March is a magical month, and not just because of college basketball's crescendo. Not only is this the month where Shamrock Shakes are available at participating restaurants, Girl Scout Cookie orders come in (my supplier hooked me up last month--currently trying to ration the spoils for the entire NCAA Tournament)...but once again something seemingly perfect is tarnished by the powers-that-be. It's not as bad as the NCAA Tournament's play-in game or naming the regionals after cities (woo-hoo...the East Rutherford Finals are next!)... or even several McDonald's not participating in the month of minty goodness-- but it's just as disturbing and could have long-range effects.
This year I've discovered the use of "alternate titles". For instance--I have always known the peanut butter inside the chocolate cookie as a Tagalong-- yet in some parts of this country they're referred to as "Peanut Butter Patties". Likewise with Samoas and its makeshift moniker-- "Caramel Delite"--can't they even spell "delight" correctly? (my main problem with Cap'n Crunch wasn't the sogginess or superfluous sugar but the fact that a whole generation thought that was how one spelled "captain"). Can't we as a cookie-buying public determine what the ingredients are on our own? What about the children who will never ask for a Do-Si-Do, sentenced to "Peanut Butter Sandwiches" instead? Thank goodness a Thin Mint remains a Thin Mint--although I wouldn't be surprised if next year it was referred to as a "chocolate minty magic"...
Anyways-- on to what will be an intriguing weekend with just about everybody in and around the beltway with something to play for...
Saturday's showdowns--
#10 Georgetown plays 13th rated Louisville for the Big East regular season title. The Hoyas lost at Freedom Hall in February by 8 after going 8 minutes in the second half without a field goal (this was the game where Rick Pitino dressed like Colonel Sanders/Mister Roarke/Harold Hill for the first half)... the Cardinals' 2-3 zone is very active on the perimeter yet clogs the middle better than most--usually Roy Hibbert is able to find room underneath, yet Louisville clamped down on the big man.
Defensively, the Hoyas will have their hands full with David Padgett--the big man passes nearly as well as Hibbert and almost always finds the right man in the perfect spot...and another tough is 6-foot-6 forward Terrence Williams-- who leads the Cardinals in rebounding and assists.
George Mason plays the winner of Northeastern and James Madison in the CAA Quarterfinals-the Patriots have the talent necessary to win the conference tournament with first-team all-CAA forward Will Thomas in the post and Folarin Campbell on the perimeter... still questions persist on how Mason melts away from Fairfax (4-6 in their last ten road games) and can this team string together back to back to back efforts? GMU hasn't won consecutive games in a month.
George Washington wraps up a rough regular season by hosting Massachussetts. While the Minutemen are an NCAA bubble team (20-9 with road wins at Syracuse and Boston College) and has that early-March momentum coaches crave with five straight victories, GW is in danger of missing the Atlantic Ten Tournament. Twelve of the league's fourteen schools (I know those numbers fly in the face of "Ten", but the Big Eleven was first) advance to Atlantic City-- and the Colonials need a victory plus a loss by Fordham to last-place St. Bonaventure to slip in as the 12th seed.
They'll try to do so minus Maureece Rice, dismissed from the team for breaking a rule--an unfortunate end to the career of a senior who expected to shine as a shooting guard this winter but was pressed into ball-handling duties when Travis King went down with a knee injury in November. Rice was never able to make the adjustment and unfortunately the Colonials never were able to recover.
Sunday's spotlight--
The ACC bubble is front and center as Virginia Tech continues to play the role of "the little engine that could"--Hokies host Clemson in a game that will determine third place in the conference...the Tigers lost Thursday at Georgia Tech 80-75 in a game where K.C. Rivers was held to 5 points on 2 of 8 shooting; Maryland held the swingman to 2 for 10 shooting and 4 points Sunday.
What's been going right for the Hokies during their winning streak? Taking the battle of the boards (average advantage on the glass has been +11) as well as taking care of the basketball (11.5 turnovers after averaging 15 and a half over the first 25 games of the regular season). A victory would give Virginia Tech a 10-6 league record, and despite a less than stellar RPI and slim non-conference resume no ACC team has been denied an NCAA bid with 10 ACC wins since the field expanded to 40 schools in 1979.
Maryland faces a must-win situation Sunday night in Charlottesville against Virginia... the Terps try to turn around a 2-4 tumble where they've posted more turnovers than assists in each game. They beat the Cavaliers by ten in January on a night where Greivis Vasquez tallied 25 points and Maryland held UVa to 29% from three-point range.
Meanwhile the Cavaliers have been playing much better as of late; after a 1-9 ACC start that saw the Cavs lose five games by less than three points or in overtime, coach Dave Leitao's team's taken three of five. Sean Singletary plays his final regular season home game still waiting for assistance--lack of support has been the continuing story of his and Virginia's season. Can Maryland wipe out the memory of wasting a 20 point second half lead at home on their senior night-- and more importantly can they play a full 40 minutes against a lesser opponent?
More to come as I continue to munch on a box of Trefoils...I mean "shortbreads"...ugh...
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