdue (NCAA TOURNAMENT @ East Rutherford, NJ)
3 /21 [E6] L 64-85 v [E1] Duke (NCAA TOURNAMENT @ East Rutherford, NJ)
The Volunteers have one of their most physically talented teams in years led by
a precocious sophomore guard, 6-0 Tony Harris, who has plenty of talented options at
his disposal. 6-3 Brandon Wharton teams with Harris to form one of the best
backcourts in the country. 6-8 C.J. Black is an effective power forward inside while
6-10 Charles Hathaway (returning from a redshirt season) and 6-7 freshman Vincent
Yarbrough step in to make the frontcourt nothing to sneeze at, either. Showtime comes
to Knoxville.
Tennessee is in the tougher East Division of the
SEC along with Kentucky and
Georgia, so winning the regular season title may not be in the
cards. In fact, they may not even be able to take the conference tournament crown,
either. But don't be fooled if the Vols don't get a #4 seed come NCAA time. It's
just the depth of the league that will make their record seem less than impressive.
Look for the Vols to explode onto the national scene right off the bat by serving
notice with a win at Arizona. Other than a December meeting with
Memphis, the non-conference schedule is weak. Having to play
Georgia and Kentucky back-to-back twice, plus
meeting Arkansas on the road isn't the most advantageous league
schedule, but this team's confidence will feed on itself as the wins pile up.
Tennessee didn't look like a veteran team that returned 5 starters against
Arizona. They took terrible shots all game long. They
still had enough talent to make the game an end-play, but you've got to show a lot
more savvy to be considered a bona fide killer team.
The wipeout at Auburn is the last straw. No more giving the Volunteers
the benefit of the doubt for their "potential". They've got to show some hard results from now
on in order to get back into the rankings.
The win over Kentucky revitalizes what had been seen as a year of
underachieving. If the Vols can post two wins against Georgia and
Florida, they could get on a serious roll.
1 /20 (#16) W @85-69 v Georgia
1 /23 (#16) L 72-@93 @ Florida
1 /27 (#21) W @78-67 @ Vanderbilt
1 /30 (#21) W @100-64 v Alabama
2 / 2 (#17) L 52-@69 @ Arkansas
2 / 6 (#17) L @82-88 v Mississippi St
2 /10 W @91-56 v #21 Florida
2 /13 W @63-62 v Vanderbilt
2 /17 (#22) W 69-@67 @ #25 Mississippi
2 /20 (#22) W 65-@50 @ S Carolina
2 /23 (#18) W 75-@65 @ Georgia
2 /28 (#18) W @68-61 v #9 Kentucky
3 / 5 [E1] L 56-62 v [W4] Mississippi St (SEC TOURNAMENT @ Atlanta, GA)
3 /12 [E4] W 62-52 v [E13] Delaware (NCAA TOURNAMENT @ Charlotte, NC)
3 /14 [E4] L 51-81 v [E12] SW Missouri St (NCAA TOURNAMENT @ Charlotte, NC)
The Bruins lost a lot of talent from last year's squad, but there's tons more new
talent coming in. Last year's backcourt of Baron Davis and Earl Watson returns, which
is good news when there are a lot of new faces to work into the lineup. 6-11 freshman
center Dan Gadzuric was rated the best incoming player at his position in the nation.
6-7 JaRon Rush, guard Ray Young and 6-11 Jerome Moiso are also superior talents.
That's a lot of stars to blend together into a cohesive unit -- not one of UCLA's
strengths in the past couple of years. They'll be flashy, but will they be great?
The talent is there to compete with Stanford and
Washington in the Pac-10,
but this many new faces could splinter just as easily as gel. (Remember last year's
Fresno State squad?)
Except for the PUERTO RICO SHOOTOUT, the Bruins don't play a serious team in front
of a hostile crowd until they meet Washington at the end of
January. That's just what the doctor ordered for such a young squad. Check back in
February and see how they're playing then.
11/19 (#12) W @89-76 v Santa Clara
11/26 (#11) W 69-62 v San Francisco (PUERTO RICO SHOOTOUT @ San Juan, PR)
[] 11/27 (#11) L 54-70 v #5 Maryland (PUERTO RICO SHOOTOUT @ San Juan, PR)
[] 11/28 (#11) L 62-66 v #4 Kentucky (PUERTO RICO SHOOTOUT @ San Juan, PR)
12/ 2 (#14) W @109-67 v Delaware St
12/ 5 (#14) W @69-66 v #24 Oklahoma St (JOHN WOODEN CLASSIC @ Anaheim, CA)
Baron Davis is back in the lineup. So it's time to start scrutinizing their performance a
bit closer. The question is, can he get them together into a cohesive unit in time for the
tough Pac-10 schedule?
A lofty preseason ranking given that they lost a lot of talent off of last year's
squad that finished second to Kentucky. But they do still have
their floor leader, Andre Miller, and a star frontcourt player in Hanno Mottola ...
and, best of all, they've still got their ace coach, Rick Majerus. That's quite a
nucleus and they can learn how to fill in the rest as the season goes along. Granted,
they probably won't look like a Top-10 team early on, but don't overlook them come
tournament time as many did last year. Compare this team to Purdue
which also lost some talent, but still retains some key contributors and has a coach
on the sidelines who knows how to get the best out of what remains.
They get to face Fresno State twice this year (after not facing
them even once last year). No matter. They can handle the Bulldogs just fine. Ditto
New Mexico.
The MAUI INVITATIONAL will be a quick litmus test to let them know where they stand in
this new season. They're the best team in the field, but they may not have their act
together so early in the season. Then there's the GREAT EIGHT matchup with
Rhode Island right afterward, which won't be easy. By the time
they face Wake Forest at the end of December, things should be running smoothly.
11/14 (#8) W @76-47 v Azusa Pacific
11/18 (#7) L 54-@62 @ Utah St
11/23 (#14) W 65-48 v Arizona St (MAUI INVITATIONAL @ Maui, HI)
11/24 (#14) L 49-52 v #23 Indiana (MAUI INVITATIONAL @ Maui, HI)
11/25 (#14) W 71-54 v Michigan (MAUI INVITATIONAL @ Maui, HI)
[] 12/ 2 (#16) L 63-70 v Rhode Island (GREAT EIGHT @ Chicago, IL)
12/ 5 (#16) W 61-@54 @ Long Beach St
12/ 9 W @87-74 v Weber St
12/12 L 68-@73 @ Texas
12/19 W @89-55 v Loyola Marymount (?? @ Salt Lake City, UT)
It's the rout loss at Arizona State is the last straw (not the squeak loss at
Arizona). Things have come apart for the Huskies. It's more than Donald
Watts' injury to blame at this point.
The Huskies may well have turned things around. Since their low point of 7-6, they've gone
7-1 (inside the tough Pac-10, no less). Donald Watts is
fully recovered from his earlier injury. When 7' Todd MacCulloch's not on the floor, they're
actually better with an all-'tweener lineup that has a lot of versatility offensively and
defensively. We'll see if they can take it up another notch and make a final push towards the
NCAA tournament.
The Badgers break into the trackings mostly due to consistency and timing. It was bad week
for the ranked teams and not much of one among the unranked teams, so Wisconsin jumps in as a
likely candidate. Their win at Temple probably says more about the Owls
than it does about the Badgers, but they do have that road win against up-and-down
Rhode Island as well.
The rout of Fresno State (which had started to turn a corner) makes
the record and the numbers look legit. So they make the big jump up 11 places in one week.
The Badgers are in a free fall. They just struggle too much on offense to be a fearsome
team, especially now that tournament play is upon us. Great halfcourt D can win you some games
in the regular season, but "who you gon' call" when you need some points under playoff pressure?
3 / 5 [4] W 74-60 v [5] Iowa (BIG 10 TOURNAMENT @ Chicago, IL)
3 / 6 [4] L 41-56 v [1] Michigan St (BIG 10 TOURNAMENT @ Chicago, IL)
3 /12 [E5] L 32-43 v [E12] SW Missouri St (NCAA TOURNAMENT @ Charlotte, NC)
The Musketeers started the season in the top 20, but had such a disastrous preseason that
they went untracked for a while. But because all of the top teams in the
Atlantic 10 also had poor preseasons, I couldn't untrack all
of them and still follow the key games inside the league. So XU gets back "on track" for
relative reasons rather than absolute ones.
A ten-game win streak seems to have healed the wounds of the Musketeers, who took a
nosedive earlier on this season. Don't expect a win at Cincinnati, though.
1 /28 (#23) L 77-@87 @ #5 Cincinnati
1 /30 (#23) L 86-@91 @ Dayton
2 / 4 W 59-@53 @ St Joseph's
2 / 6 L 75-@88 @ La Salle
2 / 9 W @72-54 v Duquesne
2 /14 W @62-60 v Temple
2 /16 W @88-71 v La Salle
2 /20 L 77-@78(2OT) @ Massachusetts
2 /24 W @90-62 v Dayton
2 /27 L 74-@77 @ George Washington
3 / 4 [W2] W 72-68 v [E3] Massachusetts (ATLANTIC 10 TOURNAMENT @ Philadelphia, PA)